Candle Making Wax – Here’s What You Need to Know to Get Started
If you’re going to make candles, obviously you’re going to need wax. But that isn’t as simple as many beginners think – there are a lot of choices to choose from. While the following description is by no means complete, it does describe the waxes candle makers use most frequently.
Paraffin Candle Wax
Paraffin is the workhorse of waxes. Most commercially made candles are made from paraffin wax.
Paraffin is a residual of the process of refining crude oil.
Paraffin works well as a candle wax. The wax is affordable and quite versatile – it works in any number of different candles – and it’s performance can be enhanced with additives.
Soy Candle Wax
Soy candle wax is a recent invention. It was developed in the 1990’s as part of the search for a natural candle wax. Soybean oil is liquid at room temperature. With the addition of hydrogen, it becomes solid and suitable for making candles. The main difficulty is that most formulations are fairly soft and don’t always work well in applications such as making tapers.
On the positive side, it is a great wax to use for container candles. It holds scent and fragrance well. It is extremely clean burning – significantly more so than paraffin.
Beeswax
Beeswax is a classic, premium candle making wax. Bees produce the wax to build honeycombs to hold the honey. Beekeepers can harvest both the wax and the honey.
Beeswax produces minimal soot and burns smoothly and evenly. It is hard enough to make tapers and pillar candles. Although it can hold fragrance, many people prefer not to add scent because they enjoy the mild, soft aroma of unscented beeswax.
The main problem with beeswax is its price. It has always been a premium wax. In the past, only the wealthy could afford beeswax. Beeswax is less costly these days, but still more expensive than most other candle waxes.
Where to Learn More
These waxes are by far the most commonly used candle making waxes available. You’d do just fine if these were the only ones you knew about.
However it’s well worth at least becoming aware of some of the other choices available. One place to start is the page: Candle Making Wax. You’ll discover some interesting waxes I haven’t mentioned here, as well as some more details about paraffin and soy wax.
Of course you need more than wax to make a candle. You can find out about the necessary equipment at: Candle Making Equipment
I want to recommend an excellent site for you to find out everything you need to know to start making candles every bit as beautiful as those you buy: The Candle Making Connection. I’ve learned the hard way that you can save a lot of time and frustration if you visit sites like that and get some insider tips and advice before you start experimenting on your own.
Making candles is a wonderful craft and I hope this article helps you get started with.