Candles!

I have been meaning to write this post for a while now- it's not everyday that you come across a natural alternative to a product that has no downfall whatsoever (at least none that I can come up with!). Given my penny-pincher tendencies, the most frequent downfall of the natural alternative to mainstream products is cost. Unfortuntely to choose organic foods, all-natural materials, and fair trade products costs a lot more than what you can pick up at Walmart (shudder) or other corporate stores. But... Without further ado, I would like to present a natural alternative to those wonderful Yankee Candles that we all know and love... Tranquility Base Candles! Tranquilty Base Candles is run from the home of a wonderful woman named Rita. I was lucky enough to be invited into her home to watch a candle making demonstration with our homeschool group (that is, three 3 year olds and three moms- pretty certain that the moms were much more entertained by this outing). During this demonstration, Rita informed us that Yankee candles are made of paraffin, a substance made from petroleum. Unbeknownst to me, paraffin has a multitude of known carcinogens. Burning this stuff repeatedly is just not good. Ever notice the black ring of soot on the jars of your Yankee Candles? Something about that just doesn't seem "clean." Rita uses Palm and Soy Wax to make all of her products. She is extremely dedicated to use the most sustainable sources in order to obtain her materials (so dedicated, in fact, that she changed suppliers during the holiday rush when she wasn't satisfied with how one of her suppliers obtained their palm oil). She doesn't use dyes, so all of her jar candles look similar, but they certainly smell different. She offers a wide variety of scents- I found it extremely hard to choose. And, perhaps most importantly, the cost of Tranquility Base Candles is comparable to Yankee Candles, in fact, they are cheaper. She does offer shipping to those of you who do not live locally, which does bring the cost slightly above Yankee candles, but I still think it's a good deal. Healthy, sustainable candles with all the amazing scents? I think it's safe to say I have found where I will purchase all of my future candles (I bought a bunch for gifts already!). Tranquilty Base Candles http://www.tranquilitybasecandles.com/index.php - I hope you make the change too!