What is a Scented Candle?

A scented candle, made with fragrant oils mixed into the wax, gives off a pleasant aroma when burning. A scented candle is a nice touch in a bathroom, especially when guests are over, in a bedroom, or any room of the house. A scented candle can create an ambiance of healthfulness and well-being. Unlike incense, scented candles do not add smoke to the air.

There are many different ways to make a scented candle. If poorly made, the wax will smell nice when brought to the nose, but lighting the candle might not produce any scent whatsoever. This can be a frustrating waste of money, but a little knowledge can help you to identify quality candles.

Many scented candles are made with different varieties of pre-blended wax which each have their own saturation point for fragrance oils. Adding more oil than the wax can absorb will result in the candle sweating the oil out. This limitation falls between one-half to one ounce of oil per pound of pre-blended wax (15—30 ml oil per .45 kg wax).

A better grade of scented candle, called a "triple scent," uses a different blend of wax that can hold 1.5 oz. (45 ml) of fragrance oil per pound (.45 kg), or three times the old standard of one-half ounce (15 ml). These candles will produce an aroma when burned.

Some candle makers might also use a proprietary blend of wax that can hold even more fragrance oil to make super-scented candles. One such candle maker with an online presence claims to use more than 2 ounces (59 ml) of fragrance oil per pound of specially blended candle wax, and guarantees their candles will satisfy or your money back.

A scented candle can come in many varieties, but most are either tea candles, votives or jar candles. Popular scents include apple pie, bayberry, cinnamon spice, ocean mist, vanilla, coconut, chocolate, jasmine, caramel and sandalwood, but this short list is just a sampling. Aromatherapy asserts that certain scents can create a relaxing mood and enhance well-being. A scented candle by the bath is certainly a nice treat in any case. Entering a home where a scented candle is burning creates an instantly pleasant impression and usually leads one to think, What smells so good?

Burning a scented candle can help with household odors or simply make your home smell great. A well made scented candle with a properly trimmed wick will melt to oil and burn as liquid, neither dripping wax nor releasing smoke. When it is burned out, it will leave no residue. Because scented candles melt to oil as they burn, they are made to burn in containers of glass or, in the case of tea candles, tin.

You can easily find quality scented candles online that are guaranteed to produce an aroma and enjoy the warm scent of tropical paradise, hot apple pie or exotic jasmine for no more trouble than it takes to simply light a candle. Your house will love you for it.