Are your candles spreading HYGGE or toxins?

Aug 9, 2018 | 3 comments

Ad | (This post is an ad for a Danish webshop only, but I’ll link a few international alternatives throughout). A little while back I stumbled upon a quote on Instagram that sounded something like “there are too many people counting calories, and too little people counting toxins”. I thought it was kinda hilarious but it also gave me some food for thought. Overall health is something we have a huge focus on as a society, but maybe more of the kind that benefits you on the outside and so we forget that there are other (more holistic) ways to look after ourselves. To me one of these could be choosing gentle beauty products which, in their direct contact with my skin, can have a huge impact on my overall health – especially since I use products like these every single day. Recently I then learned about the Danish company Duftverket (roughly translated it means something like “the fragrance company”) and they make scented candles based on organic soy wax. I absolutely love candles and I light them all year round when I want to spread a little extra coziness when I’m taking a bath or just hanging out in my favourite lounge chair, but I never realized how many toxins the conventional candles spread. I actually read in my coffee-table book “Hygge” by Meik Wiking that in Denmark 28% of the population lights candles every single day and 31% have more than five candles lit at a time. That’s a lot! Duftverket was looking for some people to test out and review their products and therefore I reached out because I thought it would be a great opportunity for me to get a little wiser in a new area, plus I could change my own habits in this area for the better. You can find similar candles on Etsy right HERE.

Reklame | For noget tid siden faldt jeg over en lidt sjov quote på Instagram, som lød noget i retningen af “there are too many people counting calories, and too little people counting toxins”. Det synes jeg var lidt sjovt, men mest fordi det også er ret tankevækkende. Vi er meget optagede af sundhed, men måske mest typisk af den overfladiske slags, så vi glemmer at der jo også findes andre (mere holistiske) måder, at passe på sig selv. Én af dem er for mig bl.a. at vælge skånsomme skønhedsprodukter, der jo i sin direkte kontakt med huden, har en kæmpe betydning for min generelle sundhed – især fordi jeg bruger disse produkter hver eneste dag. For nyligt stødte jeg så på konceptet Duftverket, som er en lille dansk virksomhed, der producerer håndlavede duftlys lavet på økologisk soja voks. Jeg elsker stearinlys og tænder gerne op i dem året rundt når jeg vil have mig en hyggelig stund enten i badekaret eller i min yndlings-lænestol, men jeg var faktisk slet ikke klar over, hvor meget usundt kemi der faktisk udledes igennem afbrændingen af konventionelle stearinlys. Faktisk har jeg læst i min coffee-table bog “Hygge” af Meik Wiking, at i Danmark tænder 28% af befolkningen levende lys hver dag og 31% har mere end fem lys tændt af gangen. Det er altså alligevel en del! Duftverket ledte efter nogen som kunne tænke sig, at prøve lysene så jeg kontaktede dem og meldte mig frivilligt. Jeg tænkte, at det var en god mulighed for, at udvide sin bæredygtige horisont endnu mere, og da levende lys er et uudforsket område for mig (på trods af jeg selv er storforbruger af dem), så bør jeg nok lige gå mine egne vaner i efter i sømmene her også.

I choose two of their bestsellers – one being a scented candle (I love the brown jar!) and the other one is a so-called scented “lamp”. For the ladder you purchase small cubes of wax that you place inside the top part of the lamp. Then you light a candle and place it underneath, which will make the wax melt and then spread the fragrance all throughout your home. For this you’ll obviously need regular candles also made on soy, otherwise the idea of not spreading these toxins is kinda lost (note to self, ahem), but you have to start somewhere. I chose to go for the scent “Clean cotton” for both the scented candle and the scented cubes for the lamp, and they smell beautifully clean and fresh. I especially love lighting them after cleaning our entire home! Some scented candles can be quite heavy and give me nausea but these are just very light and fresh. I also got a sample with the scent “Blissful birch” and it makes me think of autumn. I think it might be a scent that I’m gonna order once fall is here! It makes me think of autumn leaves, sidewalk puddles, walks in the forest and hot cocoa. Who would have thought I’d be longing for fall on a day with sunshine and 25 degrees, haha!

