Take a long sniff because you just might've found your new favorite candle scent! But before you burn it, what are the chances you're going to check the label to see what exactly it's made out of? Some people don't necessarily care, as long as it smells good. Well, it turns out that mass production candle corporations might have soy as a single ingredient in their candles, that's not the only thing that's in there. Making it the reason that some of the company's candles can be toxic to households. This is why we want to offer full transparency and explain why we use soy wax for our products, but most importantly, our candles.
What is soy wax?
Soy wax comes from the oils of soybeans. Once the beans are harvested, they are then cleaned, cracked, de-hulled, and then rolled into flakes. The oil is extracted from the flakes and hydrogenated. The hydrogenation process converts some of the fatty acids in the oil from unsaturated to saturated. This process alters the melting point of the oil, which in turn, makes it solid at room temperature. What is left of the bean husks will be then turned into different things, but most commonly, they will be used in animal feed. Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa grow a majority of soy beans not only in the states, but also worldwide.
Why choose soy wax?
There are many benefits that come with soy wax candles, such as soy wax candles have a longer burn time compared to other types of wax. This is because of their lower melting point. They also produce less soot compared to paraffin wax candles when burning. Soy wax candles offer a great cold throw. What this means is they admit a faint scent even when they aren't being lit. Nothing that would be too overwhelming. They are also a great natural choice while also being vegan, making them safe to burn around dogs and other pets you may have within your household!
Properties of soy wax
You bought a candle, but how do you know if it's made fully of soy wax or not? One of the properties to soy wax candles, mainly in colored ones, is the added frosting. Frosting will take place within a few weeks after a candle is fully cured. Frosting does not affect the burning or fragrance of a candle.
Another property is, once they're lit for a while and then cool back down, the wax won't be completely even on top, having some bumpy, uneven patches. This, again, doesn't affect the burning or fragrance of a candle. Instead, they are just more aesthetic, unavoidable problems.
It's cool learning about how deep you can get into what makes a candle a candle, looking specifically at its main ingredient of the different kinds of wax. This is why we chose to use soy wax when we started making our products. So, regardless of the scent you choose, just know that all of our candles are made with 100% soy wax with no additional additives that would throw off any balances.