For thousands of years, human beings worldwide have made candles with easily available materials. The Japanese, for example, used wax derived from tree nuts, and the Romans rolled papyrus, which they then dipped in tallow or beeswax. This arena later expanded to the practice of sperm whale oil wax and then to the use of paraffin. The good news is that contemporary candle makers have more and more options when it comes to candle wax.
Wax is used as fuel for candles, and there are many kinds of wax on the market for candle making in Australia. Sourcing the finest candle supplies, and in particular, candle wax, for your candle is the most crucial part of candle making. Wax can be produced from a vegetable or animals base, natural or synthetic, or petroleum-based.
How will you determine the price of soy wax?
Some candles are more costly than others, and that’s because ingredients matter.
In selecting your wax type, it’s critical to consider factors such as how you will market your candles and the final price point. In your discount store, you’ll find cheap 100% paraffin candles. Paraffin wax is a by-product of refined crude oil, also known as fossil fuel. Candle makers usually choose it because of affordability. In gift stores, you’ll find more expensive candles made with soy wax.
So, why would you choose to use soy wax over other candle waxes when making candles? These days, consumers are so much more attentive to what they are exposing themselves to. They are also cost-aware. These two factors are an interesting combination.
Bees produce beeswax, and it is a by-product of honey. It’s substantially more expensive than soy wax because it takes roughly ten kilograms of honey to produce one kilo of wax. It is ancient, dating back to ancient Egypt. To access the wax, honeycomb and honey are withdrawn from hives, robbing bees of their food source and storage space. Therefore, it is not vegan, as it is involved with the exploitation of animals.
Palm wax is also pricier than soy wax and has many issues related to palm oil harvesting. Palm oil is extracted from palm fruit, and palm wax is made from hydrogenating palm oil. Eighty percent of the world’s palm oil production is in Indonesia and Malaysia, where irreplaceable rainforests that are home to numerous wildlife are being destroyed. Their habitats are swiftly perishing because of the high demand for palm oil. Orangutans are within twenty years of extinction in the wild, as they are killed daily in palm oil plantations. Fires scorching Borneo and Sumatra are also fuelling global warming.
Michael Richards discovered soy wax from soybean oil in 1991 when he was investigating an inexpensive alternative to beeswax. Soy wax is a vegetable wax made from the oil of soybeans. After harvesting, the beans are cleaned, crushed, dehulled, and rolled into flakes. They extract the oil from the flakes using solvents or mechanical pressing. Then, the oil is hydrogenated, whereby the fatty acids are converted from unsaturated to saturate. This makes the oil solid at room temperature, and the melting point is altered.
What form are you creating?
When selecting your wax for candle making, it is important to consider the form of the candle you are creating. If you’re making container candles and require an all-natural wax, Golden Wax 464 is a good choice. They manufacture this natural soy wax in the United States and are hydrogenated soy oil, blended with a soy-based additive, enabling the wax to be poured at hotter temperatures, reducing frosting. It comes in flake form and has a lower melting point, which improves glass adhesion and helps prevent wet spots. Golden Brands Wax is available from Blaze & Foam in 1KG, 5KG, and 22.6KG quantities at wholesale pricing.
If you are making free-standing pillar candles, you will require a wax suited to hold its own shape with no container.
What are the benefits of soy wax?
- Soy wax is available as a 100% soy product. There is also something known as a ‘soy blend’ available, which may contain some paraffin or other vegetable-based or animal products.
- Soy wax is natural and renewable and is better for health and the environment. Paraffin, which comes from shrinking crude oil reserves, which are a non-renewable energy source and a waste product of petroleum refineries.
- Soy wax is water-soluble and biodegradable (unlike paraffin). This means it can be easily extracted from containers for effective recycling.
- Soy wax has a melting point than paraffin, so it burns slower and longer and is better value for money. In fact, soy wax lasts up to fifty percent longer than paraffin.
- Soy wax burns cleanly and produces less soot. Paraffin-based candles, in contrast, emit toxic black soot when burnt, similar to burning diesel fuel.
- The carbon in paraffin wax was once trapped underground in old deposits, and when burnt, contributes towards global warming and releases black soot, which is damaging to your health and discolours walls and furnishings. The carbon in Soya oil is derived from the atmosphere in which a plant creates this oil.
- Purchasing soy supports the farmer. Paraffin purchases support the petroleum industry.
- Research shows that paraffin releases volatile organic compounds and human carcinogens into the air you breathe, causing indoor air pollution when lit, whereas soy doesn’t.
In conclusion, the wax you use is a matter of preference. However, it is important in these times to think about how you will market your candles and how health-conscious and eco-friendly you would like your product to be.
