Interview with House of Citrine

An Interview with Kristi Head and House of Citrine

By: Sima Morrison

Kristie Head is the creator of LITE+CYCLE and is one passionate woman. We sat down with her and talked all things candles, essential oils and transparency. The creator of LITE+CYCLE is supremely passionate - bringing awareness about harsh chemicals and ingredients in our everyday products in our homes. We got the low down on candle making and how difficult it is to find a REAL non-toxic candle. Well the search is over…

What motivated you to start a non-toxic essential oil and clean candle Company?

I was motivated by the lack of availability for such a product and by the clean washing that goes on with the term “all natural”. Having worked in the fragrance and beauty industry for over 10 years, I became aware of the loose regulations on fragrance safety and the loopholes for natural marketing claims.* Frankly, it made me a bit angry, so I decided to create a product that was fiercely committed to ethics, clean standards, and transparency. It was a bit of a reaction product. One that, I believe still stands strong as the cleanest and most non-toxic candle available. 

I often refer to LITE+CYCLE as a brand that advocates for clean, transparent and safer fragrances - and we do this by providing it, educating on it, and even sometimes challenging manufacturers to expand their capabilities. 

*For example the claim “natural” can be used alongside unnatural ingredients as long as a certain percentage is adhered to - meaning sometimes it has synthetics and possibly harmful toxic ingredients. Additionally manufactures don’t legally have to disclose what is in a fragrance, as it is protected under trade secret (link here). So you might not know that you are inhaling chemicals such as formaldehyde or phthalates ( a common ingredient in fragrance that is linked to hormone disruption among other things).

Tell us about your geometrical design on the candle lids. What does this mean to you?

My intention when creating the geometrical design on the lid was to exemplify my interpretation of unity and wholeness in a minimalist and chic way. To me it represents balance, connectedness, and the beauty and intelligence of the natural world.  The open negative space at the center of the design acts as a meditative point of focus — the calm, the light, the point of stillness amidst the flurry of life.

It can also be looked at as a personal mandala. Explained and westernized by Carl Jung in Memories, Dreams, Reflections :

“I sketched every morning in a notebook a small circular drawing, ...which seemed to correspond to my inner situation at the time. ... Only gradually did I discover what the mandala really is: ... the Self, the wholeness of the personality, which if all goes well is harmonious.” 

What is a flower that you resonate with the most?

A dandelion, for its childlike nostalgia, cheerful unassuming beauty and intriguing blow balls. The blow balls, contain a perfect sphere of potential new life, which gets dispersed gracefully by an unexpected gust wind. That is something I aspire to, to pollinate new potential with a gust of wind.