Newsletter April 2025

As April 2025 ends, I have had a wonderful week off playing with my Cricut and sublimation press, testing organic candles, and spending time with the dogs. The house has smelled amazing all week with testing beeswax candles.

New Products

Nothing new for April, I am afraid, everything is still in testing or development. However I have an extensive range of products in the shop, so everyone is still spoiled for choice.

 

Healthy Discussion- Why do so many say, “Candles are toxic”?

So, speaking of candles, let’s talk about what is in that candle you buy from a lot of suppliers.

As my customers know, our products are generally free of nasty chemicals and oils, and are made from primarily Paleo, organic, GMO free, cruelty free, child exploitation free, Fair Trade and ecologically and socially responsible ingredients, including our candles.

Candle science is a difficult beast, and it is generally advised to use fragrance oils rather than essential oils. We use both, and where we use fragrance oils they are phthalate and paraben free, and we are moving away from anything that is not a natural fragrance oil. We do have synthetic components in our current range, but with an increasing number of natural fragrance oils, we only intend to keep our Australiana range as they are. Everything else will be run out and our Wellness range will have the same jars but natural fragrance oils in future.

This comes at a cost, but the reason we do this and have so much faith in our products was illustrated at an International Womens’ Day event I attended last month. Lovely event, very prettily set up, including some candles burning on the table. I nearly had an asthma attach and struggled to stay there for the event.

The candles were toxic to my lungs.

WHY were they toxic? Well!

Mass produced candles are made from cheap ingredients with cheap labour. Like cheap soap, they are a variety of chemical ingredients that can raise concerns for both lung health and environmental impact.

They commonly contain items which look remarkably like the ones we use, except they are not:  

• Hydrogenated Vegetable Wax
• These waxes are your common, garden variety GMO, high herbicide load, hydrogenated vegetable oil wax.
• Paraffin Wax:
• Paraffin wax remains in regular use with cheaper candle wax blends. It is not long friendly and as it burns, releases toxins, which is why some health advocates tell you not to burn candles.
• Fragrances. As discussed last month, the low down on candle fragrances is the same as the low down on soap fragrances, they can just be a bit worse as they are not applied to the skin. As we TCM practitioners know, lungs are an extension of the skin, but in Western medicine, this is not considered to be the case.:
• Synthetic fragrances, often derived from petrochemicals, can cause allergic reactions and skin sensitivities. Phthalates and parabens are contained in many modern fragrances and even most artisan chandlers do not check if the fragrances they are using contain phthalates and parabens. As here we are sensitive to them, we check the fragrances we use are free of phthalates and parabens.
• As discussed last month, an interesting experiment here over the last 2 months has been to trial two brands which Glen and I both react to as a weedkiller. Turns out, with those brands, it works. Some ingredients in many fragrances are also an active ingredient in herbicides and pesticides. What you are breathing in with so many fragrance oils is a chemical well known to be toxic.
• Wicks.
• Wicks are not always what they seem. Some contain zinc cores. Many are dipped in paraffin wax.
• Other Additives:
  • Colourants: Synthetic dyes that add colour to the candle and are frequently not ethically, socially or environmentally responsible.
• These can include:

Potential Concerns:

• Eye Irritation: Many of the chemicals listed can irritate sensitive eyes.
• Lung Irritation: Many of the chemicals listed can irritate sensitive lungs, which are in TCM an extension of your skin, leading to asthma-like symptoms. Ever walked into a room where a candle is burning and started coughing, sneezing and experiencing shortness of breath? Me to!
• Environmental Impact: Some ingredients, like certain preservatives and synthetic fragrances, can contribute to water pollution.
• Long-Term Health Effects: There are ongoing debates about the potential long-term health effects of exposure to certain chemicals found in commercial soaps.

Alternatives:

• Many people are locating the few chandlers around that make phthalate and paraben free or natural fragrance oils, natural essential oil or organic candles and wax melts, however, these can be expensive as there is a higher cost involved.
• Making your own organic candles where the only ingredients are beeswax, and as we know from my test bench, beeswax is expensive

 

Nashama Equine & Canine

We have good  stocks of our equine and Canine products, including our unique Abscess and Thrush Formulation, which remains one of the most cost effective and the only organic preparation on the market, and dog shampoo in the farm shop.

The new recipe formulations have not made it to the test bench yet as I have been playing with my new toys this week, but they will get there.

 

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