All in the Safety - Starring Credulous Candlemaker

Credulous decided to delve into candle making after watching a video on YouTube, because she found that it was a very satisfying activity, enabling her to make something beautiful, provide useful gifts to loved ones and have the empowering satisfaction of creating something functional with her own two hands. What she didn't know, however, is the importance of safety to prevent injury. I'm going to share with you the story of Credulous and her candle making experience.

After viewing the video tutorial, Credulous was eager to begin, as she saw it a lucrative opportunity for her and her family. She thought to herself, 'How hard can this, possibly, be?' She rushed out to gather her supplies and brought them back home to begin. She rewound the tutorial to make sure she didn't miss anything. At the end of the video, was the text statement,

'Be sure that your workspace is completely cleared, and that all of your necessary supplies are out and ready before you begin. Also, be sure that you have access to water, rags and a fire extinguisher. A good idea is to cover your counter tops and/or table with a heavy outdoor plastic tablecloth to make wax spills easier to clean up.'

However, Credulous had already begun to place her supplies to begin the candle making process, not even seeing the final text on the video.

Credulous grabbed her melting pot, shoved her canisters to the back of the counter, and placed her scale on the countertop to begin measuring her wax. It was two pounds even. She, then, placed her pot of water on the stove to begin melting the wax, not noticing that there was a small potholder slightly near the eye of the stove.

In the distance, was a faint scream of Aerosmith's Walk This Way. It was the ringtone of Credulous' cell phone. She ran quickly to her purse to grab her phone, overlooking the pot holder that was so close to the burning eye that it began to catch fire before she reached her purse. Credulous grabbed her phone and answered it, as she walked back to the kitchen, clueless of the burning pot holder. Suddenly, the burning smell caught her attention. She quickly ended her call and ran to put out the small fire. It was a close call.

Credulous cleaned up the mess and started the candle making process again. She remembered reading, somewhere, that she should be sure to wear long sleeved clothing, shoes, gloves and an apron to prevent wax burns in the event of a spill. She had also heard rumblings of maybe even wearing safety goggles if dealing with large pots or batches of melted wax, but Credulous didn't feel it necessary to go through such complications. Two pounds of wax was hardly a large batch, so there was no need to dress as if she were some confusion between a mad scientist and someone in one of those contamination suits. She was only making candles right? Credulous could just imagine what she'd look like with all of that nonsense on her.

Little did Credulous know that not only can hot wax cause severe burns, but additives, such as dyes and concentrated scents can also cause harm. The protective clothing that she didn't wear, was only to protect her from what would be inevitable.

Before you know it, Credulous was ready to add her fragrance and color. She began to drop in the color. Splash! The hot wax splashed on her face, causing her excruciating pain. Credulous screamed in agony, but was able to grab a nearby towel, quickly drench it with water and place it on her face. It was temporary relief. She wasn't going to let a little hot wax on her face keep her from making the most incredible candles ever.

Credulous reached for her fragrance oil, measured it, and quickly dumped it into the melting pot. Splash! This time it was fragrance oil in her eye. What was she doing wrong? Why was this turning out to be such a misfortune for Credulous?

She blindly waved her arms in front of her trying to reach for the wet towel that she had just used. She couldn't see, or feel, the towel anywhere. However, the flailing of her arms resulted in a tremendous crash! The melting pot and all of the scented and colored wax had crashed onto the floor and onto Credulous' bare feet.

Oh, the screaming! It was a horrific thing that happened to Credulous. She reached toward the stove in an attempt to turn it off, still screaming in pain. Just as she reached over the burning eye of the stove, her long, dark hair spilled over her shoulder, touched the burning eye and immediately caught flames. The hair spray she had smothered her hair in that morning was no help. Credulous began slapping her hair, attempting to extinguish the fire in it. She slapped and flailed, and she continued slapping and flailing until finally, Credulous was able to put the fire out.

Credulous, was, finally, able to get to the hospital emergency room, where she found that she had second degree burns on her face, hands and feet, an injured retina, and had lost about three quarters of her hair. She was treated and sent home with a physician's warning.

'Never leave melting wax on the stove unattended. Liquid wax can be extremely dangerous and can cause severe burns. It is good practice to keep a watchful eye on the double boiler while melting wax for candles.'

'I wish that doctor had told me that before I started making the candles.' Credulous thought to herself.

When she arrived home, Credulous was amazed at the mess that stood before her. Ruined countertops from candle dye, stained floors, and a huge mess of wax to clean up. The clean up job that stood before her was massive, but it was the price she had to pay for not heeding the warning in the YouTube video, for not using her ESP, Environmental Safety and Protection. Now it was too late. Credulous would now need to skim through her Women's Day Magazine to find those tips on how to clean up the huge wax mess she had made.

Would Credulous ever make another candle? If so, had she learned her lesson about safety precautions? Stay tuned to see.

For the most part, if you prepare your environment properly and wear protective clothing, it comes down to common sense. Slowly add any additives to hot wax to avoid injury from hot wax. Also, keeping your environment free of hazardous clutter and having safety materials such as cold water and rags within reach should ensure that you can focus on enjoying the activity at hand, feeling confident that you are in a safe controlled environment.