Candle Making Wax – Do You Know Which One to Use?
Beginners to the art and craft of candle making are often confused (at least at first) by the many types of candle making wax available today. Here’s a quick run down on the different types of candle making wax on the market.
Paraffin Candle Wax
Paraffin is the workhorse of waxes. Most commercially made candles are made from paraffin wax.
Paraffin is a residual of the process of refining crude oil.
Paraffin has a lot to recommend it as a candle wax. The wax is widely available, relatively inexpensive, very stiff at room temperature, retains dyes and scents well and burns relatively cleanly.
Soy Candle Wax
Soy candle wax is a recent invention. Researchers developed it by hydrogenating (adding hydrogen molecules to) soybean oil. Hydrogenated soybean oil is fairly solid and burns well as a candle wax. The main difficulty is that most formulations are fairly soft and don’t always work well in applications such as making tapers.
On the positive side, it is a great wax to use for container candles. It holds scent and fragrance well. It is extremely clean burning – significantly more so than paraffin.
Beeswax
Beeswax is a great, albeit expensive, candle making wax. The wax comes from bee hives. Bees make the wax to form honeycombs to store honey. When a beekeeper empties the honeycomb, the wax can be used to make candles.
Beeswax has a long burn time and burns even more cleanly than paraffin. It is a firmer wax than soy candle wax so you can use it for tapers. Although it can hold fragrance, many people prefer not to add scent because they enjoy the mild, soft fragrance of the beeswax itself.
Unfortunately, beeswax is relatively expensive. It has always been so. In the past, only the wealthy could afford beeswax. It’s less costly these days, but still more expensive than most other candle waxes.
Where to Learn More
These waxes are the ones most candle makers use most of the time. You’d do just fine if these were the only ones you knew about.
However I suggest at least becoming aware of some of the other choices available. One place to start is the page: Candle Making Wax. You’ll discover some interesting waxes I haven’t mentioned here, as well as some more details about paraffin and soy wax.
Of course wax alone does not a candle make. You can learn what equipment and supplies you’ll need at: Candle Making Equipment
I want to recommend an excellent site for you to find out everything you need to know to start making candles every bit as beautiful as those you buy: The Candle Making Connection. I’ve learned the hard way that you can save a lot of time and frustration if you visit sites like that and get some insider tips and advice before you start experimenting on your own.
Making candles is a wonderful craft and I hope this information inspires you to give it a try yourself.
Comments
Leave a Reply