subject: What Is A Soy Candle? [print this page] Nowadays, soya beans are no longer famous as a healthy protein source for young and old. After sweeping the nation in providing healthier protein food sources, soya beans are now emerging as the more eco-friendly and cost-effective alternative to petroleum-based candles. Invented by Michael Richards in 1992, soy candles were first created in the quest of finding cheaper alternatives to beeswax. The pressing issues on the negative health effects of using petroleum-based candles resulted to the rapid growth in the demand for natural wax candles, particularly on soy candles.
Similar to beeswax candles, soy candles are made from natural soy wax. Soy wax is actually hydrogenated soybean oil. Once the soybeans are harvested, they are cleaned, de-hulled, cracked and rolled into flakes. In this phase, soya oil is produced using a special extraction technique. What follows is the hydrogenation process of the extracted oil, converting the unsaturated fats in soya oil into saturated fats. This process basically increases the melting point of the resulting oil, making it solid at room temperatures.
Soy candle manufacture has become quite a promising business venture, gradually replacing other candle types with longer lasting and health-friendly candles. Depending on the manufacturer, the physical characteristics of natural soy wax may be adjusted by adding synthetic wax paraffin. However, soy candle advocates attest that soy candles burn or last longer than plain paraffin candles.
For homemakers, candle wax spills are a common problem. With other candle types, wax spills on cloths, furniture and other home surfaces often leave oily marks that are difficult to remove. Since soy candles use natural wax, which is more agreeable to textile and wood furniture surfaces, they can easily be removed with hot soapy water. In addition, this type of candle produces less soot. Soot can gradually coat home furniture, walls and ceilings and eventually home aesthetics. Not only that, soot is actually harmful to health. Soy candles generally produce 90 percent less of the soot produced by paraffin or petroleum-based candles.
In truth, soy candles have lower melting points than paraffin candles. This quality makes them more effective as scented candles or aromatherapy candles. With lower melting point, these candles tend to create a larger size of pool of wax around the candlewick, which allow the scented elements to evaporate and disperse scents more effectively.
Along with the popularity of more environment-friendly products is the rise in demand for soy candles. Since it uses natural soy wax, it makes use of renewable resources, making use of a crop that is widely grown in the US and in other parts of the globe. Also, it produces re-usable by-products, such as the hulls that can be used as animal feeds and crop fertilizer. Also, compared to petroleum-based candles, these natural wax candles do not contribute to the increase in carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. Not only that, they are also cheaper than beeswax. In this case, soy candles can practically give other candle varieties a strong competition in the market.
Environment-friendly, cheaper, burns longer, carbon neutral, the list of the advantages of using soy candles goes on and on. When the cost of petroleum and petroleum-based products reaches all time high, the cost of natural wax candles became more and more affordable. Similar to other soybean-based products, we get nothing but cost-effective, practical and economical alternatives with soy candles.
