Wax blends

[Withney]

H! Thank you for getting back to me.

At the moment I am using soy wax but it doesn't have a strong hot throw, reading your commends on other posts, I can see that you have agreed that this is not suitable for scented candles.

I am thinking about using Rapeseed wax instead, hoping for a better outcome. I can use my soy wax on other hand-made items.

The soy wax I am currently using is called Eco Soy, this leave the surface of the candle very smooth I must admit. What is your opinion on Rapeseed wax please?

I am using Hemp Wicks and Glass jars @ 4oz.

 

[jcandleattic]

I've never used Rapeseed so I have no opinion on it. Sorry. Maybe someone who has better experience with it can help. Since this is an older thread, it might be better to start a new thread with your question.

 

[Aubriana]

Candle making definitely has a bigger learning curve IMO that soap making. Soap making is "easy" compared to candles. Soap making is much more forgiving when small errors are made, and are more easily remedied when the mistake occurs than in candle making.
While neither craft was an instant for me, I was able to get a great soap bar to market in a much faster time frame than I was a great candle.
With that being said, candle making is my first love when it comes to crafting. I just love it. And with all the soy problems that EVERYONE is seeming to be dealing with, I am so so glad I never jumped on that soy wagon. I hated working with soy the first time I tried it - it was way too picky for my taste.

May I ask what type of wax you use? I've been making HP soaps and my sons have been prodding me to make candles. They think candles would sell better than bar soap. After doing some research, I realized that candlemaking is as much a "science" has soapmaking. One son told me to go with soy. I don't want to use paraffin. I have some beeswax from experimenting with lip balms, and thought about blending soy and beeswax.... I haven't yet tried to make the first candle. Not sure I should even attempt it...

 

[jcandleattic]

May I ask what type of wax you use? I've been making HP soaps and my sons have been prodding me to make candles. They think candles would sell better than bar soap. After doing some research, I realized that candlemaking is as much a "science" has soapmaking. One son told me to go with soy. I don't want to use paraffin. I have some beeswax from experimenting with lip balms, and thought about blending soy and beeswax.... I haven't yet tried to make the first candle. Not sure I should even attempt it...

Why not paraffin?
My candles are either paraffin or palm waxes, (not mixed but as stand alone's)
HP soap is a breeze to make compared to candles.

As I said I don't work with soy, hate the wax, so have no input for that wax, and only make dipped tapers out of beeswax.
I wouldn't say my candles sell better than soap, honestly it just depends on which show I'm at, and what season it is. It all depends on your market and who your target audience is.

 

[Aubriana]

Why not paraffin?
My candles are either paraffin or palm waxes, (not mixed but as stand alone's)
HP soap is a breeze to make compared to candles.

As I said I don't work with soy, hate the wax, so have no input for that wax, and only make dipped tapers out of beeswax.
I wouldn't say my candles sell better than soap, honestly it just depends on which show I'm at, and what season it is. It all depends on your market and who your target audience is.

Thank you, jccandleattic. From what I've read online, paraffin wax, creates highly toxic benzene and toluene when burned (both are known carcinogens). The toxins released from paraffin candles are the same as those found in diesel fuel fumes. Beexwax, on the other hand, is touted to purify the air and remove allergens, but it's pricey. I didn't look into Palm wax, though. Thanks for the tip!

 

[Megan]

Thank you, jccandleattic. From what I've read online, paraffin wax, creates highly toxic benzene and toluene when burned (both are known carcinogens). The toxins released from paraffin candles are the same as those found in diesel fuel fumes. Beexwax, on the other hand, is touted to purify the air and remove allergens, but it's pricey. I didn't look into Palm wax, though. Thanks for the tip!

So, burning anything is going to create issues with pollutants in the air. I personally like soy wax because I believe it is marginally better for the environment, and yes, marginally better in terms of VOCs, etc. created....As for the claims to beeswax, from a quick google search I can almost guarantee this is false.

 

[jcandleattic]

Thank you, jccandleattic. From what I've read online, paraffin wax, creates highly toxic benzene and toluene when burned (both are known carcinogens). The toxins released from paraffin candles are the same as those found in diesel fuel fumes. Beexwax, on the other hand, is touted to purify the air and remove allergens, but it's pricey. I didn't look into Palm wax, though. Thanks for the tip!

As Megan said, the touts about beeswax are false, it will not "purify" air while at the same time putting smoke emissions into the air, that is just an impossibility. Natural waxes just seem to burn cleaner because the soot and emissions let out is white/grey and not black like with paraffin. Doesn't mean it's not there, it truly is.
There have also been several hundred studies done by unbiased researchers that disprove the claims of the severity toxins released by burning a paraffin candle. They are no more harmful than any other wax that is burned and will release emissions into the air. Problem is soy wax marketers did a better job of getting their erroneous "facts" published as the end all be all truth, that to find the actual truth and not just opinion or sales pitches by marketers, or parrots that will repeat what they've heard without real factual research, you have to dig much deeper than the average person will go.
I personally don't believe that soy is any better for the environment than any other form of wax manufacturing. All waxes need to go through a manufacturing process for it to become wax. All not great for the environment.

 

[jens7lil1s]

LOL-I don't do candles but it probably is the same. Just a thought as a consumer, I avoid paraffin now because it makes a lot of soot -I try to just burn beeswax (unscented) or soy (scented).

This actually isn’t true as long as you use the proper wick. Parrafin is much more refined now then it was years and years ago. All of that was a marketing ploy trying to get people to favor soy.

 

[NsMar42111]

This actually isn’t true as long as you use the proper wick. Parrafin is much more refined now then it was years and years ago. All of that was a marketing ploy trying to get people to favor soy.

In my case, it's experience not a marketing ploy. I couldn't figure out why everything was dirty/dusty in a certain area but not others until I realized that's where I burn candles the most. Tried beeswax based candles and the residue went way down. Did some reading, tried out soy blends, they aren't as clean as the beeswax but cleaner than the paraffin based ones-in my experience. I still prefer beeswax but it's not readily avaiable in scents I like .