Beeswax - Sustainable, Beneficial and Eco-friendly
As the days become darker and the nights become colder, we are all looking for ways to stay a little more cosy and feel at peace in our homes as we spend more time indoors. Some of you will be reaching for the tea light candles and brightening up your room with the warm glow of candlelight. But while your candles flicker away, you may want to consider an alternative to the classic tealight this winter - beeswax. Beeswax candles emit light that is similar to the light spectrum of sunlight. This is thanks to beeswax's high melting point of around 65° Celsius. Because beeswax has a higher melting point than other waxes, it emits the brightest, most warm-toned flame.
Okay, sure, so beeswax candles give a brighter, warmer flame, is that all? Not at all, in fact the benefits of beeswax are numerous.
Beeswax is the most sustainable of all waxes, being a natural and renewable product. It is not synthetic or man made and is actually a by-product of honey production. Bees produce excess honey in the wax honeycombs that they construct and this wax can be taken without affecting the colony. Unlike many of the crops which are produced around the world, beeswax can be harvested in a completely safe and environmentally friendly way. Bees like to have fresh honeycombs in which to lay their eggs, so harvesting their used honeycombs is actually of a benefit to the bees as well.
Supporting the production of beeswax will, in itself, support the population of bees. This has never been more important. In the UK alone bees are responsible for pollinating around 70 of the crops we grow here. For example, broccoli, cabbage and apples are either completely dependent on bees or receive benefits in one way or another. Worldwide, bees pollinate one or more cultivars of over 66% of the crop species and contribute to around one third of the food required to feed us.
Air quality is another important benefit to mention when we talk about using beeswax in candles. When you burn your beeswax candles, it isn't like burning a regular paraffin tealight. Paraffin candles are made using paraffin wax, a by-product of the refining process of petroleum. Yep, that's as nasty as it sounds and it does indeed emit toxins into the air that you breathe in your home. Two of these toxins are documented as carcinogenic. How is beeswax different? It emits no toxins and in fact emits negative ions when it burns. Airborne pollutants such as dust, mites, pollen etc all carry a positive charge, this is how they manage to stay suspended in the air causing all kinds of irritation. The negative ions released when you burn a beeswax candle negate the positive ions suspending the pollutants and bring them to the ground, cleaning the air of them. This releasing of negative ions is how air purifiers and similar products work. There are many anecdotal reports of asthma and allergy symptom relief as a result of burning beeswax candles. For many with chemical and fragrance sensitivities, these are the only candles they can burn since the beeswax doesn’t release those irritating toxins.
In conclusion, why choose beeswax, apart from the warm bright glow and the long burn times? In short, it benefits everyone! Not only the ecosystem and bee population, but also the person burning the candle - from air quality to enjoying the ambience that can only be provided by this unique and beautiful wax.
These are some of the reasons why we chose to make our candles from 100% beeswax. You can browse our collection here.