Candles Online: Guidelines for Choosing the Right Candle

Choosing a candle is such a sensory experience that it can be difficult to imagine buying one online. Those who cannot use commercial candles because of allergies or asthma, those who are vegan and demand a purely vegetable wax, and those who want an environmentally sound candle but can't find one in a brick and mortar store need an alternative to finding a candle that works for them.

The alternative, then, is to search the World Wide Web for the right candle. However, the web is so mind bogglingly huge that finding the right candle can be a numbing task.

So, the first step in purchasing a candle online is to know what you're looking for. There are many reasons we choose a candle. These reasons can be simply broken down into the following categories: 

• wax
• type
• size
• scent

Use the following guidelines to determine what type of candle you want out of each category.

Guideline #1: Choose your wax carefully.

There are many different types of wax used in candles today. If you have allergies or asthma, you will need to be extra careful about what type of candle you burn in your home.

The following is a list of common waxes:

• Paraffin - is the most common wax found in candles. Even though it's cheap and easy to work with it's made from petroleum waste. It also produces smoke and soot and releases carcinogens like benzene and toluene into the air when burned. 

• Gel - offers clear wax and a high ability to accept color and fragrance. However, this type of wax is also made of petroleum by-products. In addition, since the wax is so soft the wicks must be reinforced, which are a health hazard. 

• Soy - produced from soybeans, burns cleaner than petroleum based waxes (doesn't emit soot or carcinogens) and is a renewable resource. It also burns longer than paraffin wax. Good for those with allergies and asthma.