6 GOOD REASONS TO MAKE THE SWITCH TO SOY CANDLES

My candle addiction began about 12 years ago, since I am currently 28 years old, 12 years of my life is almost half of it! But I digress, there were times that I would have been be embarrassed at letting people see the number of candles I had at any given moment. I could not help but purchase every good smelling candle I came across. And one of my favorite things to do, at least once a week, was to put some music on and clean my room/apartment and light up a candle as a reward (for such a hard day of work), ahhh just the thought of it is so relaxing.

However, over time, I learned about how harmful paraffin wax candles are for those who ingest the fumes. Even still, a couple of years after that realization, I continued to buy the paraffin wax candles I loved so much but, inevitably, every time I burned one I felt a little bit of guilt creep onto me.

That is when my interest in a more natural lifestyle, coupled with my curiosity, need to make things and creativity morphed into making soy candles. So this week I wanted to share with you the things I have learned about soy wax over time and the benefits of burning soy candles in your home:

natural

When compared to one of the most popular type of wax used in candles, paraffin, soy wax is definitely a natural source. In case you are not aware, paraffin wax is derived from petroleum. Petroleum is the substance that is used to make gasoline, kerosene and diesel oil. I don’t know about you, but the thought of essentially burning petroleum in my bedroom made me cringe. Soy wax on the other hand, is made from a natural source, soy beans. Sounds much better, huh?

last longer

Since soy wax has a lower melting point than paraffin wax they burn for much longer. Some studies I have read state that soy wax candle lasts 50% longer than a paraffin wax candle! Talk about a bang for your buck. 

clean burn

I have read articles that state the soy candles do not produce any soot at all. I do not agree. I have tested different types pf soy wax and different types of wicks (wooden, cotton) and I found that they all produce some soot. So, while I cannot support the claims that soy wax does not produce soot I can say that they product significantly less soot than the amount of soot that a paraffin wax produces.

non-toxic

Soy wax is sustainable, it is after all made from vegetable matter (soy beans) and thus it is a renewable resource. It could be purely physiological but when I am burning one of my soy candles I feel that the air is crispier than when I burn a paraffin wax candle.

Fun fact: soy wax and tofu come from the same plant!   

helps farmers

I am a big proponent of small businesses, farmers and other lines of work that are often undervalued in our society. Purchasing materials that I know help at least one of these undervalued lines of work makes me happy.

easy to clean up

If some candle wax is accidentally spilled or if you want to reuse the jar the candle came in, it is much easier to wash off soy wax then paraffin wax. I re-use jars all the time and some warm soapy water and a regular sponge always does the trick for the jars that contained soy wax but the jars that contained paraffin wax is a different story - I have spent up to 15 minutes trying to wash off all of the wax from one container but it’s almost impossible to get it all off. This is just one more perk to burning soy wax candles over paraffin wax candles.

Now, I can’t write a blog post about the benefits of soy wax without mentioning other types of natural waxes that can be used to make candles – some of those are coconut wax, bees wax and bayberry (to name a few). Some may be better than others in certain aspects but I do not think that anything is 100% percent perfect or that one is that much better than the other. I think it is very important and I urge you to do some research of your own, understand what you purchase and what (if any) harmful effects it could have to you and those around you. Just like with anything we eat, we should also be just as aware about the items we bring into our homes whether they are candles, room sprays, cleaning products, personal care products and the list goes on and on. Happy learning!

So, do you have a preference for a certain type of wax? Soy wax, bees wax or coconut wax? Or maybe you didn’t know there were different types of waxes? Do share below!

A NOTE ON GIVING THIS HOLIDAY SEASON + A GIVEAWAY!

