Our Journal
From thoughtful tips on fragrance and home living, you’ll find guides on how to enjoy our products, the stories behind our fragrances, and glimpses of life on our island home. Our journal is where we introduce you to the team behind Essence of Harris and share the inspiration that shapes everything we create.
Journal
Is Soy Wax Good for Candles?
Soy wax candles are increasingly popular as an eco-friendly choice for your home fragrance. But that's not the only benefit - find out more with our guide to soy wax candle benefits...
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Transforming Your Home with Scent Layering
Want to create a bespoke scent profile within your home? Explore our guide to fragrance layering to help you learn everything you need to know...
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Understanding Our Scent Collection: A Home Fragrance Guide
Curious about our scent blends? Learn all about our fragrance collections, and the glorious island that inspired them, from the team at Essence of Harris.
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How To Care for Your Candles So They Last Longer and Burn Brighter
(4 min read) Who doesn’t love coming home to their favourite scents flowing through the air? But have you ever wondered how to get the most from your candle? With a little TLC, your candle can actually last much longer than you might think possible! Proper care and upkeep can make all the difference when it comes to the longevity of your candles. We want you to get the most from your Essence of Harris candle, so we’ve put together a few simple steps that can help you do just that. The First Burn Have you just taken your candle out of its packaging for the first time? There’s nothing quite like the excitement that comes with opening a fresh new candle and lighting it for the very first time. The first time you light your Essence of Harris candle determines how it will burn for the rest of its life. Strike a match and watch as the flame ignites the candle wick. Allow your candle to burn until the wax has melted fully to the edge of the glass. This creates an even melt pool and will stop the candle from tunnelling. Did you know soy wax has an excellent memory? by perfecting the first burn you will ensure your candle burns evenly. Your candle will remember where it is burnt up to on its first burn, and this will act as a guide for all future burns. We recommend burning your candle for no longer than four hours at a time. This prevents your candle from overheating, and ensures you experience the maximum burn time. Watch our video tutorial where we show you how to achieve the perfect burn with your Essence of Harris candle. Make Your Room Look and Feel Cosy and Inviting Create a cosy and inviting space by placing your candles in just the right spot. Lighting multiple candles is an easy way to create a relaxing atmosphere in your room with minimal effort while maximising scent throughout the room. Our Classic Collection has been beautifully designed to not only provide ambience to your space but to decorate it too. It’s best to keep your candle away from open windows and draughty areas, so if you notice the flame flickering a little more than usual, try moving your candle. When burning multiple candles, try placing them at different heights. If you have a large space, make sure to spread them so the warm glow fills your room. We recommend using the same fragrance to scent your space, to enjoy a consistent scent throw. Dressing either side of a shelf can help create balance and symmetry in your space. Keep Consistent with your Candle Care Having well-kept wicks and wax plays an important role in helping you enjoy your candle for as long as possible. And it’s super easy to stay on top of! Once your candle has an even melt pool and it’s time to put out the flame, we recommend using a candle snuffer. Don’t worry if you don’t have one to hand, you can simply blow out your candle gently. Your candle wick should be trimmed to a quarter of an inch each time before lighting. A well-trimmed wick will prevent tunnelling and help your candle burn slowly. Our wick trimmer has been designed to make this process even easier. While burning, the wick may become misshapen and look a little like a mushroom. Simply trim these off before lighting your candle next, to avoid a smoky flame. Your Candle is Almost Finished, What Now? We know it’s disappointing when your favourite candle inevitably reaches its end but take some comfort in knowing it’s time to light another. Why not take this opportunity to try a new scent! We recommend leaving a quarter of an inch of wax at the bottom of your candle. This helps prevent the bottom of the glass from overheating. Once the remaining wax is cooled it can be wiped clean, leaving you a beautiful vessel to be reused as a plant pot, stationary jar or anything else you’d like. - Whether you're looking to set an enchanting evening table for a romantic meal or snuggle up on the couch with your favourite book, now that you’ve got all our best candle care tips, you can enjoy your favourite scents for even longer. All Essence of Harris candles are made from natural soy wax, which is free from parabens and any harsh chemicals. Read our candle care guide for more information.
