Experiment: The "eco-friendly" Scentsy Warmer

We've been working on a synthetic-free, non-toxic alternative to scenting your home....here are the initial results of our Way Out Wax and Scentsy experiment! You (and your wallet) will be pleasantly surprised!

Meet the Companies:

Scentsy offers a wide variety of wax tart warmers for any occasion and style, they are extremely popular options for flameless home fragrance. Many of our readers love their decorative warmers, but have concerns about their synthetically fragranced, petroleum wax tarts/bars. The glazed pottery warmers are electric, warming through the use of a single light bulb which also doubles as a nightlight.

Way Out Wax is an eco-friendly, non-toxic company that specializes in 100% non-GMO* soy wax candles that utilize only essential oil blends to create their fragrances. Essential oils do not only scent your home, they actively affect your mood through pure aromatherapy. The candles are created from renewable resources (soy versus petroleum) and all packaging is recyclable, reusable, or compostable! They do not use synthetic colors, dyes, or fragrances in their products.

Method:

To perform this experiment, we used a full-size Scentsy brand warmer ($30), with original 25 watt bulb, and tealight candles from Way Out Wax ($0.85-$1 each). The tealight was removed from it's container (easily pops out). Time was recorded during each stage of melting and fragrance dispersement. Photos were also taken to document the experiment.

Experiment:

5:45 - Placed tealight in warmer and turned on

5:50 - Tealight started to melt (elapsed time: 5 min) 

 6:15 - Tealight 75% melted and wick was pulled out (elapsed time: 30 min from start)

  6:20 - Completely melted (elapsed time: 35 min from start)

  8:45 - Turned off (elapsed time: 3 hours from start)

  8:50 - Wax cooling after 5 minutes off

  Next day 9:45 - Turned on warmer

10:00 - Melting again

Results:

The first day, the warmer was on for 3 hours total. For the second day, the warmer was left on for a total of 14 hours, with full strength scent throughout the home. On the third day, full strength scent lasted for an additional 6 hours. After this point, the scent load was noticeably lower (more subtle though still fragrancing), this phase lasted an additional 3 hours. This experiment was repeated to average results from multiple melts with different scents. A single tealight candle provided scented up to 1000 square feet indoors.

Average total scent time: 25-30 hours  [including 3-5 hours of subtle scenting]

Scent Effectiveness Comparison:

2 Scentsy cubes = 8-13 hours approx.

1 Way Out Wax tealight = 25-30 hours approx.

By using Way Out Wax tealights, your total cost will be only $2-3 for up to 90 hours of pure aromatherapy scenting your home, relaxing your mind, and soothing your soul!

[Assumption: 2 Scentsy cubes are equivalent to 1 Way Out Wax tealight for the purpose of the amount of melted wax required fill the bottom of the Scentsy warmer adequately]

Cleanup: 

Melted wax may be returned to the soil from which it came by digging a hole outdoors or poured back into the tealight container with the wick to be burned as an unscented candle. Easily wipes clean from the warmer.

Further Research:

Soy wax may be assumed safer than paraffin/petroleum based candles if it comes into contact with the skin. Since soy wax requires lower temperatures to melt, further experiment updates will determine whether scents will adequately disperse with lower wattage bulbs to reduce energy consumption. Stay tuned for ongoing updates!

*Non-GMO means that the plant's DNA has not been genetically altered in a laboratory - it is pure and natural, just as mother nature created it!

Shop Scentsy Warmers Website            

Shop Way Out Wax Tealights Website

Kitchen: If You Care

If You Care...
...is more than an environmentally friendly product line, it's a way of living.
Just some of the admirable attributes of their many products: *FSC-certified sustainably harvested *Unbleached *100% Renewable Resources *Petroleum-free *Chlorine-free *Compostable *Vegetable-based inks *Non-Toxic glues *Recycled packaging *Vegan, Kosher, Gluten-free, Allergen-free
We had the great pleasure of trying nearly everything you see in the above photo {with the exception of the cooking twine, cheesecloth, and paper sandwich bags}. And I have to admit, this company makes absolutely WONDERFUL products. Every step in the life circle of these products considers and minimizes impact on the environment. While we've found that going green often requires more effort on your part due to inefficient products when compared to traditional ones, If You Care (IYC) products are actually MORE efficient, MORE effective, and MORE responsible - you gain everything and lose nothing with this brand. I am in awe....honestly.
The FSC-certified household gloves ($2.99) came in handy last month when all three of our children were struck with norovirus, aka the stomach flu. I credit these gloves with saving me {and only me} from acquiring the highly contagious virus whilst the rest of our household suffered, leaving me as the designated cleaner. 
The silicone-coated parchment baking sheets ($3.99) are my other favorite IYC product! The box contains 24 pre-cut sheets and the size perfectly fits a standard baking sheet. Here is where this brand wins the race, even if taking out all the awesome eco-benefits....we ended up using just ONE sheet over and over again to bake over 5 dozen cookies for the holidays!!! So if you only have one dessert baking day per month, a box will last you 2 YEARS. And it worked so well, nothing stuck whatsoever, and everything turned out beautifully, too.
From coffee filters to baking muffin/cupcake cups, 100% biomass firestarters to 100% recycled aluminum....If You Care is a brand you MUST try!
To read more about all of their products, please visit their website: ifyoucare.com/

