Candles Q + A

What is your wax blend made of?
Our blend consists of 2 different soy waxes and are 100% soy wax.

What is the scent made of?
In order to create a clean, lung safe burn, we use high quality essential oils and high quality, paraben & phthalate free, and certified “Clean Scent” fragrance oils.

What are your wicks made of?
We use only lead free, cotton core wicks to help create that clean, safe, burn.

What makes Ember + Clay candles unique?
All of our candles are made with the following ingredients to create a clean, lung friendly burn;
• 100% Soy Wax
• High Quality Essential Oils
• Paraben Free, Clean Fragrance Oils
• Cotton Core (lead free) Wicks

Why are your prices so high?
Most Candles On The Market: The majority of candles on the market today are harmful to your health. Most candles on the market are made using paraffin wax, a byproduct of petroleum as well as metal core wicks. This keeps the production cost down, but emits harmful chemicals when burned. The EPA and other agencies acknowledge that these chemicals can lead to an increased likelihood of cancer through multiple exposures. Not to mention that many fragrance oils used by candle makers are tested on animals and contain parabens, which are suspected to be linked to increased risk of breast and other cancers.

Ember + Clay Candles: Our candles are made from 100% soy wax and use only essential oils and high quality, paraben free fragrance oils. We also use a cotton core wick. When bringing all of these together, we have created a clean burning, toxin free, lung safe candle. We look long and hard to find safe ingredients and as a result, all of our candles and products are: toxin free, cruelty free, paraben free, phthalate free, and clean burning. Because of this, our production costs are higher than standard candles on the market and our prices are higher than some candles that you find in a supermarket or department store. The difference is this: when you shop with Ember + Clay, you are receiving a safe, toxin free product, that is safe to be around pets and developing lungs!

What is BHT? Is it in my candles?
Long story short, there is NO BHT in your Ember + Clay candles.
BHT is butylated hydroxytoluene and is a fat-soluble organic compound often included in jet fuels, rubber, petroleum products, pharmaceuticals, and paraffin waxes. BHT is considered carcinogenic.
We cannot speak for standard candles on the market, but Ember + Clay does NOT use any BHT or synthetic additives in our candles.

What is the burn time on your candles?
Burn time will vary by candle, but if you follow our candle care instructions (sent with your purchase), the burn time should be as follows:
Wax Melts: each melt can be reused until your melt has lost its scent
8oz: 40+ hour burn time
10oz: 50+ hour burn time
16oz: 80+ hour burn time

How do you come up with the names?
A lot of candles on the market today are just called like their top 2 fragrance notes (ex: Lavender + Citrus or Leather + Ink), but I, like many other people, associate scents with memories. I thought it would be a fun concept to name candles based on memories that I thought our target audience could relate to. As a result, almost all of our candles are named after memories, either my own, or those of loved ones. For example, Sunday Morning Donut Shop smells like a glazed donut to me, and that instantly transports me back to post-church trips to the donut shop when my sister and I behaved. For “Mama’s Peach Orchard,” the memory is not my own, but rather my mom’s. For her, the strong peachy fragrance reminded her of the days she spent climbing into the neighbors peach tree (with his permission of course), to hide from her brothers or snag a fresh snack. All memories are discussed on the product page for that candle.

Can I use a candle warmer with your candles?
Yes, you can! The glass vessel can get hot sometimes, so please be careful if moving it when it is hot.

How do I make my candles last longer?
To extend the life of your Ember + Clay candles follow the care instructions that come with your purchase!
• Trim your wicks down to about ¼ inch.
• Keep your candles out of draughts when lit.
• Do not relight until cooled.
• Burn until a full melt pool is achieved, but no more than 4 hours.

Why does my candle smell different when it is lit?
We blend several different fragrance profiles together to get most of our scents. This creates almost a layered effect in terms of scent. Often the scent you smell when your candle is lit, vs unlit will vary a bit while still being similar. This is merely because the cold throw (the scent when your candle is unlit) will often be stronger with those front notes (often sharper, spicier, or more citrusy notes) being more obvious at first whiff. The hot throw (the scent when your candle is lit) will often bring up more of those creamy or dark base notes.

How should I trim the wicks and how often?
Trim the candle wick down to about ¼ inch before every light. You can use scissors, nail clippers, or a wick trimmer.

Why is there soot in my jar?
A small amount of soot is a byproduct of any burn, be it the stove, a fire, or a candle. The soot you are seeing from Ember + Clay and other soy candles is non-toxic and is merely a side effect of the burn process. Keeping your wicks trimmed short (about ¼ inch) will drastically diminish, if not eliminate the amount of soot you see on your jars. To clean soot off your jar, just take a dry tissue or paper towel and wipe it up.

Why are there white marks or wet spots on my candle?
The white marks on your jar or the tops of your candle are known as frosting and occur exclusively in soy wax. We do our best to manage frosting, but it is extremely difficult to control completely. These are just a byproduct of using soy wax and gives it a bit of handmade charm if you ask us!