Can you guys believe that it is the holiday season again?? Every single year I am always so amazed at how fast the days, weeks and months go by! This year is no different and I’m sure you all get the same feeling as well. I do have to day that this year has been good to me in so, so many ways. I feel very grateful for all of the good things and the challenges that allow me to learn and grow and I thank the powers that be every day for all of the good and remind myself that even when I am feeling a little down there is still so much to be thankful for and so much to look forward to. This time of year gives me a chance to reflect and I think about the amazing people I have in my life (including my best friend in pet form, Nina) – these people are with me day in and day out listen to me when I am up and down, care about my days and we truly cherish the time we spend together.

 

My note to you this holiday season is not make it all about the materialistic things. I know that it is very easy to get sucked in to the marketing and the sales and the false sense of needing everything we see in the ads day in and day out for the rest of the season. While I do like to gift my loved ones presents for the holidays, I also like to be thoughtful about it and I give it to them with big thanks for being there for me throughout the years. I am of the mind that would much rather give one quality item that I know they need or truly want than getting a bunch of presents for the sake of just getting something. What I like to do, is take the time to think back to conversations I have had with each person and think about that one item I feel they will truly appreciate. This shows that you listen and that you care.

So, what I am saying is that giving is always good and giving without expecting anything in return is even better. This year I challenge you all to be thoughtful with your gift giving. Give your loved one’s items that you know they will get good use out of not just something that will collect dust in a drawer for years to come. This requires you to connect to those around you and be present in your conversations with them.

Those are my two cents.

And, since we are on the topic of giving, I am so excited to be a part of a giveaway this year! I have teamed up with Holl & Lane to gift an item to 17 winners as a thank you from us to you! The giveaway will run from Monday, November 28th to Sunday, December 4th. The items in the image below is what is up for grabs, each winner will get one of the 17 items. Awesome, huh?!

 

The entry is very simple – all you need to do is:

1.       Click on this link bit.ly/HLSelfLove and follow the instructions to enter.

2.       On the week of December 5th we will contact the winners to claim the prize.

With that, good luck to the giveaway entrants and I hope you all have a festive holiday season, I hope you give with intention and I hope those give to you do it with intention as well.

So now you tell me, what is your philosophy on giving gifts? Has it changed overtime? Share below!

A GUIDE TO MANAGE STRESS IN FIVE EASY WAYS FOR THOSE HECTIC WAYS

I really try to keep my life as stress free as possible but there are times when the amount of things on my to-do list can become unmanageable and then the stress begins to creep in. And it is during those moments that I really have to remind myself to remain calm and get through whatever the stressor is. But, easier said than done, right?!

We all know that stress has many negative implications but just as a reminder here are a few ways stress messes with us:

·         Body: Headaches, fatigue, insomnia

·         Mood: Anxiety, lack of motivation, irritability

·         Behavior: Social withdrawal, overeating (or undereating), outbursts

Stress can have some serious negative implications in three core areas of our lives which is why it is of the utmost importance that we know how to effectively manage our stressors. I think that living a stress free life is almost impossible because there will always be things that stress us out but I also think that there absolutely are ways we can minimize the amount of stress in our lives and in turn see less and less of it. But do I think we can get rid of all stress? No, I don’t think so. 

The following six ways are things I do to help me manage those crazy and stressful days:

Think about the good

This is probably my most used method of managing stress. I do my very best at always being aware of the good things and good people I have in my life. Keeping that top of mind really helps me drive home the fact that not everything will be easy and perfect all of the time and that sometimes we really do need to meet challenges along the ways in order for us to mentally grow and evolve as human beings. In other words – always look for the silver lining. It may not always be apparent but there always is one.

Turn up the music

Music definitely helps me get through stressful days. Pick a genre, an artist or a station that energizes you. I really like playing the Odesza station on Pandora when I need some energy and feel good music. With so much of the same music playing ALL THE TIME on the radio I really like to try to listen to music that I will not necessarily hear on mainstream radio in order to break things up a bit, but that’s just me. Turn up whatever floats your boat and puts a smile on your face.

