Gel Candle Myths
Myth # 1: Gel Candles Explode & Emit mysterious gases. Fact: Sorry but completely FALSE & simply IMPOSSIBLE! Yes we have seen the email too & it has long been researched by neutral experts with no involvement with any candles & has been authenticated as nothing more than an Urban Legend filled with outrageous untruths & nothing more than another sad internet hoax. You can view it at: (http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/blgelcandles.htm) Or help break the chain on this & other hoaxes by visiting: (http://www.breakthechain.org/exclusives/gelcandles.html) There is nothing mysterious about gel at all. It is simply 95% Food Grade Mineral oil mixed with Resin. Neither of these components has the ability alone or together to explode or emit any gases. Penreco Gel has been tested for many things including toxicology & although we would NEVER recommend eating it, it has been found non toxic even when consumed. (http://www.penreco.com/pdfs/candlesafetyfactorsbulletin.pdf) However, although rare, there are occasions where an improperly, poorly made or excessively burned candle can cause the glass container to break (possibly this could be perceived as an explosion) but the same can & does happen with wax candles in glass containers when not properly made or burned. Fact: According to records of the Consumer Products Safety Commission out of 34 recalls, only 3 were gel candles. Research shows that most of the items that were recalled were due to large flames (improper wicks), and breaking glassware. If a consumer follows the safety instructions included with gel or wax candles, they will be aware of the care of gel & wax candles and can avoid any problems.
Okay, need more proof? Find out what the National Fire Protection Association has to say about ALL candles & find out the SHOCKING facts about 12,540 candle fires resulting in loss of property & lives. Which candles cause fires & why. It could literally save your life!!! I already knew these facts first hand & that was much of what led me into the Gel Candle business. Lighting any candle in your home is a great luxury to be enjoyed just like cooking on your gas stove top, lighting a fireplace, your grill or starting a little fire in your yard. You have lit a small fire that with any lack of following safety precautions & a certain amount of good old fashion common sense - is an invitation to become a full fledged fire. (http://www.nfpa.org/riskwatch/pdfs/applecorp/AC%20fall%202005%207.pdf)
"Professional Gellers" know exactly which wicks, glassware, and gel safe fragrances can & can not be used. We are the first to know because our livelihood depends on it and our own families safety. Remember most of us are preparing these candles & testing them in our own homes with our loved ones, daily. We take great pride in our work & safety is always first. No $20.00 candle or any product is worth what we have to loose. And I personally with my expertise made for sure & for fact that these candles were not only as safe as wax but lived up to everything they claimed to do - before leaving my long successful career to make this my life & my business. If there was one bit of doubt they weren't as safe if not safer in many instances, I can assure you we wouldn't waste the time nor money it takes to make these candles since wax is so much easier & cheaper. For reasons. Don't get me wrong, we love wax too & they serve their purpose as well, but they can not compare to the beauty or great burning of gel.
Now we will break down the Hoax email so you can clearly see the untruths & what to look for in these sorts of emails. We will also offer you true perspective on what these emails are created for & what they do.
Okay, we've all seen the email that has been authenticated as nothing more than another Urban Legend & another sad Internet Hoax. Unfortunately the internet does not YET follow the same rules of the land & it seems too many of us allow ourselves to help spread false stories & slanderous stories - with a simple forward button. I've done it too.
I now know that these sort of emails aren't just hoax's & rumors, they are Viruses - A little different than what you think a virus is, but a virus just the same. They are created by people with nothing better to do than to reek havoc & cause damage & harm to others. I now investigate before forwarding & you can too at (http://www.urbanlegends.com) Do you think loosing a computer to a virus is a terrible thing??? I did too when it happened to me. But nothing compares to the harm done to REAL people's LIVES, their INCOME that they depend on to support their children with a business they have fought hard to build and keep safe & then a simple "Forward" of a hoax email can & is very damaging. To make matters worse, some magazines will reprint exerts from these sorts of emails because they know they are of interest to you & then turn around & print retractions to cover them legally in a place you never get to see. Anyone of us with computer access can sit here and write such an email to hurt any company or anyone personally, EVEN YOU, and circulate it around the web world many times over. Can you imagine how you'd feel if once a week an email dropped in your box about YOU & there was nothing you could do? And of course everyone would believe it, because we believe everything that is emailed to us. You'd be surprised at those that do.
