Benefits abound for soy candles

Chattaroy resident Pamela Welch says there’s something special about the mood created by candles. “People love the ambience that comes from burning something,” she says. “They like that flame.” Welch’s interest in candles became a hobby almost 20 years ago and eventually evolved into a business. Today, she runs Blue Heron Soy Candle Co., a candle-making and retail-sales operation on Spokane’s near North Side. When Welch first started making candles, she used paraffin wax—the basic ingredient in most conventional candles. Paraffin is made from petroleum, though, and it releases toxins in the air when it burns. In the early 1990s, doctors diagnosed Welch’s husband with cancer. “If I was burning (paraffin) candles when he was home, we started to notice that he’d feel sick,” she says. At about that time, candles made from soy—a natural, biodegradable, renewable resource—began popping up in the marketplace. Soy candle makers say their wax burns cleaner, holds fragrances better and lasts 50 percent longer than paraffin. Welch began burning 100 percent soy candles in her home, and they didn’t affect her husband at all, even as he endured radiation and chemotherapy to fight—and eventually beat—his cancer. She never looked back. Welch made soy candles for family and friends for several years, but she began taking her craft more seriously four years ago. At first, she sold at craft fairs and in other business owners’ boutiques. Three years ago, she opened Blue Heron Soy Candle Co. in a converted house in the Garland District, at 3928 N. Post St. Appropriately, nature inspired the company’s name. Welch was gazing out her window brainstorming ideas for the name when she became distracted by the large, graceful blue herons that visit her property, which sits above the Little Spokane River. “I thought, ‘This is kind of a no brainer,’” she says. Soy candles have more benefits over paraffin, Welch says. -The wax has the consistency of shortening and is water-soluble, so it’s easy to wash the vessels that contain soy candles once they’ve burned away. Blue Heron offers a line of candles that come in stylish drinking glasses, so customers can use them for their original purpose once the candles run their course. “I like everything to have an end use,” Welch says. -Since soy candles burn cleanly, the vessels aren’t marred with a ring of unattractive black soot around the top. -Welch says soy candles smell better, too. Aside from holding their fragrances well, she says that once you compare soy and paraffin candles side by side, you’ll be able to smell the petroleum in the latter as they burn. -And if soy wax drips on linens, it can treated just like a butter stain would be, reducing the chance of permanent stains on your favorite tablecloths or napkins. Blue Heron’s candles come in a variety of scents, including lemon, rosemary, peppermint, cinnamon, sandalwood and ylang ylang, just to name a few. Welch offers products with synthetic fragrances, as well as a natural line scented only with essential oils. She says the secret to getting the most out of your candles is to choose the right size for your needs. If you buy a large candle but burn it for only and hour at a time, the candle will wear away in the center, leaving a wax carcass behind. You’ll get more out of your candle if you burn it long enough to liquefy the entire top surface, so it wears down evenly. That might meaning buying smaller candles if you don’t plan to burn them for long stretches of time. Welch recently has noticed more awareness and interest in soy candles. “Before, people were like, ‘Why would I do that?’” she said, referring to the decision to buy soy versus paraffin candles. “Now, people are actually looking for soy candles.” She welcomes the increased attention and also appreciates the growing appreciation for handcrafted products made locally. “People are getting back to things that are natural and made by hand,” Welch says. “They like to know where things come from.”