Kindred Gifts' Blog

This guest blog post comes from the lovely Meagan at the This Whole Family blog. Meagan is first and foremost a mama to two gorgeous little ones, a wife, a green cleaner and vegetarian chef, a writer, a yoga teacher, an animal rights activist and creator of all things homemade. She enjoys shopping, vegan baking and her newfound hobbies- sewing, knitting and photography. You can find her playing hide and seek at the park, drawing with crayons, reading a book or feeding her newborn while sipping soy chai lattes and nibbling on Fairtrade chocolate.
Meagan says:

We love using candles to create mood in our home. We light a candle each night before saying our grace at dinner; we light one or two naturally scented candles throughout the house during the day when we’re hanging out at home; we light a candle when we’re quietly drawing and we also light a candle at storytime to create a sense of stillness, wonder and reflection. We have been long-time fans of beeswax candles, but when we are in the mood for a new scent and a bit more luxury our choice is soy candles.

Using soy candles instead of conventional paraffin based ones is better for you and the environment- a win-win situation. Here’s why:

* Soy wax is non-toxic and burns cleaner than paraffin, while paraffin based candles emit a petroleum exhaust leaving smokey residue on walls, ceilings, furniture and even in your lungs.

* Soy candles burn longer, slower and cooler compared to conventional candles.

* As long as the soybeans are grown sustainably, they are a renewable resource, unlike paraffin which is derived from petroleum.

* Soywax is made from hydrogenated soybean oil and is therefore naturally biodegradable.

Kindred Gifts sells a beautiful range of candles called Pompadour Soy Candles that are scented with natural essential oils and fine fragrances of frangipani and willow bark blended with jasmine, orange, grapefruit, bergamot, pettigrain, ylang ylang and mimosa. Unlike many conventional candles these are free from paraffin, palm oil, animal by-products and chemicals.

From the Kindred Gifts website: "The range draws inspiration from the legend of Madame de Pompadour - a woman who personified learning, wit and style, who embraced luxury, aesthetics and indulgence to please her soul in the same way that art, literature and music did”. This sentence alone makes me want to light a candle and get in touch with my creative side!