Welcome back, readers! This is the third installment of our brand/maker highlight series, and I couldn’t be more excited to continue this collection of blogs as we welcome the holiday season. With both Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner, it seemed fitting to focus on the delicious candles by Dancing Flame Candle Co. this week. If you follow us on Instagram, @mimosagoods, you might have seen a recent IG Story that featured Dancing Flame’s newest batch of candles that are headed to the shop. In honor of some upcoming scents that are sure to get you in the holiday spirit, we’re diving into the brand history of Dancing Flame Candle Co. - an eco-friendly, Bordentown local, small business!
Dancing Flame Candle Co. officially opened for business in June of 2020- when founder, Emily Ayers, was seeking solace from the uncertainties of the global pandemic. Like many of us, Emily decided to pursue a hobby to keep her spirits high when times were tough. Thus, Dancing Flame was born! As a science and special education teacher, she made it her mission to make ethical and eco-friendly candles for friends and family. Emily’s background in science gave her a “spark” to learn more about conscious burning and the importance of “clean” candles. What started as a quarantine hobby for herself and loved ones, quickly became a business that has been recognized by countless publications, including Rolling Stone!
At Mimosa Goods, we’ve been discussing the importance of eco-friendly candles for the last few weeks, especially with the fall and winter being a popular time for people to burn candles. Whether you seek out a good candle for its memorable smell or extra coziness on a chilly evening- it’s important to know what is inside your candle before you light it. Some mass-produced candles are made with chemicals like formaldehyde, petroleum distillates, limonene, and alcohol. These chemicals can actually cause allergic reactions, headaches, and even respiratory problems from prolonged burning.
One of the worst types of chemicals that can be found inside some candles are phthalates. Phthalates are a group of toxins that are often used to create durability in plastics, but they can be commonly found in tons of personal care products like soaps, shampoos, and of course, candles. Synthetic fragrances are the reason that many candle companies use phthalates because they allow a chemically altered scent to last longer during burn time. While your favorite candle might smell delicious in the jar, the phthalates inside the wax can be absorbed by your skin, the longer that you let it burn.
The good news is, every candle at Dancing Flame is 100% phthalate-free! All candles are also made with soy wax, which is derived from soybeans, making for an even cleaner burn. Soy wax is biodegradable, renewable, and all-natural- so it’s a much better alternative for a candle base than paraffin- which is derived from petroleum oil.
Since Dancing Flame is a small, NJ local business, you can trust that your candles are being made with safety and love. Emily assures customers that each candle batch is small, which means more emphasis on quality control and hand-pouring. Emily cares so much about each candle being made well and burned safely, that she dedicated an entire page on her website to “Candle Care”, which I’d love to share with you all. As an avid candle lover, it was important for me to be reminded of these rules of thumb as I stock up on my seasonal scents, so here they are for you to keep in mind this season too:
Emily’s Candle Care Tips
- Candles are like elephants! They have great memory so make sure you first burn it between 2-4 hours or until the wax melts to the edge and creates an even top layer. This will make sure you have a nice even burn every time!
- Make sure to pluck or cut your wax before each burn and every 4 hours of burning. This will help your candle to burn longer, more even, and also help not to produce soot/smoke. I usually turn the candle upside down and just pluck the mushroom off the wick before burning
- Instead of blowing out the flame, simply place the lid on top of the candle and let the wick extinguish naturally from the lack of oxygen
- Never leave a candle unattended!
- Say goodbye to your candle when there is ¼- ½ inch left of wax on the bottom.
As much as we love the warmth that candles can bring into our hearts and homes, it’s important to not forget about the care that each scent requires. Thank you, Emily, for providing these key tips on how to safely burn a candle!
Now that we’ve learned about the importance of clean candle making/burning and the emphasis that Dancing Flame puts on the ethical craftsmanship of their products, we can dive into one of my favorite portions of writing these highlights- talking about the amazing goods each brand/maker sells! I’ve left you all with the idea that Dancing Flame makes delicious-smelling candles, but now we can take that one step further by talking about individual scents that might “light-up” your senses! I hope you’re all enjoying my corny candle-related puns as much as I am.
As we head into the colder months, Dancing Flame has a Fall/Winter collection with some savory smells like Apple Cider Donut, Cozy Flannel, Caramelized Chestnut, and much more! These scents are currently on their way to the shop to be purchased in-store at Mimosa Goods, so stock up while they’re hot! Besides the enticing fall candles, Emily has some other awesome collections at Dancing Flame Candle Co. One of my favorites is the Zodiac Collection!
The Zodiac Collection presents itself as 12 soy candles with a corresponding scent for each star sign. If you’re big into astrology like I am, or have a loved one who is, this could be the perfect gift! Each custom scent is made to match the personality and traits of the 12 zodiac signs. For example, I’m a Taurus, and my scent is largely wildflower, with notes of gardenia, tuberose, and fig tree. It brings out the natural scents that we Taureans love- since we’re one of the 3 Earth Signs. Plus, each candle has a keep-sake charm for the zodiac signs. It’s the personal touch and curated scents that made me so drawn to this collection, and all of Dancing Flame’s countless others!
Thank you to Emily from Dancing Flame Candle Co. for allowing us to sell her products and rave about them on our blog! Our passion for eco-friendly products and NJ local businesses translates into this wonderful partnership. If you’re on the market to fill your space with an incredible new scent, you have to check out Dancing Flame. You can shop the majority of their scents in-store at Mimosa Goods (be sure to check our store hours!) or at DancingFlameCandleCo.com!