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George Floyd

48+ BLACK-OWNED CANDLE COMPANIES TO PATRONIZE {Gift Guide}

Posted on December 6, 2020
black owned candle companies

The Bath and Body Works Annual Sale reminds us of another opportunity to support black-owned candle and bath essentials companies

If you were near a Bath and Body Works this weekend, you might have seen the super long lines with holiday shoppers taking advantage of its amazing annual Holiday sale featuring $10 candles that normally sell for close to $30.

Actually, you might have been in that line.

According to reports, the beauty, skin and body essentials company sold out of its online offerings forcing customers to have to visit the retail stores to get the deal.

Because we are still in the year of the death of George Floyd which triggered a renewed interest in elevating, promoting and recognizing, finally, black-owned businesses, the sold out situation presents an excellent opportuntiy to once again consider candle brands and companies that are among the group of biz owners that are traditionally undercapitalized, under appreciated, under represented.

As such, I compiled a list of over 48 black-owned candle makers for you to consider patronizing this year.

Some of these brands overlap with companies that Harper’s Bazaar, Allure, Cosmo, NY Mag, The Zoe Report, 21 Ninety and Elle magazines put in their profiles of Black-Owned Candle makers this Summer and Early Fall back when it was quite fashionable and en vogue to spotlight Black makers in the US, Canada, the UK and globally.

Let’s keep up the energy.

About the Candle Makers

I did take a cursory review of many of the companies. I only shared an image from their Instagram page for convenience and to quickly put this post together.

However, you can access a link to their websites to purchase and you will see who makes their candles in their homes in small batches, who actually delivers locally, who sells at upcoming craft fairs, virtual and in person, and who delivers beyond their country’s borders.

Some, like the ones featured in the major fashion magazines this past Summer and Fall, have appeared on Oprah’s annual Favorite things list.

More Reasons to Support

And don’t think because they are small that the candles will be expensive. Some start at just $5 and others are luxury priced but worth it.

Also, for people who are mindful of essential oils that can be toxic to burn, and allergies to materials in many candles, quite a few of these brands are careful about using toxic dyes, perfumes and other allergenic materials.

They hand pour.

They test.

They scale.

Here is a compilation of Black-owned candle makers in the US and Canada for you to consider patronizing this year.

They come recommended by some of the 38K members of Arsha Jones’ Build, Brand and Launch Facebook group.

I’ll add more as I discover them and I will update this post with local cities where this makers are currently located.

The companies are listed in random order and not by order of rank and I have reviewed none personally yet but did not want that to stop this list from getting out there especially this weekend.

