Why You Should Never Burn Candles With Crystals or Botanicals

Candles are one of the best and most practical decorations you can have in your home. And it’s particularly nice when those candles are also beautiful and creative. Over the years, candlemakers have come up with some amazing ways to decorate and accent their products to create whimsical, almost magical designs.

But as pretty as they are, you should never burn candles that contain botanicals, dried fruit, rocks, beads, or crystals. Don’t do it! It’s fine if you have embellishments on the outside of a pillar candle that will never get near the flame, but if you’re burning a candle in a jar or other container, crystals and botanicals should have no part in it.

But why? It’s all flammable, right? Keep reading to find out.

The Dangers of Botanical Decorations

When you burn a candle made of any type of wax—soy, paraffin, coconut, or anything else—it burns at a certain rate in a controlled way. The wax itself doesn’t catch fire; it simply evaporates into the atmosphere as the wick slowly burns down.

Dried flowers, herbs, and fruits burn hotter and more quickly. They may contain residual moisture or natural oils that make them even more incendiary, so they catch fire in a way that isn’t controlled or contained. They can produce embers in a way that wicks don’t, and those embers can catch on anything in the immediate area. Since botanicals do burn hotter, this additional heat can also compromise the integrity of the candle container, leading it to shatter.

For more information on botanicals in container candles, check out this report by the National Candle Association.

The Dangers of Geological Decorations

Speaking of shattering—have you ever heated a marble in the oven and then dropped it in ice water? The inside of the marble shatters while the outside remains smooth and unbroken. It’s a beautiful effect and a fun kids’ craft (to be done, always, with adult supervision). But it’s also a good illustration of how something that seems heat-safe can become compromised.

You might think it’s safe to burn a candle with crystals or glass beads because those things aren’t flammable. They won’t catch fire, so they’ll just end up at the bottom of the jar, right?

But there’s also a definite chance that the heat of the candle—burned and then cooled over and over—could cause crystals or glass beads to weaken, crack, and even shatter. And no one wants to deal with sharp projectiles, particularly when those projectiles could also damage your candle container and lead to an uncontrolled fire.

Also of note, some crystals give off toxic fumes when exposed to high temperatures. For example, a novice candlemaker might think pyrite (fool’s gold) is a great decoration if they’re making candles for a St. Paddy’s Day theme or maybe a bachelorette party. But if you heat pyrite, it gives off dangerously toxic sulfur dioxide gas. As someone who buys candles, are you confident enough in your candle supplier to trust that they can recognize all the crystals they’ve added and have conducted research on their safety? I’m a candlemaker myself, and I am not that confident.

What To Do With Candles That Contain Decorations

You have a few choices if you already have container candles with crystals or botanicals. The first option is the easiest: don’t burn it. There’s no doubt that these candles can be beautiful and smell amazing without a lit wick, so set it on a shelf and let it be entirely aesthetic.

The next option is to remove the botanicals. Many candlemakers add their decorative elements only on the surface, so you can remove them before you ever light the candle. If they’re embedded slightly, take a sharp knife, pry them up, and discard them. Now you have a fragrant and safe candle that’s ready to burn.

Your last option is to use a candle warmer. These devices warm your candle using a lamp from above or a heating element from below so that you never need to light the wick. This takes the fire hazard out of the equation while allowing you to enjoy the scent. I would still recommend removing any crystals or beads from the wax, but you’re still much safer without the open flame.

And there you have it: some very compelling reasons why you should never burn container candles with crystals or botanicals. There are many people on the internet who will tell you that it’s entirely safe. They’ve been doing it for 25 years without a problem, etc., etc. But it only takes one incident to cause irreparable damage, so—as they say—it’s better to be safe than sorry.

At Burn This Candle, we never use botanicals or other non-wax decorations in our teacup candles. If you’re looking for a beautiful, decorative candle that both smells amazing and works as statement decor, check out our selection of ready-to-ship teacup candles today.