Why choose soy wax over other waxes for soy candle making? You would be asked this question is very often when you start candle making using soy wax. Some people believe soy wax is more costly than paraffin wax. If we talk in monetary terms, this belief is true. But, if we deeply cover all related factors about this saving, we come to know this is not worthwhile. Paraffin wax is made as a by-product of the petroleum refinery process. This is the reason paraffin candles wax is non environmentally friendly and non-renewable; thus, not an ideal choice for candle making.
Here are a few reasons why you should consider soy wax for candle making:
Soy candle making is an eco-friendly process
Soy wax is made from soybeans. This is why soy wax is 100% natural wax, renewable, sustainable, and environmentally friendly. Its lower melting point makes it burn longer, almost double that of paraffin candles wax. Lower melting temperature also helps to release more fragrance in soy wax candles. A lower melting temperature creates a healthier wax pool around the wick that allows fragrance oil to vaporize more easily. The scent release of soy wax candles is even better than beeswax candles.
Soy wax candles burn clean
100 % pure soy wax is very clean burning as it releases minimal soot while burning. Soy wax is non-toxic as it doesn’t release any chemicals that can cause diseases like cancer.
Wax spills are easy to clean
Spills of soy wax are very easy to clean. You can easily clean wax spills with soap and water as soy wax is biodegradable.
Soy wax is good for skincare routine
A soy wax candle is also helpful in treating your skin at home. Always test a small patch of your skin before applying to avoid any itching or skin burn. Before applying to your skin, light your candle for half an hour. Lightly massaging in a circular motion on your skin can produce incredible results.
So, these above-discussed factors make soy wax candles more beneficial than any other wax candle making, especially paraffin wax candles.
Soy wax blends in soy candle making
You cannot use natural candle wax directly out of the box. It is necessary to make wax blends to make better quality, free-standing candles. Before making wax blends, you must have a general understanding of each wax.
You must know you're going to make which type of candle before starting experiments for wax blending. Taper, votive, container, pumpkin spice soy, and pillar candles are the most popular types of candles. Knowing the type of candle you want to make and understanding potential outcomes can help create ideal wax blends.
Soy blend simply means that the candle you are going to make contains some other waxes in it. Paraffin, coconut, beeswax, gel, and palm wax are the primary types of waxes used in blending wax for soy candle making. Each wax has unique properties, so the blends are very creamy, smooth, and easy to handle.
Paraffin-soy blend for soy candle making
Regardless of its terrible reputation, paraffin wax is the most common kind of wax to blend with soy wax. The reason behind the preference for paraffin wax is its consistent performance in candles. The blend produced by mixing soy and paraffin wax is very stable, so you can easily work with it, and it holds fragrance too.
Soy container candles are made up of soy and other natural waxes blend. Kerasoy candle wax is an example of a soy blend specially made for making container candles with fragrance oils. Soy wax blended with beeswax and coconut wax is most preferred by candle makers.
Beeswax-soy blend for soy candle making
Making candles by using 100% soy wax is not feasible as it can melt crumbly. Adding beeswax to the soy blend makes the wax harder, which causes the candle to burn longer and throws a little stronger scent. By using the Beeswax-soy blend, you don't need to add any additional color, as beeswax is naturally honey-colored wax. The Honey-colour of the candle depends on the quantity of beeswax added in the beeswax-soy blend. One more quality of beeswax is its natural sweet honey fragrance. So you also don't need to add much fragrance in candle making by using the beeswax-soy blend. Soy wax is very soft wax. Tealight candle is an example of the beeswax-soy blend.
Coconut-soy blend for soy candle making
Coconut-soy blend tends to be wonderful during the cooler months as this blend can be very soft. This blend increases the shelf life of soy wax candles. Coconut-soy wax blend increases the hot/cold throw of soy wax candles. All coconut waxes are now blended with soy wax; it helps to increase the melting point of soy wax candles. You can also make creamy container candles with a coconut-soy wax blend.
Essential oils or fragrance oils: Which to use in soy candle making?
You can make your soy wax candles fragrant. Essential oil and fragrance oil are two available options for making scented soy wax candles.
Essential oils are plant-derived volatile substances. It is fragrance oil with zero additives, so these are a bit more expensive than fragrance oil. These are highly flammable. Some most common essential oils for candle making are Cedarwood essential oil, Lavender essential oil, Rosemary essential oil, Frankincense essential oil, Tangerine essential oil, Sandalwood essential oil, etc. Lavender essential oil is the best among all essential oils.
