Wendy’s Soy Wax Candles
About Soy
Soy wax is a vegetable wax made from the oil of soybeans.
After harvesting, the beans are cleaned, cracked, de-hulled, and rolled into flakes. The oil is then extracted from the chips and hydrogenated. The hydrogenation process converts some of the fatty acids in the oil from unsaturated to saturated.
This process dramatically alters the melting point of the oil, making it a solid at room temperature. The leftover bean husks are commonly used as animal feed.
The U.S. grows the vast majority of the world’s soybeans, primarily in Illinois, Iowa, and Indiana.
How Soy Wax is used
Soy Wax is used by candle makers in several ways. It can be used straight as in Golden Brands 415 Soy wax, blended with other natural oils like Ecosoya CB 135 or Advanced Soy, or mixed with paraffin to form a parasoy wax-like IGI 6006.
Benefits of Soy Wax
One of the most essential benefits of soy candles is how clean they burn. Soy wax doesn’t produce the black soot like paraffin does. While some might say ‘no soot’, it’s actually ‘very little soot’. Everything that burns puts off smoke and soy candles where is no exception. However, the amount of smoke released from soy wax is minimal, there is very few that notice it.
If your candles leave soot, even a little, it could be that its not pure Soy Wax, maybe a Soy-Paraffin mix may have been used. To the best of Wendy’s knowledge, her wax is pure soy wax. Another reason might be the wicks used. Even as Candle-Talk says lead is no longer used in wick manufacture, there can be some zinc, and that can smoke. Wendy only uses cotton candle wicks, although special orders are taken for candles with ‘wood wicks’. These burn with a crackle and popping sound and can be soothing when burning your candles.
Cost-Effective
You may be surprised by this, but soy wax candles can be more cost-effective than paraffin, not only in quality but in quantity too. Soy not only burns cleaner but slower too. A soy candle can burn up to twice as long, sometimes even more, than paraffin, giving you twice the candle
Smell Nicer
Strange terminology, but soy wax hold the scent longer and better without the ‘fuel smell’ of paraffin. When burning a soy candle, its scent hangs in the air, and a lot less fragrance is needed in the manufacture and making of the candles.
Credits
If you have already have experienced the benefits of soy wax candles, to both your health and the environment first hand, please let us know. We’d love to pass on your experiences.
Traditional Candles
Paraffin wax is a mixture of alkanes with a carbon number more than about 22. It is obtained from crude oil by distillation then purified by solvent refining.
Soy Wax Candles are eco-friendly although soy candles do produce smoke, the amount is much less than regular paraffin candles, and soy candles are all-natural, the smoke does not contain any of the toxins and carcinogens that regular candles do.
The downside of paraffin wax candles produces soot while burning that leaves a thin film on every surface in your home.
Soy candles are soot-free and burn 100% clean.
The mess that a traditional Wax Candle leaves when it spills, get knocked over or drips that come down the side of pillar candles happen with Soy Wax too, BUT Soy Wax is water-soluble – If you do spill the wax of a soy candle, cleanup is incredibly easy, unlike the horrible mess that exists after a traditional candle wax spill.
Paraffin based candles burn hot, if you have ever had the wax drip on your skin, you’ll know this. Soy Candles burn no than traditional candles, making them safer for you and your family.
As you can see, all-natural soy candles provide many more benefits over their traditional wax counterparts.
If you are looking for an inexpensive and more environmentally friendly way to use candlelight for you and your family, you should give soy candles a try.