BASIK CANDLE CO is a San Francisco-based producer of handcrafted, naturally scented candles and home fragrance goods. They believe that what you leave out is just as important as what you put in, and they create environmentally friendly products made of specially blended natural coconut wax, 100% cotton wicks, and skin-safe, phthalate-free fragrances infused with essential oils to create a product that you can feel confident burning in your home. Sometimes less is more.

The man behind BASIK CANDLE CO is my dear friend, Travis Troyer, and I had the privilege of assisting him in the launch of the company’s website while in San Fransisco two weeks ago.

Here we are in Mexico on my first yoga retreat this past January. (Note: He is going to be super pissed that I shared this photo.)

Let me tell you… when I offered to help, I had no idea what I was getting into. Here are some behind the scene photos of what goes in to constructing each BASIK CANDLE:

First, pounds of coconut wax are melted in this black crockpot-like contraption. This takes for-f*cking-ever. As the wax melts, Travis measures specially-concocted, super-secret, delicious-smelling fragrance oils in that clear beaker looking thing which is also weighed for accuracy on the flat shiny object that closely resembles an iPad. Travis has done hours upon hours (and hours) of testing research to find the perfect combination of wax-to-fragrance ratio.

Next, we inspected each and every candle jar to ensure there are no imperfections. We hand-cleaned the jars (coconut wax + matte black = FINGERPRINTS EVERYWHERE), glued the 100% cotton wicks to the bottom and Travis poured the wax mixture into the jar. (Note: I was not to be trusted with this last step.) 

The wicks are held taut by these silver wick-holder devices, to ensure the wicks stay in place while the wax cools and sets.

While the wax cools, Travis does important candle business things, and I was able to help with the labels. HELLZ YES, I GET TO HELP. Little did I know, helping means taking that glorious black felt marker and coloring the edges of each label since they are white. Travis has informed me that this is ugly and unacceptable.

I have suggested hiring an assistant for this step of the process. While edging labels isn’t difficult, it is tedious and time consuming. It also made me acutely aware of how much time, thought, and effort goes into every aspect of generating BASIK CANDLE CO products.

We continue to wait for the wax to cool and set. This takes a really, really long time.

Eventually it is time to cut the wicks, apply the labels, add the lids, and box the candles so they can go home to all of the wonderful people of the world.

You can purchase your very own BASIK CANDLE by going to www.basikcandle.com. You can also follow their adventures on Facebook + Instagram.

I’ll also be burning my favorite scents before class at the front desk at Barefoot Studio and in my Thursday 8:30pm Candlelight Flow class. Hope to see you there! xx