My Hardest Breakup

✨ ...my toughest break up...and good things I replaced with❤️ (so far i haven’t killed the plants😬👌🏼)

Being honest....every once in a while, I wish I could go back to my years of innocent, “ignorance is bliss” and forget about everything I’ve learned about natural living. It would be so easy to go back to not caring about how much processed sugar I consumed, not worrying about the dollar store cleaners I would buy, and the candles....oh my OBSESSION with alllll the most scented candles I could find. 🕯🕯🕯

Maybe you’re at that place of just wanting to throw up your hands at it all because “everything is toxic”? I was 100% that person. Like to the MAX. ☠️

Sometimes someone will bring it up to me....like “well you used to _________”.

Key word is “used to”. Once I learned the things I learned...I couldn’t un-learn it. I wasn’t even LOOKING for it. I was disturbed...kind of mad. Actually VERY mad when things started getting uncovered, or like the veil was taken off my stubborn eyes.😳

I just seriously love Bath and Body Works and Yanky candles! And the Anthro Volcano candle.....ahhhhh have mercy!!!😍

It was like a hard break up...I’m not gonna lie. Looking back, I can’t believe how obsessed I was. To the point of having friends that would come over, and either they would love it and ask what candle I was burning that day (usually at least 3!). Or some of my sensitive friends who would text to make sure I wasn’t burning any candles when they came, because they would always leave my house with a headache otherwise. 💆🏼‍♀️

That was me. Literally addicted. Poor Brad would come home most days and comment that I had 6 candles burning in the house, and he had to go around and make sure they were all blown out. And the house would be FILLED with smoke and black soot! White surfaces and base boards...if you took your finger across them, it would be black. Seriously embarrassing to think about now.😝

Cool thing is...there are alternatives to fill that void.✌🏻 I’ll share those at the bottom....

But first here are a few of the real facts and good enough reasons for me to ditch toxic, fragrance filled candles:

1. Paraffin (found in candles) is a petroleum waste product and has to be deodorized and chemically bleached before it can be made in to wax.
Paraffin emits highly toxic benzene and toluene when burned (both are known carcinogens). In fact, the toxins released from paraffin candles are the same as those found in diesel fuel fumes.

2. Most wicks contain heavy metals like lead, and even a few hours of burning them can create levels of airborne heavy metals that are much higher than the acceptable limits.

3. Many candles also contain artificial scents and dyes, which release additional chemicals when burned.

4. Petro-soot from candles gives off the same soot as the exhaust of a diesel engine, and is considered just as dangerous as second hand smoke, causing problems from headaches to lung cancer. Paraffin fumes have been found to cause tumors in the kidneys and liver of lab animals.

5. And on top of all that...the main reason we use candles...the fragrance. Fragrance and artificial scents and dyes release additional chemicals when burned and are the culprit for so many health disturbances we toss up as “normal”. This is most sad to me. Hormone imbalances, auto immune disorders, headaches, breathing issues, emotional distress. So many of these things are linked to fragrance and chemical laden products.😭

Honestly, it took having kids in my home to start allowing myself to think about what I was doing. There was NOTHING non-toxic about my lifestyle or my home. And that had to change.

So here are some healthy alternatives to suit whatever you deepest desires are!🤗🙌🏼

1. BEESWAX CANDLES. If you just absolutely LOVE the ambience that a warm glowing candle gives off, find you some good natural beeswax candles! They put off a lovely but light honey-like scent, and of course have a beautiful glow. There’s something special about something clean and nice glowing in your sweet home.🐝

2. ESSENTIAL OIL DIFFUSERS. This suits my family more than anything. Several of my diffusers have a “candle flicker mode”...looks like a warm candle glowing and flickering...I’m in love. Not only that, but I can change up the “smell” on the fly whenever I want. I can boost immune systems, smell a forest, flowers, sweet baked goodies, lavender field....whatever I want to smell. And at the same time the oils are being diffused into the air and actually cleaning up the air quality and putting great things directly into my body. I can’t believe how much soot I inhaled just a little over a year ago.🙈🙊

3. HOUSE PLANTS. This isn’t comparable to a candle of course, but having indoor plants and clean up your air and home so well! I have loved the transition of adding plants to our home in any little corner I can find a kid-safe place ha! I don’t know anything about plants y’all. But I buy them, and love them, and know they are doing wonders for the air quality in my little home. We love our plants! 🌱

Ok that’s my spill! I am just so passionate about sharing this message, because I was on the TOTAL opposite side just 18 short months ago! I can’t even believe it, but I remember it like yesterday! It’s amazing how emotionally attached we get things things.

I’ll be sharing more soon about the connection of our emotions and our sense of smell...it’s so so cool.