Bamboo Candles from Wild Beauty

Exclusively utilizing only 100% Kosher-certified (non-gmo) soy wax and pure essential oils, Wild Beauty brings simple, eco-friendly charm to the candle scene!

These candles are unique in that the wax is poured into an actual piece of bamboo. Once the candle burns completely, you simply clean out the remaining wax and reuse the bamboo as a container. That's right, no waste! Plus, here are a few other benefits this product boasts:

• Reduced packaging to prevent waste
• 60%+ of labels/packaging are recycled/recyclable
• 100% cotton wick coated in natural beeswax for a clean burn
• 100% satisfaction guaranteed with full refund/replacement

Our favorite scent is Golden Qi - a magnificent combination of Frankincense & Myrrh (perfect for the holidays). The fragrance is soft and smooth, warm and comforting. And here is the best part about the bamboo (though no one should try this at home): our tester actually left this burning overnight without issue and awoke to a beautifully scented home the next morning! With that said, this candle has an impressive burn time; the manufacturer states 24 hours, however our experience showed the candles lasted hours beyond the expected time.

If you are looking for a unique gift, we certainly recommend checking these candles out!

SHOP WILD BEAUTY

Home: Scentsy Bars & Gold Canyon Candles (Why we can't review them)

We've received a lot of interest from readers regarding the safety of not only candles in general, but specifically, wickless candles such as Scentsy which utilize a wax tart that is placed in a warmer unit to disperse fragrance into the air. Due to lack of ingredient disclosure, we are unable to determine the safety of this product and will not test/review the Scentsy bars/tarts. For those of you with Scentsy warmers already, we plan to experiment with using the warmer with alternative vegetable waxes and essential oil blends to see if it will work with more natural products. Even though we cannot personally comment on Scentsy bars/tarts from experience, there are some important things to consider when making a choice about purchasing or using a product, this entry may help you with the process so you can decide for yourself if a product is safe or not.


At first hearing about tart warmers, it sounded like a plug-in air freshener just like any other but with messy wax added to the equation. Many studies by many reputable organizations and safety councils have studied and determined that most air fresheners contain or create toxic chemicals.  Everything seems to be a political game of profit, you can find experts on all sides to testify to anything, so it is VERY important to look at WHO is FUNDING the studies...it should be an independent, non-profit organization who does not financially benefit from the results either way. Confusion is often a tactic used in product marketing just as it is used in politics; to avoid being played, always look behind the scenes to determine the reputation of a study.

The ironic part is that most people will think twice about swallowing something they believe to be dangerous, but people slather toxic chemicals all over their skin and inhale their fumes without a second thought.

Let's consider methods of possible toxin exposure...since many people are ill-informed on how you can be poisoned. Inhalation: When you inhale a chemical, it goes directly from the lungs to the bloodstream; this is the worst exposure you can receive as there is no filtration whatsoever - you will receive a full dose. Skin Absorption: The next most dangerous way to be exposed to chemicals is through skin application. Your skin is an organ and although it creates somewhat of a barrier, it is easily penetrated and chemicals will go directly into the bloodstream from what is absorbed through the skin. Ingestion: Lastly, ingestion is another way chemicals invade your body - but with swallowing a chemical, your body has more defenses set up to deal with it, such functions are provided for by your liver and kidneys.


Now back to Scentsy and why we are unable to test their bars/tarts:

INGREDIENTS: (directly quoted from Scentsy website)
"A secret combination of ingredients is used to create a pool of melted wax, which is transformed into a wickless candle bar. Scentsy uses a food-grade petroleum based wax."


In other words, they're not going to tell you what's in there - the ingredient list is secret. What this melts down to is whether or not you trust a company with your life and the life of everyone living in your household. When you buy a product, you place a vote with your dollars to let that company know that you don't need to know what they put in their products, whatever is in there is okay with you, you'd rather remain in the dark. Consumers who buy products without full disclosure typically fall under the "ignorance is bliss" category because they would rather not have to think about ingredients or possible consequences.


Does Scentsy contain phthalates (certain chemicals known to cause endocrine [hormone] problems)? No. Although, this only rules out one category of toxins as the ingredient "fragrance" can hide many, many ingredients under that single term without disclosure, some of which may be toxic or unsafe. Since Scentsy (and many other companies) refuse to openly disclose their actual ingredients, it is IMPOSSIBLE for any consumer to make an educated decision about the safety of their use. 


