A Better Candle
I'm Karen and I am the hands and brains behind Fig & Fire. It is something that I'm so proud of because of the time, attention, and thought that goes into every detail and decision. I truly enjoy the creativity that goes along with handcrafting candles: everything from experimenting with scent blends and coming up with candle names, to designing labels and packaging each one into a beautifully wrapped final product.
In December, Fig & Fire popped up at Linganore Winecellars, a local winery. This was my first craft event and I had the pleasure of speaking to a total sweetheart, who later sent me a Facebook message that said: "The passion for your 'creative outlet' is evident in your knowledge and creation of such a wonderful product! I look forward to enjoying my [...] candle." This not only made my day, but it sparked me to write this blog so I could share with as many people as possible, not just the people I'm lucky enough to meet in person.
Being a creator has been an amazing journey. You probably wouldn't know it from looking at it, but there's a lot of science behind candlemaking. Luckily, I love science, so the experimentation has been something I've really enjoyed. For close to two years, I tested waxes, wicks, and different essential oil blends at different fragrance concentrations, in a variety of containers. When the wax, container, scent, or the concentration of the scent changes, that impacts how the candle burns, so testing is necessary to achieve the “perfect burn.” Needless to say, it took a lot of patience and a few grey hairs to reach this point.
As a candle lover, I hated when candles "tunneled" down leaving wax on the container, or when candles would leave thick black soot around the edges - or worse, on my ceiling! I wanted to create a candle that burns cleanly from edge-to-edge, leaves little to no black soot, is non-toxic, is made from all-natural ingredients, and is fragrant throughout its life.
These days I am more conscious about my health. When I found out what was in some candles, I knew I wanted to make a candle that I didn't have to think twice about breathing. Spoiler alert: paraffin wax is made of petroleum by-products, some wicks have lead in them, some fragrances contain chemicals, and some candles have animal-derived additives. In the event you just stopped reading to throw out every candle you own (I don’t blame you), keep reading! All those awful things I just mentioned are not the case with Fig & Fire. The candles are made of all-natural soy (grown in the USA and non-GMO), wicks made from cotton, and fragrances infused with essential oils. What could be better than candles made completely from plants, with the added aromatherapy benefit?!
I created this blog to share all my candle-related knowledge, candle inspo, and tips for getting the most out of every candle. Until next time...happy lighting!
xoxo,
Karen