Are you getting headaches from candles?

I used to burn a lot of candles without really thinking about what was in them or what they were doing to the air in my home. 

I had a huge collection of 3-wick candles and my absolute favourite season was Winter - so I’d stock up and burn them year round! It wasn’t until early 2017 when I put any thought into my candle obsession. I was part way through my pregnancy and started noticing changes in how my body was reacting to candles. Every time I’d light up a candle it was an instant headache - minutes into the burn, as the scent filled the room, the discomfort would start to creep in. 

Ignoring it at first, I persevered. I’d burn candles for a few minutes at a time, and go days or weeks between lighting them up. I figured that my pregnancy was just making me too sensitive to the smells. 

Eventually, I stopped trying.

I gave away my big collection to friends and settled into my candle-less life, figuring “oh well, not worth the headache.”

But, I did miss the glow!

Slowly, I started burning unscented candles. Thinking, again, that it was just too much smell in my house. While it’s nice to get the flicker of a candle, I really did miss exploring all the different scents. Slowly again, I started looking for alternatives. 

I figured “candle making can’t be that hard! I’ll make my own unscented candles.” And so I did. And let me tell you.. Simple and easy are two very different things. Through a lot of experimentation I found my preferred production of my very own candles. 

It might not surprise you to know that a candlemaker has a lot of candle obsessed friends. So in the midst of making myself unscented candles, I thought I’d try out some new scent blends for them! I finally started thinking more about what went into a candle, and what I wanted to put into mine. 

So what in candles is causing your headache? 

Through my work to develop great smelling candles that didn't leave people with shitty headaches, I discovered the culprits - paraffin wax and phthalates in fragrance oils.

Through extensive testing, I landed on a soy wax that I absolutely love. Long-lasting burns will keep your candles going for hours. Soy wax also doesn't contain toluene and benzene

Toluene vapours are known to cause eye and upper respiratory tract irritation and can lead to dizziness, and headaches among other side effects! Benzene is a known carcinogen and short-term effects of exposure also include those pesky headaches.

These combined with the kinds of fragrance used in candles are leading to your nasty candle headaches.

Creating better candles

That experiment in looking for a way to enjoy candles has led me here, The Copper Bell. I am proud of the product I’ve created and am so excited I’ve been able to share it with people who are just like me. 

Simply put, we make candles that don't suck. Great scents, room-filling scent, and no headaches! 

If you want to check them out for yourself please know I am happy to stand behind my product. If you find there’s a scent you are sensitive to, I will gladly refund or exchange it for you! 

Follow The Copper Bell on Instagram @the.copper.bell