The Best Scented Candle

People have been using candles for over 5,000 years. While they are no longer used predominantly for lighting the way, their relaxing and atmospheric qualities are what people love best these days.

Scented candles can help you find a sense of calm and tranquility. Some scents actually provide mood-altering effects. For example, lavender helps to relieve stress, while eucalyptus is energizing and also known to enable people to improve their focus. On the other hand, lemon-scented candles help to reduce anxiety and depression.

However, it’s not only the scent of the candle that’s evocative. If it was, then you’d be able to get the same effects with an air freshener. The flicker of candlelight is hard to reproduce. The glow from a candle creates a sense of warmth and intimacy you can’t get anywhere else. In fact, their healing properties are often used by massage therapists or spa workers to create a sense of peace and tranquility in their surroundings.

The way scented candles look is important for creating the perfect atmosphere. They add the right decorative touch to many areas of the home, from bedrooms to bathrooms, living rooms to kitchens. You can select the color of the wax and the style of the jar or candle holder to match your home’s look and feel.

The act of lighting a candle is therapeutic for many people. In some meditation practices and prayer rituals, lighting a candle takes a front seat. Certain visualization exercises or techniques actually involve focusing on the flickering flame or inhaling the scent of the candle for an extended period of time.

Scents are known to be tied to memory. For many people, lighting a scented candle is a way to remember a particular moment in time or a person no longer there. While floral and herbal scents are common, many scented candles come in unique fragrances such as tobacco or laundry detergent, to evoke specific memories tied to those scents.

• The most important factor to consider when choosing a scented candle is the fragrance. The scent changes the ambiance of your surroundings and can affect your mood and the way you feel. Our Own Candle Company’s Smell My Nuts has a combination of three unique scents: Banana nut bread, toasted coconut and hazelnut. On the other hand, Lulu Candles’ Lemongrass candle has a citrusy smell. Chesapeake Bay’s Balance + Harmony Candle combines floral notes with the fruity smells of pear and peach. NEST’s Classic Bamboo Scented Candle brings together the fragrances of flowering bamboo and citrus.
• The presentation of the candle is important for setting the scene, especially if you’re trying to match the candle to your existing décor. Our Own Candle Company’s Smell My Nuts comes in a glass mason jar with a lid. The color of the candle matches the banana nut bread scent. Lulu Candles’ Lemongrass is a creamy white candle in a crisp clear jar with a black lid and an industrial-looking label. Chesapeake Bay’s Balance + Harmony Candle is in a soft frosted green jar with a brown lid. NEST’s Classic Bamboo Scented Candle is in a cream patterned jar, without a lid.
• When considering which scented candle to buy, pay attention to the burn time, which indicates how long the candle can burn before it runs out. Our Own Candle Company’s Smell My Nuts has a long burn time of 100 hours. Lulu Candles’ Lemongrass has a long-lasting and slow burn, but doesn’t indicate the number of hours. Chesapeake Bay’s Balance + Harmony Candle has a burn time of 50 hours, while NEST’s Classic Bamboo Scented Candle has a burn time of between 50 and 60 hours.
• Price can be a critical factor, especially if you purchase multiple candles for your home. Our Own Candle Company’s Smell My Nuts can be purchased for under $15 for 13 oz. Chesapeake Bay’s Balance + Harmony Candle is available for under $15 for a medium-sized jar. On the other hand, NEST’s Classic Bamboo Scented Candle is generally available for around $40 for an 8 oz candle.