Wet spots on your candle typically occur as the candle hardens because the soy wax was significantly warmer than the vessel it was poured into. We try to get rid of any wet spots with our heat gun before our candles are sold, but sometimes a small one can slip through.

How do I know my candle is soy wax?
All of our Ember + Clay candles are made with 100% soy wax, but sometimes we just like to double check what we’re getting. Trust me, I get it.
1) Frosting: Soy wax often, but not always, leaves frosting around the jar or on the tops of the candles. This appears as a whitish or crystalline coating in some areas of the candle. This phenomenon is exclusive to 100% soy wax and will never be found in candles containing paraffin wax.
2) Color: Uncolored paraffin wax appears bright white and almost translucent. Soy wax on the other hand is not translucent and is more of a creamy white color.
3) Hardness: No frosting on your candle? Lucky you! You can also tell if your candle is soy by gently pressing on the top of it. While we don’t recommend doing this in a department store, paraffin wax used in jar candles is significantly softer than soy wax. If you gently press your finger down on your cured candle and it leaves a significant imprint, it likely contains paraffin. However, if it is hard and firm to the touch it is soy.
4) Texture: Also, paraffin is notorious for achieving perfectly smooth tops. Soy wax on the other hand often leaves a few lumps and bumps in its wake. We try to smooth all of our tops to the best of our ability using a heat gun to achieve a more aesthetic finish, but if you look closely or very gently run your finger across the top of the candle, you should be able to notice some slight variation, especially around the wicks.

Other Products Q + A

What is the difference between a bath soak + a bath tea?
Our bath soaks are just that – a soak for your muscles. Soaks are a blend of different salts, including epsom salts, dead sea salts, and himalayan salt in addition to botanicals and essential oils. These are meant to relax aching muscles.
Our bath teas are intended to soothe and moisturize your skin and contain a blend of powdered milks, oatmeal, and salts in addition to botanicals and essential oils.

I’m not getting any pay off from my lip balm, what do I do?
We add beeswax to our lip balms to help firm them up so that they don’t completely melt in the summer (that being said, do not leave them in a hot car when it is 100+ degrees out). Sometimes this makes it a little difficult to get product pay off when it is cold out. If this is the case, just run it over your lips maybe 5-10 times. As it warms up, the product will start to pay off.

What ingredients are used in my bath + body products?
All ingredients are included on the product page and on the product label. As a general rule of thumb, all the ingredients we use are natural and non-toxic.
Bath Soaks and Teas: a blend of salts, plus botanicals + essential oils. Teas include powdered milks and oatmeals.
Lip Balms: shea and mango butter, beeswax, coconut oil, jojoba oil, and essential oils.
Sugar Scrubs: sugar, food grade oils, and botanicals and essential oils.

I have a metal allergy, can I wear your earrings?
We use a gold plated alloy for most of our earrings that while nickel and lead free, may not be suitable for really sensitive ears or those with allergies to metal. We will be transitioning to hypoallergenic metal sitewide in the near future, but for now, if there is a style of earring that you like, we can custom make them with a hypoallergenic metal. To inquire, email us at: info@emberandclayshop.com

Orders + Shipping Q + A

Do you do custom orders or refills?
Yes! To inquire about a custom order or a refill, please email us at info@emberandclayshop.com or visit the “Refills + More” tab on our website.

I run a boutique or shop and I am interested in having Ember + Clay products in my shop.
We are so excited to hear that you are considering us for you shop! We do offer a discount for wholesale orders. To hear more, please email us at info@emberandclayshop.com or visit the “Refills + More” tab on our website

A gift recipient didn’t like the scent, can I return and get them something else?
Yes! To inquire about a return or exchange, please email us at sales@emberandclayshop.com asap. Exchanges must be initiated within 30 days of purchase and items must be unused, in original packaging and perfect condition.

Oops… My address is incorrect on my order… What do I do?
If you notice that your address is incorrect on your order, please email us immediately at sales@emberandclayshop.com so that we can get the correct address before shipping out.

What is your processing time on orders?
Under most circumstances I will be able to ship out orders within 2 business days (i.e. Monday orders will ship by the end of day on Wednesday). For orders placed after normal business hours on Friday or over the weekend, expect your order to be shipped out by Tuesday evenings.

I just placed my order, when will I receive it? I’m excited!
**Please first check the announcement bar at the top of the website for any current shipping announcements**
Typically most US orders will arrive within 5-7 business days from the time the order was placed.
I’ll do my best to meet these shipping estimates, but cannot guarantee them. Actual delivery time will depend on the postal service.

Do you ship internationally?
While we currently only ship to the USA, we are in the process of working out some logistics in terms of shipping internationally.

I want to return my items. What do I do?
If you are unsatisfied with your purchase for any reason, email us at sales@emberandclayshop.com to learn more about how to return, refund, or exchange your item.
All returns must be postmarked within 14 days of purchase.