You’ll get the best, longest, and safest burn from your candle if you follow a few simple steps:

· Always trim the wick before lighting to 1/8”–1/4”
· Burn until the melted wax reaches edge to edge, or very nearly, to reduce tunneling
· Burn only up to 4 hours at a time
· Always keep a burning candle in sight, away from flammable materials, out of drafts, out of reach of pets and children, and on a heat-safe surface
· Keep out of direct sunlight

Of course! You can email or print off a gift card to let your recipient chose what they'd like to receive, or mail candles directly to them.

For orders to the contiguous states, free shipping is automatic on orders of $75 or more, and other orders ship for just $7. Shipping for orders to Hawaii and Alaska will be calculated at checkout. Orders are shipped via USPS Priority Mail and tracking information is provided. 

Orders shipping to Canada will be sent via Fedex International Ground and shipping is calculated at checkout. For other international destinations, please send me your shipping address and order, and I'll send a shipping quote back. Please note that all shipping costs/duties/taxes/etc. are the responsibility of the recipient. If you're overseas, just send me a note with the items you'd like to purchase and your shipping address, and I'll send a quote back.

Not yet! Everything I've researched indicates that the Church discourages both the buying and selling of blessed objects, so there's no holy water or medals in the candles, and they are sold unblessed. That said, the rite of blessing candles is beautiful! I highly encourage you to have a priest bless your candles after you receive them and experience this for yourself.

CORDA’s unique coconut wax blend truly sets it apart. It is made primarily of all-natural coconut wax, with all-natural beeswax and botanical waxes blended in for fortification. There also is a small amount of food-grade paraffin used during the binding process of one of our waxes. This food-grade paraffin is what we actually eat in foods such as chocolate, ice cream, sausage links, and fruit, and which is also present in products we use such as lotions, cosmetics, matches, wax paper, etc.

The wicks are woven from cotton and paper (never a metal core), and primed with all-natural wax. The scents may be created from safe essential oils, natural oils, and/or premium fragrance oils (which may contain essential oils and/or absolutes). More information is available here: Ingredients.

Four big reasons:

1) Burning an essential oil eliminates any potential health benefits from using essential oils. 

2) Essential oils are not meant to be burned and many will become toxic and can be especially dangerous to pregnant women, children, and pets. 

3) The candle scent options are extremely limited if you are only using essential oils and so the saint-inspired scents would simply be impossible—there’s no essential oil for rain, pipe smoke, etc.

4) Essential oils are quite expensive and so the cost of a candle would go up enormously.

So how do other candle companies do it? There's no regulation on the use of essential oils in candles, so companies can use a minute amount but loudly advertise "made with essential oil." They use that as a marketing spin to make their products or company appear more environmentally friendly or safe than they actually are.  

That's not how I do business. I'm forthright about the ingredients I use and why I pick them. For scents, I work with companies I trust and I make sure every oil is phthalate free and in full compliance with IFRA standards. In fact, the scents are so safe that they can be used in skincare products. If they do contain essential oil, they have been thoroughly tested in candle use and found to be safe.

Is there a scent that is along the lines of a candle or perfume you’ve enjoyed before? That can be a good starting point. Also, I offer a tealight sampler, which makes it easy for you to find the scents you love most: Pick 6 Tealight Sampler.

What constitutes small varies by company, but with CORDA products, it's really more like "tiny batch": candles are made about six at a time. Each candle goes through more than 20 different steps before it is a finished product! By making them by hand, I can pay close attention to every detail of the process and keep things consistently great. 

Also, handcrafting something is much more fulfilling and more human than spending my days pushing buttons and manipulating a machine. Making things, good things, by hand provides meaningful work that you can be proud of at the end of the day.

CORDA candles are designed to be noticeable but not overwhelming, and will softly scent a small- to medium-sized room (about 200 square feet), adding a lovely ambiance to your space. The tealights are designed for smaller spaces (around 100 square feet). Depending on the airflow in your space, the scent may be stronger. If you have a large room, vaulted ceilings, or an open floor plan, try having two candles burning at the same time. Also, keep in mind that the type of scent can be a factor: some florals are on the lighter side while woody scents are typically on the stronger side, for example.

The 6 oz. candles are small but mighty! CORDA's special coconut wax blend gives you 45 hours of burn time, with the proper candle care outlined above.

I’d love to help with this and can often offer a discount, depending on the order size. There's more info here: Corporate & Bulk Orders.

"Be generous" is one of our core values, and we consider it both a joy and a duty to help support amazing nonprofits, retreats, schools, and other groups by donating our handcrafted Catholic goods.

Please visit our Donation Request page - all requests must be submitted via the form on that page (emailed requests cannot be accepted).