Beware: Some candle companies avoid the phthalate question. Some companies, like Gold Canyon Candles, are tricky with wording by saying they "do not use phthalates which are known to cause problems" - notice the wording to avoid answering the question - they won't say they do not use ANY phthalates. This is a red flag.


On top of the "secret combination of ingredients" used to synthetically fragrance (read: chemicals created in a lab to make an artificial scent), they admit to using petroleum wax. Petroleum is also what is used to make gasoline. It is not an eco-friendly product in getting to the resource (think about the Gulf BP drilling mess), manufacturing (it pollutes tons of water and creates huge messes to refine it into petroleum from crude oil), or disposal. Although they claim on their website that they were unable to find a vegetable based wax that held their scents, many other companies have proven it can be done and it can be done well! There are plenty of soy and palm wax candle companies whose waxes hold essential oils perfectly for long periods of time. Perhaps the problem is not the vegetable wax, perhaps the problem is the cocktail of chemicals being used for fragrance? Just a thought.




SAFETY CLAIMS: (directly quoted from the Scentsy company website)
"Scentsy Warmers only warm the scent out of the wax - the wax remains in the warmer, thus there is no danger of chemicals being released into the home."


No danger of chemicals being released? Really? Fragrance oils are made from chemicals created in a lab. The fragrance oil is completely released until the wax is unscented. Obviously, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that you are inhaling chemicals from the fragrance and CHEMICALS ARE BEING RELEASED INTO YOUR HOME AND BODY.


Already have a scentsy warmer? We're currently testing healthier alternatives to be used in the warmers! Stay tuned....

ReUsies vs. Lunchskins: The Review {in a bag}

Batting 1000? Maybe not. Eating 1000? Probably!

Did you know the average person uses 1000 disposable plastic bags a year?! And that's just talking landfill waste...not the water, land, and air pollution caused from their manufacturing or taking into consideration the many chemical compounds present in plastic that could be contaminating your food during transport/storage. YIKES!!!

In a disposable world filled with plastic, increasing awareness of the simplicity of reusable options in everything from baby diapers to snack bags is helping people to decrease their landfill footprint...fast! Whether you are buying reusable bags for your child or yourself, there are several important factors in helping you choose the best matched baggie for your buck. In this review, we're going to address the differences in these two very popular brands of reusable food bags in hopes it will help you to find your perfect match on the first try {don't you wish the dating world were this easy}!

One of the most often overlooked yet very important aspects to check out in your potential product choice is size. If you happen to prefer hoagie roll sandwiches, ciabattas, or larger sized loaf bread slices - your lunch won't fit into every brand of reusable bag. Unlike plastic bags, which have fairly standardized sizes by content volume, reusable bags are typically measured in dimensions. Since most of us don't measure the dimensions of our food,this is one case where slightly bigger is actually better.


ReUsies
Sizes: Snack: 6" x 5 / Sandwich: 7.5" x 6"
Made in WA, USA
Materials: 100% cotton + 100% nylon lining
Closure: foldover flap with Velcro
Washability: Machine wash/dry; Dishwasher wash; wipe down interior with soapy water
Price: $7 snack size; $9 sandwich size
Patterns: 25+ to choose from, more traditional prints
Water-resistant



Lunchskins
Sizes: Snack: 6.5" x 3" / Sandwich: 6.5" x 6.5" / Sub: 8" x 7"
Made in USA (Fabric made in Europe)
Materials: Polyurethane coated cotton
Closure: foldover flap with Velcro
Washability: Dishwasher-safe
Price: $7.85 snack size; $8.95 sandwich size; $10.95 sub size
Patterns: Up to 10 different prints, more trendy prints
Waterproof


Lunchskins goes a step further to ensure their company is acting in an environmentally responsible manner, here it is in their own words: "we are primarily paper-free with the majority of bills and business conducted online, we use minimal packaging made from recycled materials in our shipments, we print all promotional materials on recycled materials at a local printing company, we use compact fluorescent bulbs and low flow faucets, and we bike to our office or work from home."

So what did we think of these bags? We really like the ReUsies fabrics - they feel like actual cloth - whereas the Lunchskins have a thick vinyl feeling to them at first (they soften with time). However, when packing a food that needs to retain moisture (especially fruits), the Lunchskins' waterproof ability was unmatched. We preferred to machine wash the ReUsies versus dishwasher clean the Lunchskins, but that is simply a matter of personal preference that will vary with each person. In the end, both sets of bags were superior to any disposable bag which means that regardless of which one you choose, you'll be a much happier camper, er eater, than you already are!

Are you ready to trade your 1000 for 10? Check out the ReUsies and Lunchskins websites and make a difference starting TODAY!