Betty's Candle Making

Soy candles are natural and burn cleaner then paraffin candle wax.  The popularity of them is growing.  Although soy wax is a little bit more expensive then paraffin wax, people who have used and made soy candles are quickly becoming addicted to them.

Soy wax is a vegetable wax that is made from soybeans.  The oil is extracted from the soybean flakes and hydrogenated.  The majority of the world’s soybeans are grown in the United States in Illinois, Iowa, and Indiana.  It is believed that soy candles burn cleaner then paraffin candles.  This is true to an extent.  All candles emit soot.  There is no way around that.  But, paraffin candles emit black soot while soy candles emit white soot.  While soot is not harmful to people, white soot is a little cleaner then black.

The only thing that is really different about making soy candles then paraffin candles is the wax.  They both use the same techniques and equipment.  You can use a double boiler to melt the soy wax.  A double boiler is a smaller pot with the wax is placed in a larger pot full of water that is placed on the stovetop.  Heat the soy wax to 150 to 180 degrees Fahrenheit.  Be careful not to keep the melted wax above 150 degrees Fahrenheit for too long because it could burn which will give the wax a yellowish appearance.  Ounce the wax is fully melted you can add the color you would like.  You can then remove it from the heat and add the fragrance.  It is best to use 7% fragrance by weight.  That simply means that for every one pound of soy wax, you can use 1.12 ounces of fragrance oil.  If the fragrance concentration is too high, it may bleed through the candle.  The soy wax can be about 140 – 150 degrees Fahrenheit.  You can then pour the wax into the mold to cool.  Be careful not to pour the wax at too low of a temperature or the candle could crack.  The wax should be between 95 and 110 degrees Fahrenheit.  You should also not use water to cool the candle quickly.  This could also cause the candle to crack.

Although soy wax candles and paraffin wax candles are mostly the same, there are a couple of differences.  Soy wax is a softer wax so it is not suitable for some types of candles.  For instance, soy wax does not work well when you are trying to make novelty candles.  It also do not work well for pillar candles.  You can also not make taper candles with soy wax.  Floating soy candles can be made if they are up to 3 inches in diameter.

If you can make candles with paraffin wax, you can make candles with soy wax.  Making candles is kind of like trying out a new food recipe; sometimes you have to try things one way then the other to see which works best for you.  The bottom line is that soy wax and paraffin wax both hold scent and color the same in candles but, it is great to learn how to make a new kind of candle and offer a variety in your candle making whether you are making candles for pleasure or a business.