Working with Soy wax for candle melts


Why Soy wax?

Hand Made Candles, soy wax

After much research into the art and skill of making candles we found some disturbing news.

Apparently most companies who sell candles tend to use paraffin wax. It is a simple wax that is easy to use and accepts color and fragrances easily, however it has a dark side.

If you look on your candle some where there is usually a warning about burning the candle for more than two to four hours consistently.

There is a reason for this. When paraffin wax is heated it burns off from the flame but gives off a black soot.

This soot when inhaled can cause a host of bodily issues over time. Now before I make paraffin out to be a villain you must understand that paraffin on its own is not as horrible as it is used in the healing arts especially for muscle and tendon injuries.

Lets take a quick look at paraffin

Paraffin is actually petroleum based wax, which means it is a by product of fossil fuels.

That’s right its pretty much a by product of oil. To make matters worse, although industry standards have changed, paraffin candles were also made with lead wicks.

Sigh…yeah you read it right Lead. Now in what we call the modern society lead wicks are no longer used but the problem is most of the paraffin candles that are made in countries like China have not restrictions on using lead wicks.

Soooo if your not sure where your candle was made its best to be safe than sorry. The black soot that from time to time puffs in the air from the burning wick can be a dangerous puff of smoke for persons with asthma and with continued use can lead to emphysema. 

That’s enough of the negative effects of burning paraffin wax candles for now if you want to learn more just do a google search for it, however I can tell you if you look on the inside of your candle jar or tin and see that black soot around the edges.

Chances are you have a paraffin wax candle.

Lets Look into Soy Wax.

So what is this was made from…you guessed it the soy bean.

The soy bean which has a hundred and one uses can be converted into wax by extracting soy oil which is then made into wax.

This wax has no residual burning effects such as soot nor any lead issues, instead its a clean burning wax that actually burns at a lower temperature than paraffin wax. When you think about it, petroleum base paraffin vs Vegetable

Hand Made Candles, soy wax
Photos by Bahamas Candle and Soap

base soy, the soy would be a more natural choice. 

Soy Wax is cheaper that paraffin wax mainly because paraffin is based on the price of oil at the time of manufacturing while soy is pretty much tied to how many soy crops farmers grew that year.

A vast difference. As great as soy sounds, when it comes to candles it does have its aesthetic draw backs.

Working with soy can be frustrating mainly because something strange happens when you convert soy chips into a candle or a candle melt. 

Although it holds fragrance well and color there is an aesthetic issue that occurs that is good for the consumer but often a nuisance for the candle maker. 

Soy wax tends to be supportable to frosting. Frosting is what appears on the surface of the wax as a white layer of ice. Its virtually unavoidable but there are ways to manage it although those ways extend the production time of candle products. 

This is one way you can tell immediately if the candle product you are purchasing is made from paraffin or soy. Just look for frosting.

We have found ways to reduce frosting on our candle products and hope to keep them looking beautiful for you. Whenever you view products from Bahamas Candle and Soap you will know that we use natural products that will not harm you or your loved ones.

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