Flameless Candles

Now this seems strange -- flameless candles?  But isn't the whole point to burn them and release the frangrance?  Why wouldn't you want to light them and let the scent float everywhere?

There are actually several reasons for flameless candles:

• You live in a dorm or other area that prohibits an open flame. .
• You can't burn anything in an office due to building codes.
• You'd prefer to be totally soot-free because you're not burning anything.
• You are very sensitive to smoke.

Let's take a look at how these kinds of candles work (and they do).

What Exactly are Flameless Candles?

Have you ever used potpourri by putting it in some water and simmering it on the stove to release its scent?  The same idea applies to these kinds of candles (just not using a stove).

Wax with a low melting point is placed into a ceramic or thick glass holder and gently warmed.  The warmers use electricity, in the form of a tealight warmer or a lightbulb to slowly heat up the holder.  As the holder warms, it gently melts the wax, releasing the scent.

Here's where you can find out more about candle melts.

Things to Consider

You still have to use precautions when using a candle melt.  Just like you don't want to leave a regular one burning when you're not at home, neither to you want the warmer turned on when you're out.

Be careful not to spill the melted wax.  There are waxes out there than wash up with soap and water (soy and vegetable waxes), so you may want to consider one of them if the inevitable happens.

Even though there is no flame, the wax and holder do get hot, so you want to use it where children and pets can't reach it.

Along those same lines...because the wax and holder do get very heated, don't try to move them yourself while they are hot!

Finding These Candles

Although not widely available, you can find these wonderful melts in specialty catalogs.  The warmers seem to be more readily available, however.

Let's say you have yourself a simmer-pot but no scented wax to melt; is there anything you can do? Sure! Grab a votive in a scent you like and cut it in half parallel to the wick.

Take out the wick (including a wick tab if there is one) and grate the wax coarsely. Put the grated wax in the simmer pot to warm and melt. (Just remember that any grater you use can't ever be used for food again.)

If you'd like to try a premium richly scented flameless candle melts, you can shop for the melts here.  Personally I find the scents with the flameless melts to be stronger than the same scent in the regular candle, so it's something you may want to consider, if you have either a large or small space to fragrance. (Here's a scent review for some ideas.)

Home Page

ADD TO YOUR SOCIAL BOOKMARKS: Blink Del.icio.us Digg
Furl Google Simpy Spurl Technorati Y! MyWeb

Flameless Candles and Aromatherapy

Flameless candles and aromatherapy can be a great combination.

Why? Because since a flameless candle is, well, flameless, the essential oils aren't burned up.

Instead, by using a wax warmer or "simmer pot" to melt the wax gently, you can add a few drops of essential oil to the melted wax.

The warmed essential oils are then released to the air, along with the scent of the candle.

You get the rich fragrance of the candle, along with the benefits of aromatherapy.

What are Some Aromatherapy Scents?

Obviously, you want a scent that matches or is compatible with your wax scent.

An obvious example is using lavender essential oil with a lavender-fragranced melt.

But you may want to try other scent combinations as well.

Need some ideas as to what essential oils produce what effect? See the aromatherapy scents page for some information.