Nothing says hygge (hoo-gah) better than lighting your favourite candle, getting cosy on your sofa and reading the day away. Did you know that it’s important to be choosy with candles you use at home?
According to the BBC News, paraffin candles give off fumes that have been linked to lung cancer and asthma. This of course, requires years of use in order to have an impact on one’s health but wouldn’t it be better to avoid this altogether? A better choice of wax would be soy wax as it burns a little cleaner with less soot. Less soot released by a candle means less of it collecting in the jar, walls of your home and other surfaces.
For those with furry friends, your choice in candles is just as important. To protect both yourself and your pet, it’s best to avoid candles that contain paraffin, lead (which some wicks may contain), benzene (emitted from soot), acrolein, acetaldehyde, formaldehyde, toluene (also from candle soot), and artificial colours and scents which may trigger allergies and respiratory problems.
To allay your worries, we want to highlight Håndlavet, a Malaysian online business that aims to brighten your home with beautifully made hand poured candles!
1Twenty80: Could you tell us briefly about Håndlavet and what you aim to present to your customers?
Håndlavet: Håndlavet is an online business store dedicated to selling handmade gifts to customers for their loved ones while also preserving the environment at the same time. We came up with the idea of opening this online store as we were looking for gifts to buy for our friends on the internet but came to no avail. We love the idea of conserving nature with handmade gifts and decided to start off with our first product series, natural soy candles.
1Twenty80: What are your backgrounds and do you both do Håndlavet full time?
Håndlavet: We graduated with a degree in graphic design but did not like the idea of working in the office and dealing with clients’ demands and decided to launch our own products that we love and yes, we’re currently doing this full time.
1Twenty80: When was your store launched and what kind of obstacles did you face?
Håndlavet: Our store was launched mid-June 2018 and initially, friends and family gave us tremendous support, but we still faced all kinds of obstacles as any other businesses would. As we were inexperienced in doing online business, there were many hurdles that we have to pass through such as managing cash flow and stock counts with online transactions, and others.
1Twenty80: What makes Håndlavet’s products different than others on the market?
Håndlavet: Our sense of smell is closely linked to memory, probably more than any of our other senses. Thus, we provide scented soy candles with various natural pure essential oils and premium fragrance oils from natural herbs, flowers and plants worldwide. This is in order to make beautiful memories whether in your home, office or wherever you decide to place your candle.
Our candles are all made with 100 percent natural soy wax. Soy wax candles are very clean in burning and it burns slower and cooler. It has no toxins or pollutants which means it is less likely to trigger allergies and produce very little soot as well.
1Twenty80: Where do you source the ingredients for making your candle products?
Håndlavet: Our ingredients are imported from foreign countries with the aim of providing our customers with environmentally friendly ingredients without harming our beautiful planet.
1Twenty80: Do you only sell candles? Do you provide other services such as corporate gifts and others?
Håndlavet: Of course not! We have just launched our hand soap series which allows customers to carry cute little soap pellets in their daily lives. We also provide large quantity based orders to corporate and weddings as door gifts or souvenirs.
Quote: The most important is hard work and that will bring you to places that you wish to establish in your life.
1Twenty80: Who inspires you to be the successful person you are today?
Håndlavet: I don’t think we’re very successful yet at this stage as this is still a new establishment but we’re proud of what we do and we are appreciative of every support given by our customers, friends and family.
1Twenty80: As an entrepreneur, we’re quite sure you’re very busy. How do you ensure that you have work-life balance?
Håndlavet: Proper time management is very important in any business. We try to set a fixed schedule for our working time but sometimes certain projects may change the whole schedule, but we make sure to take proper break every now and then.
1Twenty80: How do you ensure that you stay healthy while managing your business?
Håndlavet: We love to gather our friends for sports events every once in a while, to keep ourselves active. Our favourite activities are badminton and swimming!
1Twenty80: What do you do to unwind?
Håndlavet: Music is definitely the best way to unwind when you’re feeling down or when everything doesn’t seem to be going the right way. We believe that by putting up a positive attitude, we’ll be able to defeat everything at the end.
1Twenty80: Words of wisdom to any of our readers who want to become an entrepreneur or chase their dreams?
Håndlavet: Talent and luck is only five percent of what you see from every successful person. The most important is hard work and that will bring you to places that you wish to establish in your life.
Håndlavet can be found at: www.facebook.com/handlavet18
Instagram: @handlavet18
