Tuesday, July 1, 2014

All American Hand Poured Soy "Farm Fresh" Candles from Comfort Chickens Homestead

This post was originally part of the Red, White, and Blue Giveaway Hop.
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What home isn't complete without a good smelling candle? Am I right?

In my journey of a more natural (and frugal) lifestyle, one of the first products that I ditched were scents. So many products available today are just ridden with chemicals and unnatural properties, and as a new mama I just didn't want any of that to be inhaled by my newborn daughter. I dumped my smelly wall inserts (you know the kind) and even put away my beloved perfume for only special occasions. I switched to all natural soaps and other skin care because I knew that with all of the skin on skin contact that I'd have with my children that I didn't want them to get "second hand" exposure of indoor pollutants. So for the last 2 years, my home has been without a candle. And that made me really sad.

Then by chance I met Candice, who is married to an old friend from college, and we shared an interest in keeping backyard chickens. As we got to know each other better, she shared her passion of candle making with me and my flame was rekindled (ok ok, yea that pun was totally intended!). She quickly mailed me a pair of candles - MacIntosh Apple and Vanilla - and I gave them a try. I also learned that soy candles emit much less toxic chemicals than paraffin candles, so this eased my worries about indoor pollutants with my children.

Before I get into what I thought about the candles, here's a little note from Candice...
Inspired by God, country lifestyle, and chickens, I set to work in 2013 hand crafting my own candles. 
After much testing, I finally found the perfect combination of wax, fragrance oils, and wicks! From there Comfort Chickens Homestead was born. And the rest is history!

All Comfort Chickens Homestead candles are made from 100% soy wax, a much cleaner burning wax then paraffin. Paraffin is a petroleum byproduct, and can cause heavy black soot when burning. Soy wax is a renewable resource, and burns much cleaner. The soy wax used in CCH candles is made in the USA with crops grown from our very own farmers, is made with pure soybean oil (100% vegetable), is natural and biodegradable, and is GMO free! It doesn't get any better than that! CCH candles also burn with two cotton wicks for a clean burn.

As for scent, all fragrance oils are carefully selected and tested to make sure they smell good and burn strong. The scent you smell when the candle isn't lit is called a cold throw. The scent you smell when the candle is lit is called a hot throw. Comfort Chickens Homestead candles have the best of both!

Each candle is lovingly hand poured into a real mason jar (Kerr to be exact: jar, lid, and rim made in the USA), and then delivered to its final destination. Once it is done burning, the scent sticker can easily be removed and the wicks taken out so the jar can be reused to make your favorite jam! The lid can also be reused as it has a magnet attached to the back of it. Display your children's drawings, your shopping list, or your to-do list for the house on your fridge!

I hope you enjoy your "Farm Fresh Candles" from Comfort Chickens Homestead! It is an honor to fill up your house with delicious and tasty aromas! And as for me, I think I will go relax with my chickens now. Thanks for visiting and I hope to see you soon!

Isn't she sweet? This lady truly puts in a labor of love into these candles and I think it really shines though (ok, another candle pun..when am I going to stop?).

She mentioned hot and cold throw - yes, these candles smell so good whether they are lit or not! It doesn't take long at all for the scent to make its way throughout your home. When I lit the vanilla candle, after 5 minutes my kitchen smelled like I was baking something and my husband came down quickly to investigate! In less than an hour my entire home smelled delicious.
I'm finding that these candles are true to all the work that Candice puts into them. The scents are spot on (MacIntosh apples happen to be my favorite and that candle gets my mouth watering!), they don't leave a sooty residue and the wax melts down nicely without you having to push it down the sides of the jar. Unlike many other home-made candles that I've tried before, the scents do not smell synthetic and you'd think they are the real thing. It's just plain awesome to have my entire house smell like MacIntosh apples, if you ask me!

Want to win a set of candles of your own? In honor of Independence Day and the fact that these candles are proudly made in the USA with American ingredients (right down to the soy, which Candice made absolute sure was grown by our farmers in order to support our economy), Comfort Chickens Homestead is offering one Pierogie Mama winner 3 candles (the winner gets to choose their scents). Just check out the giveaway widget below for entry options and details!

This giveaway is over. Thanks to all who entered!

Disclosure: I received product in exchange for my honest review. I love these candles!