Aromatherapy Candles

Herbal, green and fresh rather than sweet — these are the candles to reach for when you want a scent that feels closer to the plant than to a perfume counter.

The collection has two halves. Our own aromatherapy candles are 200g of soy wax and essential oils in an amber glass jar, in blends including Be Chilled, Peace, Creativity, Clear Thinking, Positive Vibes and Aphrodisiac. Alongside them sit the Agnes + Cat Herb Garden pots in lavender, sage, rosemary, mint, geranium and clove. Prices start at £10.80.

If you're choosing by scent, think about where you want the candle to fit into your day.

Lavender is the obvious choice for evenings and bedrooms, and probably the safest option if you're buying for someone else.

Mint and rosemary work well around a desk or workspace when you want something fresh and herbal rather than warm and sweet.

Sage is dry, clean and earthy, and good for resetting a room after cooking, while geranium gives you a floral scent without going heavily into perfume territory.

And then there's clove, which comes into its own once the colder months arrive.

The Herb Garden candles come in terracotta-style pots with wooden wicks and sit on slim black metal stands, so they work nicely as both candles and little pieces of kitchen or home décor.

These are a natural choice if you already use other aromatherapy products such as diffusers or roll-ons and want the same sort of scent profile around the house.

Keep the wick trimmed to around 5mm, allow the first burn to melt the wax across to the edges, keep the candle away from draughts and always supervise it while burning.