Lavender candles are candles that are scented with the aroma of lavender, a flowering herb that belongs to the mint family. Lavender has been used for centuries for its soothing, relaxing properties and lovely floral scent. Lavender candles can help create a calm, peaceful environment and provide therapeutic benefits. In this article, we’ll explore what lavender candles are, their uses and benefits, how they’re made, and tips for using them in your home.
What is Lavender?
Lavender is a flowering plant that belongs to the mint family Lamiaceae. There are over 47 known species of lavender, with the most common species being Lavandula angustifolia, also known as English lavender. Lavender is native to the Mediterranean region but is now grown worldwide.
The lavender plant has fragrant gray-green foliage and beautiful purple flowers that bloom on long spikes. The entire lavender plant is aromatic, but the flowers and oil extracted from them contain the highest concentration of scent. The flowers and oil contain hundreds of phytochemicals and compounds like linalool, linalyl acetate, camphor, and ocimene that give lavender its distinctive floral-herbaceous scent.
Lavender has been used therapeutically and for perfumes, soaps, and sachets for thousands of years thanks to its lovely aroma and medicinal benefits. The ancient Romans used lavender to scent baths and in cooking. During the medieval period in Europe, lavender was grown in monastery gardens and used for treating insomnia, anxiety, and headaches.
Today, lavender essential oil and dried lavender flowers and buds are used in aromatherapy, personal care products, perfumes, and more. The scent of lavender is considered calming and can promote relaxation.
What are Lavender Candles?
Lavender candles are candles that are scented with the essential oil of lavender flowers or contain dried lavender buds. The candles release the sweet, floral, herbaceous fragrance of lavender when burned, helping create a relaxing environment.
Many lavender candles are made primarily from soy, beeswax, or paraffin wax. Lavender essential oil or dried lavender buds are then added to the candle wax to impart the lavender fragrance. Some lavender candles contain a blend of lavender oil with other essential oils like vanilla or sandalwood for a unique scent.
Lavender-scented candles come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and hues of purple in keeping with the color of lavender blossoms. Small votive or tealight lavender candles are popular for home use. Large pillar-style lavender candles look elegant in candle holders and can burn for dozens of hours. There are even lavender-scented birthday candles, holiday candles, and aromatherapy candles.
Benefits and Uses of Lavender Candles
Here are some of the top benefits and uses of burning lavender-scented candles in your home:
– Promote Relaxation and Sleep – The calming scent of lavender can help lower stress levels and anxious feelings, encouraging relaxation. This makes lavender candles useful for winding down at nighttime to get better sleep. Studies show lavender’s sedative effects can improve sleep quality and duration.
– Create a Soothing Environment – The pleasant floral aroma of lavender can help make any room more soothing and welcoming. Light a lavender candle in your living room, bedroom, or study to create a peaceful retreat.
– Improve Mood – Research demonstrates lavender aromatherapy can boost mood, ease depression, and make you feel more lively and happy. Lavender’s soothing scent may uplift your spirits.
– Reduce Headaches – Some studies indicate lavender essential oil can help decrease migraine and headache pain when inhaled. Burning a lavender candle near you may provide natural headache relief.
– Freshen Indoor Air – Lavender candles can add a lovely scent to mask odors from cooking, pets, smoke, and more. The aroma makes indoor air smell cleaner.
– Provide Aromatherapy Benefits – Inhaling lavender essential oil molecules has therapeutic effects like improving sleep, easing anxiety, enhancing mood, and more. Burning lavender candles releases these molecules so you can enjoy the aromatherapy benefits.
– Set a Romantic Mood – The candlelit glow and seductive floral scent of lavender can create romantic ambiance. Place lavender candles in your bedroom or bathroom for a relaxing, sensual mood.
– Repel Insects Naturally – Lavender oil has bug repelling abilities against mosquitoes, moths, and flies. Burn lavender candles outdoors in summer for a more natural way to keep insects at bay.
– Decorate with Style – Beautifully scented, purple lavender candles can look lovely decorating your home. Display pillar lavender candles or clusters of smaller candles for decorative accent lighting.
How are Lavender Candles Made?