Fragrance oils can be naturally sourced or chemically synthesized. Some most common fragrance oils for candle making are Amber romance fragrance oil, Almond oil fragrance oil, Azure sand fragrance oil, Black amber, Lavender fragrances, Bergamot fragrance oil, Bamboo fragrance oil, Apple butter caramel fragrance oil, and Black Raspberry, Vanilla fragrance oil, etc. Bergamot fragrance oil is considered the best among all fragrance oils.
The standard quantity of fragrance oil or essential oil to put in the candle is a 6% fragrance load for candles. It means you can put 1 ounce of oil in each pound of candle wax. To give your soy candles the absolute best scent throw, you can double the amount of oil to add to your candles. In that case, you can add 10% of fragrance oil. To make the best outcomes, you can combine different fully concentrated organic essential oils.
Soy wax candle making: step by step guide
If you are an art-loving person and very much excited to make homemade candles using natural wax, here is a quick soy candle making recipe for you But before discussing the steps to make homemade soy wax candles, you should arrange all the supplies needed for soy candle making.
Supplies needed to make soy wax candles:
Given below is the list of candle-making supplies you needed with a description. You can buy all the soy candle-making supplies from nearby stores or online easily.
Candle wax:
One of the necessary ingredients of the soy candle-making kit is wax. In soy wax candle making, you need soy wax flakes. You can determine the amount of wax needed by the given formula:
Wax needed = (wax per container) X (numbers of containers)
In the above formula, all amounts are measured in ounces. To convert this into pounds, you can divide the amount by 16, giving you the number of ounces in 1 pound. This formula will be like this:
Wax needed = [(wax per container) X (numbers of containers)]/16
To find the amount of wax by this formula, you must first know what candle container you will use for wax making.
Candle wick:
Wicks plays the role of maker or breaker in your candle making. There are many options available for choosing a wick for soy candle making. You can work with both cotton and wood wicks. Candle makers also recommend smokeless natural candle wicks or metal tabbed candle wicks. You can also use a popsicle stick.
If you are using 100% soy wax in candle making, then the original booster wick is the best option for you. Another option for a soy wax candle is a natural hemp core wick. This wick is pre-tabbed and pre-waxed. Its size is 6 inches in length with a 20mm tab.
A flat cotton wick braided with thin paper threads produces a rigid wick structure without using any core. Such a wick is called the ECO series wick. This is also an excellent wick option for soy candles.
If you are concerned about being eco-friendly, then you must select a wooden wick for soy candles. This eco wick works best if you choose the proper thickness and width of the wick.
It depends upon you to select the wick that you considered best for candle making. Wick holder is an optional supply. You can include it to help in making your candle-making easier.
Candle fragrance:
If you want to make scented soy candles, then you can add essential oil or fragrance oil as per your choice. Fragrance load drives the best outcome, so you should be conscious of the correct fragrance load. Flashpoint of oils is very important; select any oil while keeping in mind flashpoints.
Candle melting container:
It would be best to have a pouring pot, any heat-safe candle container, and one larger pot for boiling water.
Wooden spoon or stirrer:
Wooden stirrer or spoon used for mixing purposes. Like any other recipe, blending is key to achieving the best outcomes in candle making too. So choose a stirrer that best helps you in blending soy wax.
Candle thermometer:
You need something to read the wax temperature. It’s optional; if you have a candle thermometer, it will help you in candle making.
Candle containers:
If you already have candle containers, you can use them easily by removing wax and wick. If you want to buy affordable and cute candle containers, you can visit this Esty store. You can use a glass jar and mason jar depending upon your choice and requirement.
Colors/Dye (optional)
To make your soy wax candles colorful, you can add dye to them. You can select among three types of dyes. Liquid dyes, dye flakes, and dye chips and blocks are these types. You have to follow a specific procedure to use any of the dyes.
Factors affecting the burning of soy candle
Want to know about factors that affect the burning time of a candle? Length of the wick, size of the container, and type of wax are all factors that contribute to the burn time of the soy candle.
For a better understanding of this, coconut wax has a lower melting point than soy wax, so it will take less time to burn.
To calculate the burn rate of a candle, you have to minus the post-burn weight from the original weight. Then divide the value by the number of burned hours. This is the hourly burn rate.
You can calculate the total hours a candle will burn by dividing the original weight of the candle by the hourly burn rate. So you calculate the burn rate of the candle in this way.
Step by step guide to soy wax candle making:
After you have gathered all these necessary candle-making equipment, you can start making your homemade soy wax candle. Following is a step-by-step guide to soy candle making.
Heat the water in a double boiler and melt the wax completely:
Take a large pot and then add a few inches of water into it. After that, turn on the stove to medium heat. Take a pouring pot and then pour soy wax flakes into it. By applying a double boiler style, place the pot into that larger pot of water.
