subject: Soy Candles: Clean, Cooler And Long Lasting [print this page] Soy Candles: Clean, Cooler And Long Lasting
There are a multitude of reasons why soy candles are quickly becoming the most popular type of candle. For one, more and more people are starting to make greener choices and buying soy candles instead of paraffin candles is certainly a greener choice. Not only that but they burn better than paraffin candles. There are 3 reasons for this. Soy candles burn cleaner, cooler and longer.
Soy candles are cleaner.
Perhaps the most important reason is that soy candles burn cleaner. Paraffin candles can produce soot when they are burned because paraffin is derived from petroleum. The wax used in soy candles is derived from soy beans. When you burn soy wax, you produce very little soot. Therefore, the air is cleaner, the walls are cleaner (paraffin candles can leave black residue on the walls and ceiling), and you are cleaner!
Have you ever burned a paraffin jar candle and seen the entire interior of the jar covered in a nasty black residue? Although you should burn all candles in well ventilated areas, you can see why that is much more important for paraffin candles. If you want cleaner lungs, you might want to consider switching to soy.
Soy candles burn much cooler.
Soy wax has a much lower melting point than paraffin. Pure soy wax melts at about 110 F to 115 F. Soy pillar candles are actually made from a blend that generally consists of approximately 90% (or more) soy wax. The remaining 5 to 10% usually consists of beeswax or other vegetable based additives such as vegetable stearic acid and other botanical oils that serve to help the wax hold its shape. The melting point of soy pillar blends can range between 130 and 140 F.
Paraffin can have melting points of 20-40 F more than natural waxes. When you take into account that soy wax burns at a much lower temperature than paraffin, realize that paraffin tends to increase the ambient temperature of the room whereas soy wax has less of an effect on room temperature.
These are all very important factors to consider when choosing your wax. Concerning safety, it is obviously much safer when a wax burns cooler. The lower temperature prevents the wax from doing permanent damage to your belongings, not to mention you won't burn yourself nearly as badly with soy wax as you would with paraffin.
Another thing to consider is that it is much less painful if you happen to spill the wax pool directly on your skin. That extra 20 or more degrees can be the difference between a red mark and a scar. Lastly, since the wax burns at a cooler temperature, it burns longer.
Soy candles are longer burning.
This reason ranks number one economically. These days people are trying to save money and when a product lasts up to 50% longer than another product you would normally buy, then it makes fiscal sense to purchase that product. Now, soy candles are generally a bit more expensive than paraffin candles, usually by about 20 or 30%. But if a soy candle will last 50% longer - well, you do the math. The soy candle, in terms of usage is actually cheaper than the paraffin candle.