Crafting quality lavender candles requires meticulous steps to infuse the candle wax with lovely lavender fragrance. Here is an overview of how lavender candles are made by professional candle makers:
– Making the Candle Wax Base – Thecandle wax itself is created by formulating the right mixtures of ingredients like soy wax, paraffin wax, palm wax, coconut wax, and beeswax. This provides the proper melt point, opacity, and texture for candle making.
– Adding Lavender Scent – Once the wax base is prepared, the lavender scent gets infused. Liquid lavender essential oil, dried lavender flowers and buds are added at specific concentrations to scent the wax evenly when melted.
– Preparing the Candle Containers – Glass, metal, or other candle jars and containers are selected in appropriate shapes and sizes. Containers are cleaned and may be decorated.
– Pouring the Candles – The scented wax is heated to a liquid state to pour into the waiting candle containers and mold spaces. Proper wicking is important so candles burn evenly down.
– Cooling and Settling – Poured candles are allowed to completely cool and settle for up to 48 hours as the wax shifts from liquid to solid form. This helps ensure even burning.
– Final Touches – Once hardened and cooled, finishing touches are added like trimming the wicks, affixing labels, decorating with herbs or gems, and packaging the finished lavender candles.
– Curing the Candles – Finally, completed candles cure for 4-6 weeks. This allows any remaining trapped air bubbles to escape and helps maximize fragrance throw when burned.
Tips for Using Lavender Candles at Home
Here are some tips for burning lavender candles in your home to enjoy their full relaxing and aromatherapeutic benefits:
– Place lavender candles in bedrooms, living areas, bathrooms, and other rooms you want to scent and soothe. Avoid burning candles very close to drafts which can disrupt scent throw.
– Choose high quality candles made with pure essential oils and clean-burning waxes for the best aroma, safety, and burn time.
– Trim wicks to 1⁄4 inch before lighting to prevent excess smoking and uneven burning. Long wicks create more soot.
– Use a candle lighter or match to light candles instead of unsafe methods like gas stoves. Extinguish candles once they burn down within 1⁄2 inch of the bottom.
– Never leave burning candles unattended. Keep candles out of reach from children and pets. Avoid falling asleep with candles burning.
– Place candles in safe holders on sturdy, heat-safe surfaces. Keep them away from flammable objects like curtains, books, and decor.
– Rotate candles to different rooms to enjoy the fragrance throughout your home. You can also combine lavender with complementary scents.
– Add impact by burning multiple lavender candles together in one space. The aroma will be more intense.
– Clean candles occasionally by gently wiping with rubbing alcohol to remove soot buildup for optimal burning and fragrance.
Safety Tips for Lavender Candles
While lavender candles can make great home decor, it’s vital to keep safety in mind when burning them. Here are some key lavender candle safety tips:
– Avoid leaving burning candles unattended or falling asleep with them lit. Extinguish candles before leaving a room.
– Keep wicks trimmed to 1⁄4 inch to prevent hazardous flare-ups, tunneling, and smoking. Long wicks are dangerous.
– Place candles in sturdy candle holders on an uncluttered, heatproof surface away from anything flammable.
– If a candle container cracks or becomes damaged, carefully extinguish it and replace it to prevent wax leaks and breakage.
– Burn candles in rooms with good ventilation so vapors don’t concentrate in stagnant indoor air. Open a window periodically.
– Position candles out of reach of children and pets to prevent accidental tipping or burning. Never let children light candles.
– Check that candle holders are not excessively hot before moving them. Allow cooled wax to fully harden before attempting to move a burned candle.
– Read and follow all safety warnings provided on candle packaging. Discontinue use if a candle flame behaves oddly or the scent causes irritation.
– Consider using battery-operated flameless candles for added visual appeal without open flames. These eliminate fire risks.
Conclusion
Lavender candles can make a lovely, soothing addition to your home. Their elegant appearance and floral aroma promote relaxation. Give rooms in your home a calming boost by lighting lovely lavender candles. Just be sure to take proper safety precautions when burning them. Follow package directions and burn times, trim wicks, use sturdy holders, and never leave lit candles unattended. With proper practices, lavender candles can provide natural aromatherapy, freshen indoor air, destress your environment, and create cozy, peaceful ambiance.
