Making Soy Candles

A candle made of soy is an organic candle that is cleaner to burn than a candle made of paraffin wax. This environmentally-friendly aspect means that the use of soy candles is growing in popularity. Soy wax is fairly expensive, however, but many who use soy candles think they are so far superior that they refuse to make or burn anything else.

Soy wax is derived from soybeans. Soybean oil is a common kitchen pantry ingredient. The oil in soybeans is taken from the soybean flakes that have been hydrogenated. The USA is one of the world’s largest producers of soybeans and you will find that the areas that grow these beans are most commonly Illinois, Iowa and Indiana. Every candle that you burn will emit something that is known as soot – but soy candles will emit much less soot than a candle that is made of paraffin or another type of non-organic wax. Soy beans only emit white soot, which is less harmful to the environment than the black soot that is given off by paraffin-based candles.

When attempting to make your own soy candles or paraffin candles you will find that the process is the same, even if the ingredients are different. Soy wax, like paraffin wax, is usually melted by using a double boiler. This is a small pot that is usually placed on the stovetop and is used to heat the soy wax to somewhere between 150 and 180 degrees. You will find you run into troubles if you melt your soy wax above 150 degrees Fahrenheit for a long period of time – most likely your wax will start to turn yellow. Only when the soy wax is fully melted, however, can you determine what color you wish it to be. When adding the fragrance to the soy wax mixture, remove it from the heat first. Generally, for every pound of soy wax you will use 1.12 ounces of fragrance – this is generally in the form of fragrance oil. If you use too much fragrance oil you will find that the candle won’t burn well, or set properly. When it comes time to pour the fragranced soy wax into the mold make sure it’s at a temperature of about 100 degrees. If you cool the wax more than this before pouring into the mold it may crack and this will ruin the appearance of your candle.

If you have worked with paraffin wax before you have taken to making soy wax candles you will find the soy wax composition is much softer than its paraffin counterpart. This means that it’s difficult to mold certain types of candles out of soy wax that may have required a stiffer compound. Soy wax is not normally the chosen wax to use for novelty candles that have to be shaped using unusual molds. You would only use soy wax to make floating candles if they are smaller than 3 inches in diameter and you would not try to use soy wax to make taper candles at all.

The good news is if you’re successful in making paraffin wax candles, you will be successful in making soy wax candles. Candle making is trial and error based, and many people who like to cook all sort of different recipes will be suited to trying it. It is easy to remember that soy wax and paraffin wax are comparable when it comes to how they hold scent and color – so keep this in mind when using both substances to make candles for your own use or for a business venture.