This Infernal Racket | my life, after cancer

A Toronto-based lifestyle blog by a 2x cancer survivor

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Starting my own small business!



It's kind of funny when I tell people I decided to start my own business one night while brushing my teeth.

As a cancer survivor and thriver, it's been a priority to have products in my life that are not only clean for the environment but also for my body's health. After going through hard treatments that left me feeling weak, compromised and vulnerable, I started to question and look at the things on my own and wonder how safe they were. One of the first things I looked into was candles. After researching and discovering all the potentially harmful chemicals in the commercialized candle industry, I found that the only way I could know what was in my candles was if I made the candles myself.

I wanted to create a clean-burning candle company that was safe for both people and the environment. That night, instead of sleeping, I worked on a business plan and wrote out pages and pages of objectives, goals, the brand concept, and my mission.

After considerable research, material sourcing, and 30 anxiety attacks, I placed my first order for sample materials and began brewing up batches of soy candles. I tested different scents, and different soy waxes (yes, there are different kinds of soy wax) and I worked on finding the best vessels for the candles. It was important that my business was sustainable and did not contribute to mass consumerism. I am a lover of second-hand treasures, thrifting and vintage; I wanted to share my love of it with my community. The goal was to create candles that not only were good for your health, but that spoke to the power of sustainability and minimizing "throw-away" culture. I do believe there is a candle for everybody and that is what I strive for when I source my vintage glass. Each candle is unique and one-of-a-kind. And so, Simple Ritual was born!

The company mantra started with the idea of a ritual. By definition, a ritual is a series of thoughtful actions, practiced regularly, to draw us into a sacred space. Rituals invite us to use intention; focus our senses, movements, and feelings, to create meaning and purpose. Our lives are chaotic and often interrupted, yet we should still make time for our rituals throughout the day. For some, it may be that first cup of coffee enjoyed in peaceful solitude. For others, it could be a carved-out moment in the day to read a good book or write in a journal. Simple Ritual was born out of a desire to define these moments. By lighting one of our candles, you are taking a moment to ground yourself, to be present, honour and recognize your emotions and feelings, and practice your daily simple ritual.

Simple Ritual candles are made in small batches using biodegradable soy wax with vintage vessels and metal canisters sourced in the Toronto GTA. Handpoured glass, natural soy wax, and premium fragrance/essential oils are used to create unique up-cycled candles for home decor and personal rituals. The traveller tin collection perfectly captures the ability to bring your simple rituals on the go with easy-to-carry candles. Whether you’re going abroad or sneaking off for a secret rendezvous with your lover, our tins are a perfect fit for any life and style.

Our business methods include sustainable sourcing of our ingredients and re-purposing packaging wherever possible. We want our customers to reuse their candle canisters or have them refilled as part of our efforts to minimize ‘throw away’ in the home decor world. The fragrances are paraben-free, phthalate-free and non-toxic. This means that they are clean-burning and won't pollute the environment or your body while burning. The candles are vegan, contain no additives or manufactured colours and are even kosher!


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