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Candle Care
All of our candles have been made with the utmost precision and care to ensure that they burn evenly for you. However, the following ‘candle care’ tips will maximise the length of time they will last and give our valued customers the best experience possible from each candle. Get the most from your candle…. The first time you light your candle, it is best to let it burn for at least 3 hours, to let it burn completely so you have an even 'meltpool' across the width of the glass. Due to the fact that wax has a 'memory', it means that each time you light your candle after this the wax won't ‘tunnel’ i.e leave wax around the edges/burn unevenly. We know our candles smell fantastic, however you should not let your candle burn for more than 4 hours at a time as this can cause the wick to form ‘mushrooms’ on the tips and soot to form making the wick unstable. Take care of your wick… We advise trimming the wick down to approximately 1/4 of an inch after each burn. This prevents the flame becoming smoky and adds a much longer life to the candle. Candle burning safety… Here at Essence of Harris we care about keeping our customers safe when using our products, so here are a few candle burning safety tips for in the home: Keep candles out of any draughts and also ensure they are not too close to a heat source, both of these factors can cause the flame to smoke and burn unevenly. Always display candles on steady heat resistant surfaces and also make sure they are not placed too closely to any flammable materials such as curtains. Once your candle has been extinguished and cooled, remove any charred pieces of wick to prevent a smoky flame when it is next lit. It is obviously never a good idea to leave a burning candle unattended- especially around children, one can never be over cautious when it comes to an open flame. We hope this has been helpful, but if you have any questions please feel free to ask us! Send us an email on info@essenceofharris.com and one of the team will get back to you shortly. And lastly, if you’d like the chance to be featured on our social media, tag us in your pictures of you enjoying your products with @essenceofharris. Enjoy your candle calm!
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Natural products that will leave your skin glowing? We've got you
Let’s be honest, our skin can often get forgotten about. In the midst of life’s everyday chaos, it can be difficult to uphold a skincare routine and remember your various oils, toners, cleansers and serums- and the list of instructions that often come with them. We get it! And so when designing our bath & body range, we wanted products that we could pick up at the end of a long day and just let the relaxation soak in. No frills, no fuss- just soothing, natural products which would leave our skin glowing. That ethos led to our ever popular range of hand & body lotions, hand washes and bath & shower gels, which you can enjoy in the scents of Seilebost (Black Pomegranate), Losgaintir (Bergamot, Coconut & Vanilla), Horgabost (Lemongrass & Ginger) and now our NEW addition, Huisinis (Pink Pomelo). - But, sometimes it can be reassuring to hear from other, like minded people when choosing your go-to products. So have a read of what other Essence of Harris customers have to say about our bath & body collection: - “I have sensitive skin but it doesn’t react at all and it’s absorbed so fast and lasts for hours and hours.” Sarah, Seilebost Hand & Body Wash “Absorbed beautifully and the scent lasted for hours. Gorgeous scent. I kept smelling my hands!” Linda, Losgaintir Hand & Body Lotion “..the fragrance lingers it is strong without being overpowering. I will be buying this again. I have sensitive skin, I have had no problems with this.” Isobel, Horgabost Hand & Body Wash “the wash feels lovely on the skin and doesn’t leave it dry.” Fiona, Seilebost Hand & Body Wash “It’s the best lotion I’ve purchased in a long time and I use it everyday! I absolutely love the fresh Lemongrass Ginger scent- it’s the best thing I brought home from my trip to Scotland!” Ruthie, Horgabost Hand & Body Lotion - - AND with our recent launch, you can now try the ever popular Huisinis fragrance in the form of hand wash, lotion and bath & shower gel- letting your skin absorb the beautifully sweet scent of Pink Pomelo and allowing your mind to relax with it’s calming qualities. - - So if you want to give your skin some well-deserved attention, why not try any of our bath & body products; they’re all hand poured here on Harris, using natural ingredients, and have been designed to leave your skin glowing!
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