Highly Scented Candles

Making Candles with Soy Wax

It was discovered in the 1990’s that wax could be made from soy beans, and since then making candles with soy wax has gained steadily in popularity. Of course soy is a renewable commodity, although prices have risen a good deal to the rise in prices of agricultural commodities in general. The prices of soy wax are still quite comparable with those of paraffin waxes to date, however. Of course the price of bee’s wax has always been substantially higher than other candle making waxes.

Advantages of Soy Wax in Candle Making

Soy wax does have a number of interesting advantages when compared to other wax options for making candles. On the consumer side, soy wax burns longer and cleaner than paraffin waxes. Also, some people who are concerned about natural resources are happier using products derived from renewable resources such as soy beans. The problem with this, however, is that these days there is pressure on the amount of soy beans available, since many farmers are growing more corn to produce ethanol and there is competition for acreage from all sorts of other grains as well, wheat in particular. A recent article in Time magazine described how the Amazon forest is at present being destroyed faster than ever and cleared for farmland. A good deal of that farmland is going to grow soy beans, since so much acreage in places like the United States has switched over to corn, which is subsidized by the government, and also crops like wheat, which has recently hit all time high prices.

As for making candles with soy wax, there are advantages there as well. Temperatures in the candle making process are typically lower. It is necessary for the candle maker to get appropriate processing specifications for the soy wax supplier, that is, what temperature to heat the soy wax to before adding color, how much to let it cool prior to adding fragrance, and how much fragrance to add. In addition, suppliers will also advise temperatures to pour the soy wax into molds. For example, one supplier states that their soy wax should be heated to 175 degrees F (80 degrees C), and then dyes should be added and mixed thoroughly. After that the temperature should be allowed to drop to 130 degrees F (54 degrees C), at which point any fragrances should be added. Finally the soy wax should cool to 110 degrees F (43 degrees C) before pouring in order to provide a smoother candle surface. Soy waxes naturally produce a rough finish on the surface of candles, so if a smoother surface is desired a heat gun can be used to correct this.

One final big advantage with using soy wax for candle making is that the soy wax is much easier to clean up than are waxes made from paraffin. Soy wax cleans up well using just soap and water, so that is definitely an advantage.

Candle makers should give soy wax a try. It is easy to use, and colors and fragrances can be added just as easily as with paraffin wax. In addition, soy wax candles burn for a long time.