If someone forwards the hoax to you - please be so kind & caring in truth to forward this GEL FACTS Page to them filled with ALL the Facts & truths & links with information that could save their lives.
The email claims: "My house burnt down due to gel exploding and because of the gel the smoke detector melted. " FACT ~ ALL smoke detectors will melt in a fire. It has nothing to due with the fact that the gel created such a hot flame. What starts a house fire has nothing to do with the intensity of the heat, rather the contents of your home. Like your couch & carpeting which are made of highly flammable materials that produce very high heat temperatures when burning. Just ask ANY Fire Fighter. Of course I knew this immediately because I WAS ONE. Claim ~ The Fire Marshall stated that gel candles have been starting a lot of fires. Fact ~ No Fire Marshall would risk his job or risk a city to be sued by making such an accusation. And even if this one did, funny that he didn't file that in a report. In fact - no report was ever filed anywhere about any fire even close to this story. Claim ~ My gel candle caught on fire and caused 3rd degree burns on my hand from trying to put it out. FACT ~ If ANY candle or anything else ever catches on fire - NEVER EVER grab it with your hand to try to put it out. You will ONLY burn your hand!!! And it won't have anything to do with the candle. Get a wet towel or an ABC fire extinguisher to extinguish the flames. You must USE CAUTION & follow all warning labels when burning any candle. Claim ~ I tried to blow out my gel candle and gel splattered on my face causing 3rd degree burns. Fact ~ You should NEVER stick your face in any candle or blow THAT hard. It has always been recommended that you use a candle snuffer to prevent blowing a hot wick off onto anything flammable or splattering wax or gel. Had this been a wax candle the wax would have stuck to the skin causing more intense burns. Gel however, cools very quickly & peels right off. When preparing gel at much higher temps than a flame could ever produce, we've never heard of anyone suffering more than 2nd degree burns. And knowing what constitutes the difference in the 3 levels of burns, I find this extremely far fetched.
Now I could go on all night about the REAL candle fires I have seen & some of the crazy things that started them by pure lack of common sense and/or simply following safety guidelines. They are just guidelines...They can be the difference between life & death with ANY candle.
Myth #2: Gel Candles cost more than wax. Fact: Although they may appear higher priced than some wax candles - over the course of the burn you will quickly realize when compared to how long they burn compared to wax - they are often cheaper. This is why I fell in love with them when I bought a tiny sea scene at a craft fair. I literally burnt up 9 of the most expensive & longest burning wax candles that I'd paid over $20 for & my little $5 seascape was still burning & absolutely beautiful. Especially next to the 9 blobs of wax that had cost so much more. The proof is on the burn & even the biggest skeptics (like I was) always call saying "They don't know how in the heck, but they have to have more & will probably never burn wax again." Plus the designs Gel offers could never be matched by wax.
Myth #3: Gel candles contain lead wicks.| Fact: Lead wicks are no longer in use by candle makers in the United States. They are safe containing zinc or tin cores. Caution: If you purchase any candle that was made in a foreign country and imported to the US, they may contain lead wicks. If you are not aware, this has become a very serious health issue so please read all labels on all candles whether you purchase Gel or Wax. Are There Unsafe Gel Candles? Any "Professional Geller & Candle Maker" will be the first to tell you that ABSOLUTELY there are unsafe wax & gel candles & will tell you precisely the signs to quickly spot them. With any great product out there being copycatted - Yes there are unsafe gel candles & wax candles being made by inexperienced & unknowledgeable hobbyist. People see these candles - hear how much other people that have been using them a long time love them & they think " Oh this looks easy enough." However, it takes A LOT OF EXPERIENCE, A LOT OF TIME, & A LOT OF MONEY in order to be able to make SAFE CANDLES! If we could round up or stop all those out to make a quick buck off of these candles and refusing to spend the money on the safe products necessary to make safe candles - I assure you we would.
