We get many inquiries about our products so we have listed the most common questions and the answers to them for your convenience.
Honey Candles®
Why choose 100% pure beeswax?
Beeswax is a gift of nature. It is the purest and most natural of all waxes (including vegetable waxes), with the least processing and no additives. Beeswax is the only wax that is used essentially in its native state with only filtering for processing. It burns cleanly, producing negative ions while burning. With a properly trimmed wick beeswax burns without smoking or creating soot. Beeswax naturally burns up to three times longer than paraffin. Many other candle waxes have additives to produce comparably longer burns similar to beeswax. Because it has a higher melt point than paraffin and vegetable waxes, beeswax burns brighter producing a bright golden flame with a 'halo' of purity. It can be shipped in the summer when other wax candles wilt, warp and bend. This means there are no supply concerns for retailers.
Beeswax is naturally scented with honey. It is non-allergenic and is the recommended choice of the American Lung Association.
A store that normally carries our Honey Candles® ran out. They then had to face an irate customer. The customer's husband is asthmatic and during a power outage (because the store was out of Honey Candles®) had to burn a paraffin candle. Within a few hours this resulted in a severe asthma attack. The store called us immediately and restocked.
Why would you not choose paraffin?
Paraffin is cheaper which is its only redeeming quality. The adage that you get what you pay for applies here. Paraffin, which is a by-product of fossil fuels, is a non-renewable resource. It contains eleven known toxins, two of which are carcinogens (benzene & toluene). It is sometimes texturized with acrolyn (a known irritant) and polymers are added to raise the melting point and improve burning quality.
Why choose Honey Candles® instead of other beeswax candles?
All beeswax candles are not created equal. Beeswax candles do not have to be crude. Honey Candles® are carefully handcrafted from 100% beeswax. Our beeswax comes from the Peace River area of Northern Alberta. The shorter season there produces the best beeswax we can find. The color is a rich yellow-amber. There is a richness and intensity to the color not found in lower grade beeswax. It is smooth and rich and very pleasant to touch. Our beeswax has the aroma of sweet, rich honey. There is depth to the wax with no particles, cracks or visible impurities. We use the best moulds and test and retest for burn quality. Our candles are all solid hand-poured wax, not rolled honeycomb that burns quickly. All our beeswax candles are the same superior quality of high-grade beeswax throughout the entire candle. We do not compromise our quality by over dipping to cover a cheaper wax or impurities. You may find cheaper beeswax candles but you will not find better than Honey Candles®. We never use wick containing lead or zinc. Remember, if the label doesn’t say 100% beeswax it may not be. Candles can contain as little as 10% beeswax and claim to be a beeswax candle.
What are the burn times of Honey Candles®?
Each time a candle is lit it should be allowed to burn long enough for the wax pool to melt to the edge of the candle. This is the minimum burn time. Candles are designed for different purposes and you can choose which one best suits your need.
The full burn time of each candle depends on whether you burn a candle continuously or intermittently. The temperature of the surrounding environment may also affect the burn time. If you wish to further extend the length of burn, chill candles before lighting.
The times we have listed below are ‘start to finish’ burn times and are not exaggerated. Most people burn candles intermittently and will achieve longer burn times.
| T-lites | 4 - 6 hours |
| Votives round | 15 - 16 hours |
| Hexagon | 12 - 15 hours |
| Tube 6" x 3/4" | 5 – 6 hours |
| Column 6" x 1 1/2" | 12 – 16 hours |
| Base 9" x 3/4" | 8 – 10 hours |
| Taper 12" x 7/8" | 12 – 13 hours |
| Pillars | |
| 3" x 3" | 35 – 45 hours |
| 5" x 3" | 55 – 65 hours |
| 7" x 3" | 85 – 95 hours |
| 3-wick 6"x 6" | 90–100 hours per wick |
| InCans | 30 – 40 hours |
Square pillars burn longer than round ones of similar dimensions.
Burn times may vary with colored candles.
