About Us
About Our Candles
Our candles are hand-made by volunteers, with the help of local artisans, using all-natural, U.S.A.- and Missouri-grown soy wax, natural scents, organic cotton wicks and U.S.A.-sourced containers. We utilize carbon-neutral shipping for our jars, scents, and wax, and we recycle all the materials we can.
To remain organic, we do not use any dyes or additives; thus, all of our candles are white. We also use organic cotton wicks instead of lead wicks so that our candles remain safe for you and your family. We purchase our fragrances from Candle Science, a local company that uses natural oils.
Don't Hate Me Because I'm ALL Natural...
Our candles look a little different from other candles because they are all natural soy candles, with no preservatives or additives, and have lead-free wicks.
Because of their organic nature, our candles' surfaces may appear bumpy or display other imperfections. Because of the lack of additives and chemicals, candles may pull away from the glass. Candles burn for approximately 40 to 50 hours.
Why Soy?
We use only soy wax to make our candles because of the toxicity of paraffin wax. This means that your Consolare candle is healthier for both you and the environment. Unlike paraffin wax, which comes from petroleum and emits carcinogens, soy wax is a vegetable wax made from soy beans, meaning it is both a renewable resource and free of toxins. Retailers today are also selling soy- blends--candles with both paraffin and soy. Watch out for these alternatives, which may claim to be soy but can have as little as 25% soy wax.
What Does "Consolare" Mean?
Consolare means "to console," and that's what our products do: comfort you and console our community. Our products are made by community members - including women re-entering society following incarceration - and profits provide critical crisis response and support for victims of violence at the Crime Victim Advocacy Center.
Consolare began after its founder, Julie Lawson, found handcrafting items (making candles, painting, etc.) to be critical in her own healing. The purpose of utilizing offenders and ex-offenders in the making of our products is two-fold: to promote restorative justice opportunities that heal both offenders and victims, and promote the art of handcrafting in America. Profits from the sale of our products benefit victims of crime and violence with advocacy, counseling, crisis response, and more.
All Consolare products are made in the St. Louis region and use only products made in the United States. May our products bring you the same hope and healing that you are helping provide to victims and their families.