1. Jadore Candles

SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA

2. Well Lit Candles

UPPER MARLBORO, MARYLAND

3. Simply Scents by Shan

HOUSTON, TEXAS

4. Alchemy Bliss

5. Black Girl Candle Company

North Carolina

6. Pure Candle House

Chicago, Illinois

7. Len McCaddy Home Candle and Co

Atlanta, Georgia

8. Common Scents

Savannah, Georgia

9. Amajai Home

Randallstown, Maryland

10. Nautana

Atlanta Georgia

11. Lufrays

Cedar Park, Texas

12. Elixir

13. Wicks And Shit

Gwinnett, Georgia

14. Cozy Wicks

Owings Mills, Maryland

15. South Florida Candle Supply

North Lauderdale, Florida

16. Adesuwu Botanicals

Lithonia, Georgia

17. Sola In the City

Baltimore, Maryland

18. Deese Noire

Buckhead Atlanta, Georgia

19. Gavin Lux

Los Angeles, California

20. Be Speak Candle Co

Sacramento, California

21. Alexandra Winbush

Atlanta, George

22. Chaos Candle Company

23. Lit Unity Candle

24. Wick’d by Nik

25. Camiller Creations

26. Elon Eick Candle Co

27. Breathe Enlight

28. Lit AF Candle Co

29. Forvr Mood

30. 2-10 Candle Company

Oakland Park, Kansas

31. Rooftop Candle Co

32. Quiet Quarters

33. Heavenly Candle Co

34. Posh Candle Co

35. CC Holistic Living

36. So Lit Candle Co

37. Candle Essentials

38. Bonaco Candles

39. Just Candles

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

40. The Jetsetter Candle Co

41. Naughty Naturals World

42. Her by Kashay

43. Simply By Toni

44. Krazy Essentials

45. Liliane’s Glow

Washington, DC

46. Experience of Luxe

47. Diary of Queen Esther

48. Shai Sensual

49. Harlem Candle Company

Harlem, New York

50. MĀKTUB Candles

Los Angeles, California

51. Uplift Candles

Hyattsville, Maryland

52. South FL Candle Supply Company

Broward County, Florida

53. Wicktrovert Candle Co

St. Petersburg, Florida

54. Diamond Life Home

Georgia

55. Willow St. Design Company

Washington, DC

56. Elevated Scentz

Houston, Texas

57. Arrows + Feathers

Mitchellville, Maryland

58. 6ixs Wicks

Toronto, Canada

59. Ivy Mae Blake

Toronto, Canada

60. Bright Black Candle

Durham, North Carolina

61. Peace and Harmony Brands

62. Knits, soy and metal

Baltimore, Maryland

63. Twelve 21 Candle Company

Brooklyn, New York

64. Narii Nicole

Fairburn, Georgia

65. Wix & Wax Fanatic

Orlando, Florida

66. Wyk Candles Zoo

Kalamazoo, Michigan

67. Amor Mas Luxury Scents

Wallingford, Connecticut

68. Lamar Denom

69. B Calm Candles

Brockton, Massachussetts

70. Southern Elegance Candle Company

Raeford, North Carolina

71. Elevation Lifestyle

Camp Springs, Maryland

72. By District 78

Pause Cincinnati, Ohio

73. Tribal Unicorn

East London, UK

74. Frères Branchiaux Candle Co.

White Plains, Maryland

75. Damalia’s Soy Candles and Body Bar

Hartford, Connecticut

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How to Talk To Your Child About Aftermath of George Floyd’s Death

Posted on June 2, 2020

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

As a parent (future, impending, new or veteran), we are challenged to cope with these unsettling times, and to help children who are experiencing and witnessing the mayhem related to the pandemic, and now social unrest.

It’s not just us.

The world is challenged by COVID-19 and more recently, the growing protests following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota; Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky and Ahmaud Arbery in Brunswick, Georgia . Now more than ever, we all need to become committed to personal introspection and to gather our thoughts so we can later help our kids make sense of it all.

Parents no longer have the luxury to just ignore it because the world, companies, influencers, brands, schools, political figures and seemingly everyone is saying something…finally!

A lot of parents, especially non-black parents, may struggle how to broach to topic because they themselves do not know how to process it,  know what to say, know how to say it and may experience anxiety, fear and uncertainty on how their message will be received.

I write to share my thoughts in hopes they may serve as a guide.

Ultimately, on the protests, fires and violence, you can try to shelter children but understand that if they are online, or have eyes or ears, they will hear and see what’s going on and may ask questions.

Using simple, age-appropriate wordsm explain that people are upset with a bad incident and are protesting to let the people in charge know they are not happy because this bad incident has happened before and they do not want it to happen again.

Photo by Harrison Haines from Pexels

Race may be a complicated topic but if you feel your child can understand, you can go ahead and let them know that while everyone should be treated equally without regards to what they look like on the outside and what skin they have, that is not always the case. And people are upset and demanding that things change so everyone can feel safe, especially our black friends, neighbors and family.

You can let them know that it is a complicated and complex problem that adults, and in particular those in charge of certain institutions, have to deal with and hopefully, we will make progress.

They should not be burdened that they bear any personal role, though you can tell them that they should always treat everyone with kindness but let them know that the problem is bigger than just one-on-one individual actions of kindness. Bigger systems need to work in order to make the type of changes people are looking for.

If you feel you need to address the fires, violence and looting, you can let them know that there are bad people who are not protestors who have sadly gone to where the protestors are and that they causing more ruckus and mayhem.

It is upsetting to you and the protestors because they think their voice may get drowned out by these other guys.

The government is stepping in to try to weed out the bad apples mixed in with peaceful protestors, but some people think it may be too much force and getting even more upset.

Again, let them know that these are adult matters and we adults are in charge of working all of this out.

You can give them a sense of understanding that what is happening is not anything they can control but that you have hope things will work out eventually and in the end, if not soon, in the future.

For older teens, if you are comfortable discussing, you can let them know that the uprisings in protests around the United States and solidarity marches and demonstrations around the world call our attention to the cause: the systematic and institutional abuse of power and authority that has resulted in repeated instances of police-involved killings of unarmed black men, women and children in America, many times when the victims are innocent of any wrongdoing.

There is a lot of scholarship and articles summarizing the problem you can find online. Here is one that I recommend:

They should know that a lot of people are taking to the streets also because they are tired of being stuck at home because of Stay-home orders and calls for social distancing.

They have decided to join those people who are frustrated with being restrained from critizing authories and once again calling for reform to ensure all citizens are treated with human dignity and respect during police encounters.

It’s a mixed bag of a lot of different people with different agendas and looks like a mess.

Nonetheless, let them know the focus must remain on the cause of the uprising and not the tragedy and property losses that are the effect.

Ideally, all lives should matter when it comes to the exercise of caution by police to limit civilian death outcomes. Sadly, history has shown that is not the case as one racial class of people is persistently killed at an alarming disporptionate rate compared to their population in America and with impunity.

There are several initiatives and ways to get involved, demand action of elected officials, or donate to the cause of those doing the hard work to improve this situation for the betterment of all, and in particular black citizens in this nation.

I hope this helps.

Stay healthy and Safe out there!

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