I recently discovered that a friend of mine is making some very delightful palm wax candles. As soon as I saw that she was selling these little babies, I hopped right over to her Etsy shop and picked a few out. I had just been thinking how I wanted my apartment to “smell like Christmas,” but I was torn on actually buying candles since I know that they can be made from lots of questionable ingredients.
Enter Casey's WAXdrop candles: they're made with 100% sustainable, all natural Palm Wax, cotton wicks and reusable tins. Some local customers bring the tins back for re-use, while others simply use them in their homes for paper clips, rubber bands, loose change, etc. She packages her products for shipping in boxes made from recycled curbside waste- and they're cute! For just around $5 a piece (or around $1 for the WAXblox), you can enjoy these eco-friendly scented delights AND support a girl who is out there making things to literally brighten up your life!
As a special offer to you, my readers enter code BALBITES10 during checkout and receive 10% off of your entire WAXbdrop order! You'll ALSO GET A FREE WAXblox tart as a bonus (the scent will be chosen for you based off of your order).
I decided to ask Casey a few questions to introduce her lovely candles to you, my readers…
1. What inspired you to get started making eco-friendly candles?
I really just stumbled upon the whole candle making process and it stuck with me. I am a creator. (If that were a job title, it would be mine.) I want to always work for myself and have the freedom to enjoy life under my own circumstances. Sometimes that requires a lot of sacrifice and a lot of creativity! The candles were an after product of me losing my last business so, I needed to create something new again! I needed to create something that was minimalistic, interesting, cost effective and true to who I am as a person. I discovered a wax supplier with a sustainable source of palm wax and after making my first palm wax candle, I was sold on it. So, I convinced a friend of mine to start it back up with me and off we went! It was the birth of WAXdrop. Simple, sustainable, recyclable, eco conscious and made with ridiculous amounts of love!
2. How are your candles different from some we'll find in stores?
If you look at most of what is offered mainstream right now, its either paraffin wax candles or soy candles. We do not want to incorporate any synthetic materials into my product therefore we stay away from paraffin. As for soy, no thank you, on many levels! Aside from wax type, and the use of all cotton wicks, our reusability and eco-friendly approach is what really separate us from other brands. Each candle is hand poured in very small batches. It's similar to the difference of eating out or having a home cooked meal. We want to home cook it!
3. What's something we'd be surprised to learn about standard candles made from non-eco friendly ingredients?
With standard candle making, there can be alot of misconception. For example, paraffin wax is a widely used wax, not just with candle making but also in the food industry. It is a byproduct of, in my opinion, some nasty chemicals. However, it is not necessarily any better or worse than soy. Soy is a very controversial topic as well, it is a highly known allergen and often times the wax is coming from a GMO source. Choosing a product of any kind is all about preference and perception. What you prefer and what matters to you is what counts because, eco-friendly or not, if a candle burns with a yellow flame (and they all do!) it is omitting some amount of carbon. To eliminate the release of carbon, you can opt to use a tart in a tart burner! Beyond that, a natural candle, made with essential oils, cotton wicks and recycled/reusable packaging is a matter of personal preference and something we believe in and encourage at WAXdrop.
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| Festively shaped WAXblox tarts – perfect for the holidays. |
4. Do you have plans to expand your product line?
We are always coming out with new scents, usually a couple times a month there will be a new fragrance that we accidentally concocted, but smells wonderful. So yes! There will always be new scents, scents that come back around and ones that never leave! We are very excited to have recently added 100% palm WAXblox tarts to our line. We introduced them at the beginning of December and will carry them through after the holidays. However, in the near future we do plan to offer a 16oz. double wick candle for $15. Something we will always stay true to is the simplicity factor. We like having flat costs and uncomplicated choices. Therefore, the containers will remain the same, the wax, the wicks and the process. That allows us more flexibility with scents and sizes. We do have a new label idea in the works too, hopefully when we launch our 16oz tins we can do so in style with our updated look!
5. What's your favorite scent and why?
I sort of feel like a mother of 100 and that is asking me to pick my favorite child! Seriously though, I am biased, they all rock! There are some I prefer more than others, I'll admit that. I do, however, have trusty favorites that I always go back to: Hazelnut Coffee because it just smells so true to its name and I love a cup of coffee! Driftwood, its musky and woodsy yet so clean and soothing. As for the holiday scents, my 3 favorites are Christmastime, Snowball and Pomegranate Cider, hands down! They make me feel like I live in the best snow globe ever!
Thanks for sharing this information on your eco-friendly WAXdrop candles with us, Casey!
Happy holidays everyone!