Anyone who has taken a walk in the woods can attest to the healing powers of nature.
Decreasing anxiety and improving mood, the natural world does wonders for the soul. Studies even suggest the smell of nature alone has the ability to heal. The downside to this: we can’t always make time to get outdoors but fortunately, there’s something we can do about it. Enter: our favorite outdoor-inspired candles.
For those times when life gets in the way, you can bring the great outdoors to your home with candles that smell like getting lost in the wild. Cedar, pine, sage, and honeysuckle are a few examples of the wonderful scents you’ll find.
Our Favorite Outdoor Scented Candles
Whether you feeling like taking a stroll through the giant redwoods or kicking back by the campfire under the desert sky, you can light one up and breathe in the journey. In our opinion, this is the best kind of aromatherapy.
National Park Candles
When too much adulting keeps you from taking that National Park road trip you crave, there’s the National Park Collection from Good + Well Supply Co.
Getting her start as a soapmaker, founder Megan McLaughlin left her business in search of something grander: the majestic landscape of America. Inspired by the National Parks and public lands she called home, she decided to capture their very essence and deliver it to your home.
Sort through the ethically sourced all natural soy candle collection and you’ll find all your favorites, from mountains to sea. We’re particularly digging the balsam fir and citrus scent of Rainier and the charred pine and labdanum of the Grand Canyon.
Acadian Night Candle
Manready Mercantile is living proof of the American Dream. From stove-top to Houston shop, the humble roots of this Texas company prove hard work and dedication pay off in the end. Made in the USA with honesty and integrity, Manready Mercantile produces quality apothecary goods with a gentleman’s touch.
If you think candles aren’t for men, we defy you to take a look at their small-batch Acadian Night Candle and still make that claim. Scented with wood, leather, and smoke, it smells like that jacket your girlfriend refuses to give back because the smell reminds her of you.
Hand-poured and made from soy wax for a clean burn, she’ll probably steal your candle too. – Buy here
White Sage Candle
Here at Territory Supply, we know a thing or two about the sweet arid aroma of the Southwest. So take it from us, if you find yourself missing the familiarity of your Southwestern home, then you’ll find comfort in lighting the cotton wick of the Juniper Ridge White Sage Candle.
It’s constructed from non-GMO soy wax and 100-percent essential oils using old perfume methods. Needless to say, this candle is legit. Where other candlemakers gather their scents from synthetic fragrances, Juniper Ridge harvests it straight from the source itself, nature.
Herbaceous and spicy, you’ll appreciate the candle’s aroma along with its responsibly wild-harvested essence – Buy at Amazon
Campfire Smoke
Beyond the scent of fresh pine in the air and soil under our feet, there is one scent which truly makes us feel alive, campfire. The heart and soul at the end of every outdoor journey, you can bring the campfire to your humble abode through Makers of Wax Goods’ Campfire candle.
Although similar, each campfire has subtle scents reminiscent of the area in which the wood is gathered. This particular candle accents the wood smoke with notes of peppered greens, white herbs, and spiced olibanum. Bust out the marshmallows, it’s campfire time. – Buy here
Alpine Cottage
South Carolina retail shop We Took to the Woods offers an impressive line of handcrafted candles any woodsman, or woodswoman, will appreciate. If you find yourself longing for that cottage in the woods, immerse yourself in the floral aroma of Alpine Cottage.
Woods on the outside and spring cottage on the inside, the candle features a tea rose scent with a unique rustic bark exterior. At 8.5-ounces, you can enjoy your alpine cottage fantasy for 40-plus hours of burn time. – Buy here
Big Sur After Rain
Have you ever wished you could capture a moment not by photo, but by scent? D.S. & Durga does. Every candle in their collection tells an aromatic story letting your imagination run wild.
Today, let your imagination bring you to the dramatic coastline of California with their 7-ounce candle Big Sur After Rain. To nail down this scent, D.S & Durga developed a range of smells ready to excite your senses.
Take a whiff and breath in the eucalyptus shoots and coastal rain. Then turn on your path to welcome the inviting aroma of magnolia and the Pacific ocean spray. When you’ve just about ended your journey, finish with the wafting notes of wet wood and eucalyptus leaves.
Albeit a bit pricey, it’s all about the experience – Buy here
Agave + Honeysuckle
Virginia Based Sydney Hale Co. has hand-produced all their products with carefully selected ingredients and packaging material since 2008. Drawn to give meaning in all they do, they donate 10-percent of their annual profits to different animal rescue organizations.
If you’ve got a soft spot for the critters as much as they do, take a whiff of their sweet and floral Agave + Honeysuckle candle. This 14-ounce premium soy wax blend candle features blue agave nectar and milky honeysuckle. Light it outside and see if you can beckon butterflies to your yard with this intoxicating aroma. – Buy here
Balsam Fir
Ranger Station founder Steve Soderholm loves turning nature’s fragrance into collectible memories, while all at the same time helping out female survivors. Partnering with Thistle Farms in Nashville, Tennessee, the project gives women survivors a chance at a fresh start by helping hand-pour candle wax into reusable cocktail glasses.
While they have a stellar line-up of scents like Oak Moss, Leather + Pine, and Birch Bark, Balsam Fir calls to us. The woody notes of cedarwood, Fraser fir, and juniper make us want to toss another log on the fire and slowly sip a snifter of bourbon while the snow turns everything anew. – Buy here
Joshua Tree Candle
Southern California based Norden has made it their mission to produce carefully selected, quality home goods based on places they’ve traveled.
Whether you’re a desert dweller, dirtbag, vagabond, or National Park-loving tourist, you’ll want to add their Joshua Tree Candle to your collection. Unlike anything else, this candle needed to be one-of-a-kind to match the surreal park to which it pays homage.
To do this, Nordern chose to use a hand-thrown stoneware exterior featuring a speckled finish resembling the desert landscape. They then scented it with herbal, wood, and eucalyptus notes. Taking it one step further, they opted out of soy wax and made it truly unique by using coconut and apricot wax. – Buy here
Glacier National Park Cedarwood Forest Candle
We’re all about the Parks Project. Proceeds from goods sold are used to upkeep our precious lands by funding backlogged National Parks projects. Sort through their collection and you’ll find everything from apparel to homeware featuring all your favorite National Parks.
If Glacier just so happens to be yours, they offer a candle that smells just like the Crown of the Continent. With notes of fresh cedar right after the rain, you can relive a walk through this park even when you’re thousands of miles away.
Oh, and if you were curious, a purchase of this candle directly supports Glacier’s bear box program.
Never been to Glacier? There’s a Yosemite, Zion, Yellowstone candle and more waiting to send you on an outdoor journey through the National Parks. – Buy here
