Burt's Bees Soy Candles - Possibly Okay?

So many people have asked about candles and they generally get the same response: NO!
But sometime you find people who say that certain smells (meaning the essential oil in the candle) are okay, but if they're in 100% beeswax candles without a metal clip in the bottom holding the wick in place. I'm not even sure what these natural oils are that were supposedly okay. I have looked at the topics here under Q&A and haven't seen it brought up, so I figured that I would ask for myself and anyone else out there wondering.

Burt's Bees now makes soy candles. Their candles have the metal clip in the bottom, so I know they aren't safe (by what I've read here). But they also have melts, which I guess we can call soy melts since they aren't wax. I know Burt's Bees is known for 100% natural ingredients so I was curious if these soy melts were safe for birds, if you chose those natural oils that are not bad for them. I tried to check their website (burtsbeescandles.com) but it is not active yet. Could these soy melts possibly be okay for birds, if the scents in them are 100% natural? I can't check to guarantee that the scents are 100% natural until the website comes up though. I'm also going to search around the wonderful world of the internet to see if I can find multiple reputable sources about any possibly safe natural oils for smelly-good stuff.

Opinions? Possibilities? And reasons why?

It never hurts to know why you can or can't do something.

I'm not positive to be honest, but you could always call or email the company and request for the ingredient list and if ask if they're listed as animal/bird safe (two different things). I do know that there have been a lot of discussions about Burt's/soy candles before:

http://www.parrotforums.com/questions-answers/52146-burtsbees-candles.html

http://www.parrotforums.com/eclectus/49003-candles.html

http://www.parrotforums.com/conures/47349-i-know-scented-candles-bad-but.html

http://www.parrotforums.com/questions-answers/44616-would-something-like-safe-around-birds.html

I wouldn't use them since they can say all natural and really only be 10% natural. I have done my research on this subject and I did find 1 company I trust and I do use their essential oils. I have been diffusing them in my living room since March and Zilla loves them and they are safe for her.

If you are interested in more information feel free to send me a PM and I will be happy to help.

I had a similar question about essential oils, I like to diffuse them in my bedroom and on occasion in the bathroom, I also like to add peppermint oil to my vinegar spray. Those should be fine, right?

This is a very dangerous topic!

The belief is that if the candle is made with natural and/or 'safe chemicals' all will be OK is just BS!

Regardless, of the chemical stew that the candle is made from, the process of 'burning' creates the deadly mixture. To 'minimize' this deadly mixture requires that the burn temperature is raised to a much higher temperature than a candle could ever hope to obtain.

Compare the flame of a natural gas or LP gas stove, which is designed to burn blue in color, with no or very little yellow (tips) to a candle that is all yellow. Each Winter in the Great White North, nearly every week in the snow belt a family dies because their heating system fails. The heating system in your home burns cleaner than that candle. Not saying that the volume is the same, only pointing to the reality of what a candle is dumping into your home.

Point Number Two: Feathers burn rapidly and candles are commonly placed in areas that parrots have learned to be interesting places to visit. An open flame, plus a parrot and you have a mixture assured to be a heart-cutting Vet visit.

Candles were popular prior to electric lighting. Homes burned because of candles and it still happens to this day.

Trash the Candles!

Aquila said:

I had a similar question about essential oils, I like to diffuse them in my bedroom and on occasion in the bathroom, I also like to add peppermint oil to my vinegar spray. Those should be fine, right?

Click to expand...

I would say this depends on the brand of essential oils you are using...if they are pure therapeutic grade oils or have tons of "fillers" in them. There are only 3 brands of essential oils I would trust around myself, my cats and especially my parrot.

I researched essential oils for several months before I chose the brand I use. The company I use only make 2 oils I won't diffuse in my home. I still use them topically on myself, but I won't diffuse them into the air.

Please feel free to PM me if you would like more information about the brands I researched or the one I chose.

Amanda_Bennett said:

Aquila said:

I had a similar question about essential oils, I like to diffuse them in my bedroom and on occasion in the bathroom, I also like to add peppermint oil to my vinegar spray. Those should be fine, right?

Click to expand...

I would say this depends on the brand of essential oils you are using...if they are pure therapeutic grade oils or have tons of "fillers" in them. There are only 3 brands of essential oils I would trust around myself, my cats and especially my parrot.

I researched essential oils for several months before I chose the brand I use. The company I use only make 2 oils I won't diffuse in my home. I still use them topically on myself, but I won't diffuse them into the air.

Please feel free to PM me if you would like more information about the brands I researched or the one I chose.

Click to expand...

Well I use food grade peppermint oil, not theraputic oil, that was one thing I did look into.

And I was wanting to find something to use in my wax melter, so flames would not be an issue. Don't get too excited. lol

If i was going to use a wax melter I'd probably just make my own-beeswax, coconut oil and essential oil.

I don't use a melter, but I make lip balm and other lotions using beeswax and coconut as my base and then add things for other purposes-such as vitamin e, peppermint oil ect. Really easy and a little beeswax goes a long ways. My daughter has made candles like this as well.

Aquila said:

Amanda_Bennett said:

Aquila said:

I had a similar question about essential oils, I like to diffuse them in my bedroom and on occasion in the bathroom, I also like to add peppermint oil to my vinegar spray. Those should be fine, right?

Click to expand...

I would say this depends on the brand of essential oils you are using...if they are pure therapeutic grade oils or have tons of "fillers" in them. There are only 3 brands of essential oils I would trust around myself, my cats and especially my parrot.

I researched essential oils for several months before I chose the brand I use. The company I use only make 2 oils I won't diffuse in my home. I still use them topically on myself, but I won't diffuse them into the air.

Please feel free to PM me if you would like more information about the brands I researched or the one I chose.

Click to expand...

Well I use food grade peppermint oil, not theraputic oil, that was one thing I did look into.

Click to expand...

Food grade can still have tons of fillers. According to the FDA a food grade essential oil only has to be 10% essential oils and the rest can be fillers, even if it says 100% pure on the bottle (technically there is 100% pure oils in the bottle, just not the whole bottle) Food grade means it's OK to ingest in small amounts for humans (like a flavoring in a cake or cookie) it has nothing to do with inhaling it.

Amanda_Bennett said:

Aquila said:

Amanda_Bennett said:

I would say this depends on the brand of essential oils you are using...if they are pure therapeutic grade oils or have tons of "fillers" in them. There are only 3 brands of essential oils I would trust around myself, my cats and especially my parrot.

I researched essential oils for several months before I chose the brand I use. The company I use only make 2 oils I won't diffuse in my home. I still use them topically on myself, but I won't diffuse them into the air.

Please feel free to PM me if you would like more information about the brands I researched or the one I chose.

Click to expand...

Well I use food grade peppermint oil, not theraputic oil, that was one thing I did look into.

Click to expand...

Food grade can still have tons of fillers. According to the FDA a food grade essential oil only has to be 10% essential oils and the rest can be fillers, even if it says 100% pure on the bottle (technically there is 100% pure oils in the bottle, just not the whole bottle) Food grade means it's OK to ingest in small amounts for humans (like a flavoring in a cake or cookie) it has nothing to do with inhaling it.

Click to expand...

What I use has a base of propylene glycol or vegetable glycerine, which are safe to inhale (used in applications like inhalors or nebulizers.)

Burts bees is now owned by Clorox, which bugs me a bit.