Jeg valgte to af deres mest populære produkter – det ene er et super fint duftlys (er vild med de brune krukker) og det andet produkt er en såkaldt duftlampe. Til duftlampen køber man nogle små brikker med duftvoks, som man ligger i lampen under låget. Meningen er så, at man stiller et fyrfadslys ind under, og så smelter voksen og udbreder en dejlig duft i hele hjemmet. Hertil skal det siges, at man så naturligvis også skal købe fyrfadslys lavet på sojavoks, da idéen om at undgå den usunde kemi ellers lidt gå af det hele (note to self, ahem), men man skal jo starte et sted. Jeg valgte både duftbrikker og duftlys i “Clean cotton” og de dufter simpelthen så dejligt rene og friske. Jeg elsker især at tænde dem efter hele hytten er gjort ren! Nogle duftlys er enormt tunge og kan nærmest give mig hovedpine eller ligefrem kvalme, men de her er bare så lette og friske. Jeg fik også en lille prøve med på duften “Blissful birch”, og den dufter seriøst af efterårshygge! Jeg tror det kunne være en duft jeg skal have klikket hjem, når vi nærmer os efteråret. Den får mig seriøst til at tænke på efterårsblade, vandpytter, gåture i skoven og varm kakao. Tænk at man på en solksindag med 25 grader pludselig skulle komme til, at savne efteråret, haha!

If you are really, really interested in these products you can contact Lene at ln@duftverket.dk, then she will see if she can help you with placing an order. Since it is a smaller business, that’s just how it works at the moment! If so, I have a discount code on 20% I can offer you (USELESSGAIN20) – just make sure to write it in the email as well. I love stumbling upon these small, authentic businesses where their values align with mine, and then I can’t help myself but to collaborate with them. I think these cleaner scented candles are a great addition to all of my hygge-sessions (which I’m the queen of btw) and they look good in our home too.

Jeg har været så heldig at få lov til, at dele en rabatkode med jer til Duftverket også – så hvis der sidder nogen derude der godt kunne tænke sig at prøve produkterne, kan man lige nu få 20% rabat på sin ordre med koden USELESSGAIN20. Jeg bliver så glad når jeg støder på små, autentiske virksomheder der brænder for dét de laver og hvis værdier stemmer overens med mine. Disse duftlys et super lækre og er et mere rent alternativ til alle mine hyggestunder herhjemme, og så pynter de noget så fint her også.

3 Comments

  1. Anna

    It’s chilly and rainy here in England today so I have candles lit and am even wearing a scarf. I love a scented candle but how do you tell if it’s toxic? What about essential oil scented candles? Are they ok? Thanks.

    Reply
    • signeh24

      Hi Anna. I should just say that I’m by no means an expert. But the info i got from the company I was gifted these candles from say, that conventional candles made from paraffin is made from a non-biodegradable and non-renewable source. Also these types of candles can contain unhealthy things as petrol which we then lead into our homes and eventually into our bodies. The soy candles are bio-degredable and they don’t spread nearly as many toxins as conventional candles, plus soy is a renewable ressource. 🙂 I Hope this makes sense! So as a rule of thumb I’d try going for (organic) soycandles in the future to be on the safe side. <3 xx

      Reply
      • Anna

        Thank you for that Signe. My sister in law works in a shop that sells candles and she is finding me some organic soy candles and will stock them in the shop too!

        Reply

Leave a Reply to Anna Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may also like

How to find your style through the power of WORDS

How to find your style through the power of WORDS

(Post compiled using inspiration from Allison Bornstein & Alyssa Beltempo)(Scroll down for Danish) Have you ever thought about what style adjectives your personal style might be connected to? For example, relaxed, functional, smart or creative? Words are powerful,...

Makeup for soft colour types: my current faves

Makeup for soft colour types: my current faves

So, I had to re-write this post as my website recently moved and unfortunately the original post disappeared in the process! Anyway, one of the areas in which I’ve been trained when I became certified colour consultant was help my client find their best makeup...

A year with no shopping: here’s how it went

A year with no shopping: here’s how it went

Back in 2021 I decided to try a so-called fashion focused low buy challenge under the hashtag #2020wehaveplenty. The challenge itself actually went okay, but by the end of the year I remember being quite shocked of how many pieces ended up finding their way...

Slow fashion brings you more peace: here’s why

Slow fashion brings you more peace: here’s why

Fashion and psychology are connected on so many levels; not only when looking at the complexity of different societies all around the globe, but also the way we all as individuals feel when we’re dressed in clothes that are a true reflection of who we are - or who we...

My autumn capsule wardrobe 2022

My autumn capsule wardrobe 2022

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fb4_3k5-RVI ► ITEMS/PRODUCTS FEATURED OR MENTIONED (Might only be SIMILAR due to availability, as many of my wardrobe staples are older or bought 2ndhand. I do my best to find eco-friendly alternatives) ADLINKS ARE MARKED WITH A *...