Drink water

It’s amazing how much better I feel when I am well hydrated. It is such a simple thing to do that is so effective yet the thing that most people forget to do. Take a moment and enjoy a glass of refreshing water. It will instantly boost your mood and give you energy all at the same time. Not to mention all of the great benefits of drinking water.

Go outside

You know that saying, “The best things on life are free”? Well it’s very true and it is amazing what breathing in some fresh air can do to you. But I really mean breathing in the fresh air – you need to let it fill your lungs, exhale out and repeat as many times as you need. Breathing in fresh air will give you some clarity, a sense of calmness and will allow you to ground yourself in a way to realize that whatever is causing you stress will pass.

Tidy up

If ever I am stressed out AND my place is looking disorganized I make it a point to tidy up. On those crazy busy days I will set my timer on for 15-20 minutes put on some energizing music and get to it. I’ll put away any shoes and coats that have accumulated throughout the week at my doorstep or on my couch, I’ll take a walk through and wipe down any surfaces, if I hadn’t already made my bed I’ll also do that. Doing a quick clean up, even if it is just at the surface level really, really helps me reduce stress because a messy place has never helped anyone have a clear mindset.

How do you manage your stress? Please share any tips and tricks you have learned along the way! 

5 TIME MANAGEMENT TIPS AND TRICKS TO BOOST YOUR PRODUCTIVITY

I took a couple of days off of work and had an extra-long holiday weekend. It was a last minute decision and since I had no pressing deadlines at work I went for it and I loved every minute of it. While I really needed some time to de-compress from the craziness over the past couple of months I also knew going into this stay-cation that I wanted it to be productive AND relaxing. And yes, it is really possible. I had a to-do list of enhancements, if you will, I have been wanting to make to my living area and my bedroom, I have also been itching to get back in to the swing of things to make candles, I had a few to-do’s on the candle packaging front and I also wanted to binge on some Netflix (btw I watched the entire season of Stranger Things in a matter of two days!) and watch a movie or two.

In order to do the things I needed to do and squeeze in the things I wanted to do and not feel stressed out in the process I had to remind myself of some time management tips and tricks I turn to during times like these:

1 – prioritize your list

Write down all of the things you need to do and the things you want to do. Then go through and prioritize them. My list has two columns a “need to do” and a “want to do”. This helps me separate the two types of to do’s because at times I get stressed out over things I believe I need to do when in reality I don’t have to do them, I just want to – and that makes a huge difference.

2 – complete the most important ones first

Now that you have your prioritized things to do, you need to pick 2-3* that you want to accomplish that day. For the most part I try to tackle my “need to do” first but the change I made this time around is that for every three “need to do’s” on my list I included a want to do.

*This was the hardest part for me – picking 2-3 tasks a day is hard since I always feel like I want to tackle them all at once.

3 – check them off as you go

This may seem trivial but checking things off really helps seeing the progress you have made and will also give you that little boost you need to keep the momentum going.

4 – think of ways you can multi-task

There are instances when multi-tasking can actually be relaxing. For example, one of the things I really wanted to do was lay back and watch a movie with Nina (my four-legged best friend) by my side but I also had a couple of loads of laundry that needed to get done. So I watched the movie in 20-30 minute increments while the loads were either washing or drying.

5 – it’s okay to say no

This is one of those things that I always tell myself but when the time comes to implement I fold 95% of the time. But this weekend I did it! I was asked to help out with something this weekend and I just knew that I already had things lined up to do and I almost agreed but resisted and declined the invitation. And of course, I felt guilty but it was during this time that I was able to get a few things off of my “want to do” list and it felt great! At the end of the day I did not feel as bad for saying no (only a little bad) because they were able to figure it out without me.

All in all, it was a productive and relaxing weekend. Even though I did not get though everything on my list I made a significant progress and it feels sooo good. On that note, one of the things I really want to do is re-upholster a DIY headboard I made a couple of years back – I’m thinking of documenting that process and making a blog post out of it :) .

How do you manage your to do list? Share your own tips and tricks below!