Frequently Asked Questions About Highgate Candles

When did you start making candles?

Brenda writes: I have always loved candles of all sorts, but I only got into making them seriously in the run-up to Halloween 2016. After searching in vain for a skull shaped candle that was available in the UK, I started researching how I could make them myself. One thing led to another and here we are. You can read more about me here.

What kind of wax do you use for your candles?

Highgate Candles currently make candles using two kinds of wax: canola and paraffin. Our current range is entirely paraffin, as we are not yet satisfied that the canola candles are of the highest possible quality.

Paraffin Wax:

Paraffin wax - also known as mineral wax - is one of the most popular kinds of wax. It is often used by high-street candle brands and is easily available. It is a by-product of the oil industry, but that doesn’t automatically make it toxic (it isn’t), and if we didn’t use it for candles it would just be discarded. It is the most popular kind of wax used in commercially available candles.

Canola Wax:

Canola wax - also known as rapeseed wax - is produced from the canola / rapeseed plant. It is a greener alternative to mineral wax and burns more slowly than mineral wax does. It is trickier to work with than paraffin wax: it does not hold colour so well, and the burn times vary differently with the wick thickness as they do for paraffin, so different wicks are required. We are still working on getting the dye process and burn times right, and plan to release a canola wax collection when we do.

What is the significance of the colour of your candles?

Red is primarily used to represent: Strength, Energy, Passion, Will power, Courage & Good health

Orange is primarily used to represent: Success, Sudden changes, Prosperity, Changing luck, Bringing positive energy in.

Purple is primarily used to represent: Success, Protection, Progress, Breaking bad luck, Wisdom.

Pink is primarily used to represent: Love, Friendship, Romance, Healing, Banishing negativity

Light blue is primarily used to represent: Inspiration, Harmony, Truth, Peace, Higher self, Happiness.

Do you ship worldwide?

Currently we only ship to UK and European customers, as otherwise we are unable to provide a reasonable guarantee that our candles will not be damaged in transit.

Our full shipping policy is here.