If you want to calculate how much wax you need for a candle, then you can flip over the container to check the ounces it holds or check for labels. The capacity of the jar is mostly printed on mugs and jars, but if you don’t find this, then you can fill water into the container. To get the total ounces, you can pour the water into a measuring cup.
When the wax begins to melt, take a wooden spoon and stir it until all the wax flakes have melted completely.
Add dyes to the melted wax:
If you want to make colorful soy candles, you can add dyes or colors at this point when the wax is transparent. Candle dye blocks or candle liquid dyes are two options you can purchase for coloring your soy wax candles.
You should choose dye blocks for darker or more vibrant colors, and for lighter or pastel shades, you should select liquid dyes. Liquid dyes are best for making a DIY candle. These are easy to use as they are all already in liquid form.
Make sure to stir the color in thoroughly before adding any scent. Recommended temperature to add dye to wax is around 185 degrees F by candle makers. You must add dye to wax when it is at its hottest temperature to gain the best outcomes. Don't use crayons as an alternative to dye in candle making, as you didn't get the ideal result by adding crayons instead of dye.
Turn off the flame and allow the wax to cool to a lower temperature:
Remove from heat and let the soy wax cool for about five to ten minutes. If you have a candle thermometer available, then you should check the temperature; the ideal temperature is about 130 to 140 degrees F.
Add essential oil or fragrance oil to make scented candles:
If you want to make a fragrant candle, pour in the fragrance you want to use. Before adding fragrance, make sure your wax is removed from heat; otherwise, the scent will evaporate from wax.
In this guide, I’m using essential oil is used, but you can also use fragrance oil. Take one ounce of fragrance oil for every pound of wax. In drop measurement, you can add 20 drops of essential oil or 15 drops of fragrance oil. The size of the candle should be small to medium size.
If you want to make intensely scented candles, then use fragrance oil. Fragrance oils are non-natural chemical-based oils. But if you want a natural and long-lasting fragrance, then you can choose essential oil. Recommended temperature to add oil to your candle wax is around 180° F – 185° F by candle makers.
Prepare the candle container and attach the wick:
You can add a metal tab and a wick to your container during the time wax is being cooled down. You can also assemble two or more wicks, but it’s totally up to you.
A tiny bit of melted wax is dripped onto the metal tab and then placed in the center of the container. When wax melts, hold into its place then the wick will stand up on its own.
You can use hot glue instead of melted wax. In some candle wick kits, there are little stickers provided that can be used to attach the tabs to the container.
Pour the wax and allow it to settle:
By avoiding wicks, pour waxes into containers. It will take 12 to 24 hours to set up completely. You have to wait for this complete setup before moving or handling it. The best time for this setup is overnight.
It’s ready to use on becoming fully hardened. Before using, you must have to trim the wick to ¼ inch. This trimming takes place before every lightening of the candle. This trimming is done to make candle burning even and safe.
Tips to avoid frosting and air pockets:
If you want to get perfect smooth candle tops every time, you should use the heat gun. A heat gun is very useful in eliminating frosting. The frosting is the white stuff that appears on the surface of waxes containing soy wax usually.
A heat gun is handy as it does not blow the heat around just like other tools and is small in size. After the candle settles up, if its top surface has any craters or cracks, then you should turn on the heat gun around the entire candle in a circular motion. Avoid the wick in this practice. After this, set it up on a smooth surface for around an hour.
If you want to prevent air pockets when making soy wax candles, you can pour your wax at a temperature 5 degrees below or above your pouring temperature. You can also gently tap the container against the surface to release air bubbles. It will lower the chances of candle cracking.
What should you do with leftover soy wax?
If you have some leftover melted wax and want to make the most out of it, then you should adopt environment-friendly ways. You can make small additional candles with it. If this leftover wax is in its hardened form, then you can use it in oil burners too. This leftover wax can be used next time candle making too.
You can use leftover wax to make your wax cubes for use in a wax warmer. But make sure you use the scented cubes for scent warmers; otherwise, it will affect the efficiency of the candle warmer. Before adding new wax to the warmer, you should remove leftover wax first.
You can melt leftover wax on the stove or heat plate. First of all, fill around half full of a large pan with water and place it on a heating device. Place your wax in a smaller pan. Put your smaller pan in the large pan and heat over medium heat until the wax has been melted.
I hope this soy wax candle tutorial was helpful to you and provides answers to all your questions. I just wished I could convince you to make a homemade soy wax candle. But if you have any questions, leave them in the comments.