Please see our “Candle Care” to become a candle connoisseur knowledgeable in burning all types of candles.
Why do I sometimes have problems lighting my beeswax candles?
In order for a candle to burn, the wick needs to draw melted wax through it. When lighting your candle, apply the flame at the base of the wick so the wax melts and is absorbed into the wick. This is particularly important on pillar candles with larger diameter wicks.
If you have made several failed attempts to light your candle, you may have burned up the wick until there is only char left. Trim this off and carve a bit of solid wax from the base of the wick. Now apply the flame to the base of the wick.
When extinguishing pillars it is best to push the wick into the wax pool and then straighten it with a fireproof object. This prevents the wick from smoking and also allows for an easier re-light.
Our section on “Candle Care” provides specific tips to improve your candle burning techniques.
You have some colored beeswax candles. What kind of dye do you use?
Many candles contain coloring agents that are harmful to our environment and to us. We did extensive research to find a dye that is environmentally friendly and is non-cancer causing.
None of the components in these dyes, or in our candles, are required to be listed on the California Proposition 65 list of cancer causing agents.
For more details please see our catalog for facts of the enviro-dyes used in our colored candles.
Incense
What is the main difference between Jin Sticks® Incense and Temple Jin Sticks® Incense?
Jin Sticks® are premium quality incense made by Sunshine Bay Natural Products. We use high quality 11” sticks and dip them in our own blends of essential oils and/or top quality fragrance oils.
Temple Jin Sticks® are a high quality hand rolled incense from India. They are rolled in a masala or paste made from resins, aromatic roots, herbs, flowers and aromatic oils.
Kootenay Soap
Why don’t your soaps smell like coconut?
Although all of our soaps have coconut oil in them, they do not smell like coconut because coconut oil is unscented. The coconut 'smell' that some people may be familiar with, from tanning lotion for example, is a synthetic fragrance. We use only natural essential oils to scent our products.
What is body polish?
Body polish is a mixture of sea salt and moisturizing oils of sweet almond, apricot kernel, hazelnut, kukui, and antioxidant rich grapeseed oil. During a shower or bath, apply all over to gently exfoliate dry skin. After rinsing, gently pat dry for fresh, moisturized skin.
Are there any artificial ingredients in your products -- like preservatives or perfumes?
We do not have any chemical fragrances or preservatives in any of our products. We use only 100% botanical essential oils for scent, and no preservatives or additives.
Mountain Sky Natural Soaps
What is the main oil in your Mountain Sky Natural Soaps?
In order to make a mild soap with proper cleaning abilities it is important to blend solid oils or fatty compounds (e.g. Coconut, Palm, etc) with liquid ones (e.g. Olive, Canola, Hemp, etc). For this reason, the base of our soaps is carefully blended from 65%-75% coconut oil with the remainder made up with variations of the above-mentioned vegetable oils, depending on the soap variety.
What is the difference between essential oils and fragrance oils?
Essential oils are oils derived from the steam distillation of plant material. Fragrance oils are compounds derived either from natural substances or synthetic substances. We list all our ingredients on our products. 98% of our products are made with essential oils.
What is hot and cold processed soap?
There are two methods of making soap:
Soap can be made in a hot process and a cold process. For the hot process, oils and alkali (sodium hydroxide) are boiled together for a period of time to create saponification (the process where the oils and the alkali bind). During the boiling, the soap product and glycerin separates. Usually the glycerin is separated out and sold and the soap mixture is then formed into bars or other shapes. Since the soap mixture is boiled for such a long time, the oils in the hot soap process will tend to go rancid. So to counter rancidity, a whole array of chemicals is added to keep the soaps fresher for a long time.
For the cold process, oils are heated just to the melting temperature and mixed with alkali to create saponification. It is then poured into molds and cooled off and cured for approx. 4-5 weeks.
Is there natural glycerin in this soap?
Yes! Our cold processed soap retains the glycerin, which acts as a natural moisturizer and helps to keep it fresh for a long time without chemical preservatives.