But we can tell you how to the tell the difference & the signs to look for when purchasing a gel candle.
# 1) & the quickest way to tell is Clarity! Sea Scenes & other typically clear designs will not be cloudy at all. Even colored gel should have a clear appearance. We see candles all the time that the gel just appears nasty looking & mucky even when dyed. There can be several things seriously wrong in either cheaper PROVEN unsafe products used to make them or inaccurate mixing of components when made. Either way they are UNSAFE & PLEASE DO NOT buy these candles. Look at our candles & you will quickly see how they are suppose to look when properly made by an experienced candle maker. # 2) Oily residue on top of the candle. Gel should be firm and will not have an oily residue top of the candle. This is visible with the eye so please do not poke and damage candles trying to feel for this. You can see it. # 3) Flammable embeds. In a safe gel flammable embeds will be protected by a glass insert which is where the candle actually burns down into. We see this A LOT with real candy, potpourri & silk flowers. These items are EXTREMELY flammable & can only be used with glass insert.
# 4) Wicks should be straight and not leaning or squiggly. # 5) Wick crimps or glass beads. Professional Gellers use these on the wick to snuff the flame before it reaches the bottom of the candle especially if it's base is sand. No candle should be burned all the way down & safe gel candles will have this safety feature attached to the wick. # 6) Embeds should not be positioned up against a wick no matter what they are made of. Even though they may not have the ability to ignite they will cause the candle to burn improperly. # 7) Too Many embeds? No candle should be packed with embeds because they need room for the candle to burn properly. # 8) Large Glitter. Some of the most beautiful gel candles have a specific type of glitter made just for gel. "Professional Gellers" know that large cheaper craft glitters should not be used in gel candles. These type of glitters are paper based & only give a metal appearance. Larger glitter - even metal based will also clog wicks causing
Gel Candle Burning Tips *Unlike regular wax candles, gel candles produce a small, delicate flame which radiates throughout the entire candle. Gel candles should be enjoyed in a room with the lights dimmed or off. *Always keep wicks trimmed to 1/4" to 1/8". This helps insure a clean and smoke free burn. If your candle is smoking, extinguish the candle, let it cool, and trim the wick just a bit more, the smoking should stop. Please remember however that good quality, highly scented candles will usually smoke more than less expensive discount store candles. *Never put gel candles in the freezer to prolong their life as some do with wax candles. This can cause condensation to form inside the candle, which can clog the wick or keep the candle from burning properly. *The most effective way of extinguishing the candle flame is with a candle snuffer. If you do not have a candle snuffer, place your finger in front of the flame before you blow, this will cause the air to hit the flame from the sides instead of hitting it directly, and we have found this helps to minimize smoking. *Keep gel candles out of direct sunlight. Sunlight can cause the gel to cloud in some candles. Direct sunlight may also reduce the number of bubbles in a gel candle. Heat can also be a problem, it may cause some embeds in some candles to shift slightly. *Gel candles last much longer than wax. If you find that your gel candle has collected some dust on it, put a very small amount of mineral oil on a cotton ball and wipe gently. DO NOT overuse the mineral oil—it is flammable. Also, a light wiping with a baby wipe will work.
Forever Candles:You will find some Forever candles on our website. We design these candles for two reasons. First, some candle embeds we utlilize may not be fire resistant. By using a double glass method, the possibly flammable items are never exposed to the flame. The second, some candles we just want to be able to preserve the design forever and double glassing allows just the inner candle to burn leaving the outer design intact. Forever candles are just that, they are forever!!!. Once you have burned the inner candle, you can purchase replacement gel/wax tealights or votives to burn within the inner glass container over and over!
We only use Penreco Brand Gel
