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What wax and why...?
A common question online and for us at TSK HQ is…
“I would like to make candles, what wax should I use?!”
Although Candle making is a simple and easy enough process, the ins and outs of the main ingredient involved can be tougher to understand when choosing the type of wax you need for the style of candle you hope to make. If you’re a business, you really do need to consider your brand ethics when you choose this ingredient for your products as this could be a great POS for you!
In this blog post, we explore the most popular waxes sold worldwide and then a little insight into some of the less known about alternatives or additives for your candles!
So… what wax and why?
Soy Wax
Soy wax is a vegetable wax made from the oil that is extracted from Soy Beans.
It is without a doubt the most popular wax on the market at the moment and likewise with our customers here at the Soap Kitchen! If you’re searching for an inexpensive candle wax to make the perfect container candle, then you’re looking in the right place.
Our Soy waxes are a great choice and here’s why:
• Excellent adhesion to containers of all kinds!
• Produces a cleaner burn than traditional oil based waxes
• Lower melting point + low shrinkage = longer lasting candle
• Naturally derived
• Renewable, sustainable, biodegradable and environmentally friendly
• Excellent scent throw
Helpful info about Nature wax C3:
• Melting temperature - 71.1 to 93.3°C (160 to 200°F)
• Pouring temperature - 48.9 to 73.8°C (120 to 165°F)
• Shelf life - 36 months
• Recommended fragrance % - 6% (7-10% if additives are used to control fragrance)
• Suitable for liquid and powder dyes or coloured wax chips
Beeswax
Taken from the covering of honeycomb in its raw state, with a fantastically sweet fragrance, it is seen as quite a luxurious ingredient and yet perhaps the most traditional too.
It comes in a useful pellet form, which is easy to melt down, you can get white unfragranced, bleached pellets which is great if you wish to add your own scent.
Properties include:
• 100% Natural and renewable
• Popular as a By-product from Bee Keepers
• Available in white and yellow shades
• New Vegan Substitute available
• Longest burning time
• Similar performance to Paraffin wax
• Available in Standard or Organic
• Very little scent throw
(Vegan Substitute beeswax: made with Paraffin, Helianthus Annus Seed Cera, Rhus Succedanea Druit Cera, Stearic Acid, comes in a block rather than pellets. A synthetic beeswax alternative)
Rapeseed
• Vegan and Biodegradable
• This is a soft wax so we recommend to blend with another wax for a longer lasting, harder candle
• Holds scent well
• UK grown/Locally sourced
• Available in pillar and container blends
Paraffin
Paraffin, derived from petroleum, used to be the wax boss, it was the cheapest and often the first choice for many candle makers, but has been over shadowed by the more ‘natural’ Soy wax.
• Petroleum Based
• Best suited for Pillar Candles
• Holds scent and colour very well
• Long shelf life
• Inexpensive
Coconut Wax
The new wax about town! Growing rapidly in popularity, mainly due to its sustainable properties and its vegan friendly too:
• Highly sustainable & renewable crop
• Burns slow & clean
• Good scent hold/throw
• Slightly more expensive
• Great jar adhesion
• Holds approx. 8-10% fragrance
• Quick melt down, making production faster
• This is a softer wax, so blending this with a harder wax is recommended.
Candelilla Wax
Made by boiling the leaves and stems of the candelilla shrub (found in Northern Mexico & the States) with a low concentration of sulphuric acid.
• Vegan friendly
• High melting point- good stabiliser
• Denser than beeswax- use half the amount- more goes a long way!
• Takes days to set fully- slower manufacture to finished product turnaround
Carnauba Wax
From Brazilian palm trees known as ‘the tree of life’ because of the variety of its uses, what are its properties?
• Vegan friendly
• One of the hardest waxes- High melting point (85degrees)
• Mostly used as an additive in a blended wax to create a harder candle
• Insoluble in water & ethanol (dissolves in ethyl acetate or xylene)
• Sold as off-white powder or yellow-brown flakes
Olive Wax
Yes, the fantastic olive has even more uses!
• 100% natural- Vegan friendly
• Hard wax – 60degree melting point
• Similar to beeswax
Almond Wax
• Softer than beeswax
• High melting point of 65degrees
• Vegan friendly
Sunflower Wax
• Hard wax with high melting point
• Light in colour with low odour
• Vegan friendly
Gel Wax
Masquerading as a wax, but actually a mix of resin & mineral oil, this unique product is great for candle making:
• Holds scent & colour
• Melts & Burns like wax
• It's transparency allows for creative uses- imitating water & liquid
• Great texture!!
• Use in container candles
Because we have such a large variety of waxes available here, we have given as much info as possible in a condensed form, however, please feel free to comment below if you have any more relevant information about any of the waxes covered in this blog.
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