Softening soy wax with oils?

[rainne]

Hello --

I ordered a supply of soy flakes online after finding that the wax from my soy candle is a soothing treatment for my eczema.

The order arrived with wax flakes that seem harder and slower to melt than that in those original candles. The supplier's website says the wax I ordered has a melt point of 125 degrees F.

I'm wondering about adding a touch of some kind of oil to soften the wax and lower the melt point. Soy oil makes sense but that would require more shopping. Alternately, I have olive, grape seed, sesame, coconut, castor and a bit of apricot kernel oils on hand. I'm not planning to use any essential oils in the wax at all, I'm only interested in adjusting its texture, not adding scent.

I am assuming that the qualities of the finished candle with be the same as the flakes it is made from is that right? That melting the wax once won't change its nature at all, will it?

Thanks for any help you can give me.

 

[Hazel]

Are you making a massage candle? If so, the recipes I've seen for them have all included some type of oil. However, I've always seen an ecosoya 135 wax recommended which has a low melting point but not too much lower than the wax you have bought. You don't want to have it so high the wax is too hot for the skin. But it's also a wax which has been tested to be safe for the skin and is also cosmetic grade.

I've seen massage candles with grapeseed oil so that should work. On the other hand, the other oils should work fine, too. I think apricot kernel would be lovely for a massage candle.

After I wrote this reply, I checked my notes and found I had saved links to recipes for massage candles. Now I know why I knew about the soy wax. I'm such a blonde. :roll:

http://www.voyageursoapandcandle.com/How_to_Make_Massage_Candles_s/339.htm

http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-b...nd-scrubs/soap-queen-tv-2010-season-begins-2/

I'm sure there are other recipes if you google about massage candle recipes.

 

[cmzaha]

My problem with massage candles was always the soot. Now I find out it is added oils that cause sooting problems. I have the owner of a candle supply company and manufacturer working on a massage candle for me and he is really close to a really nice one with no sooting problems. He has the knowledge to know what oils and percentages will work with the soy. Next I am going to see how much info I can get out of him and if he is going to give me the formula. He is one on my market buddies

 

[Lin]

I read the post as she found a soy wax candle was good for her skin, so she bought soy wax, but rather than making a massage candle is wanting to use the wax to make a balm? If so, yes you can add oil to the wax to make it into a balm. Or lotion bar. You can look up recipes for beeswax balms or lotion bars and swap out the soy wax for the beeswax to get started.

 

[rainne]

This is all brilliant information. Thank you all so much.

I'm not really sure if I want a candle or a balm. I'd use it primarily as a balm but candles have some recreational as well as therapeutic value, so there's that. I'm just glad to have it confirmed that a bit of oil can be mixed in with the wax and that a number of oils will work OK for the purpose.

I just checked the supplier's webpage and the wax I ordered is rated safe for skin, so that was lucky.

I'll be wary of the soot problem. Perhaps I'll aim for something between a regular soy candle and a massage candle as a compromise between clean-burning and softer.