The Best Candles to Avoid Headaches (For Sensitive Noses)

Why do popular candle brands cause headaches? 

You find a great smelling candle from the store, bring it home, and light it. All is great until half an hour later when you start feeling your head throbbing. This is a very common experience among candle-lovers, but why does it occur? There are a few simple reasons. 

• The ingredients are made for optimal scent throw, not your comfort. Candles found at big-box stores are made with paraffin wax or wax blends that contain paraffin. This is excellent for filling your whole house with scent, but it comes at a cost. Paraffin is petroleum-derived, meaning it gives off certain volatile organic compounds (VOCs - think fumes), that other wax types won't have. 
• The other common ingredient is fragrance oil that contains phthalates. Again, this will contribute to filling your whole house with scent the best, but it's also known to trigger irritation, headaches, nausea, etc. Phthalates are used to distribute the scent further, and making it linger longer.
• The amount of fragrance is simply too much. Different wax types can hold a certain amount of fragrance without "sweating" it out. Over time, wax developers have been able to make blends that support a higher fragrance load. Most popular candle brands will aim for 10-12% load. It fills your entire house, and because of the paraffin and phthalates, the scent lingers for hours or days. This can be overwhelming if you just want enough fragrance to be noticeable in a room without chasing out out of the house.

What candles can I burn to avoid headaches?

So what do you burn instead? It's simple - use a different wax type, remove the phthalates, and lower the fragrance load. You can also follow some standard candle care like trimming your wicks regularly and not letting it burn over 4 hours per burn session. If you can follow all of these, you're much less likely to have a negative reaction. 

At Slight Scents, I make lightly scented candles for the scent sensitive and anyone who likes straightforward ingredients. I use 100% soy wax, cotton wicks, and a little phthalate-free fragrance oil. It's also odor-neutralizing, so the candle doesn't have to work as hard to be noticed. I also make a completely fragrance-free version free of any additives. Try one today and let us know if you're able to start enjoying candles again.