subject: Your Options For Candle Making Wax [print this page] The acceptance of candle making carries with it a bigger demand for more candle making wax. The passage of time has also contributed to the increase in range of candle making from designs to components. People are frequently seeking the "new thing" and since wax is the primary component in candle making, new enhancements have been made to make candle making wax become better, more available, and with more diversity and assortment than before.
As the old adage goes: "Progress springs from the acknowledgment of your roots." Let's delve deeper into these assortment of waxes used in candle making.
One of the first options that an aspiring candle maker/entrepreneur is going to be faced with is what candle making wax to choose.
There are 4 varieties of candle wax available:
* Paraffin Wax
* Soy Wax
* Beeswax
* Gel Wax
* Palm Wax
Paraffin Wax
This wax kind is the a large amount widely used of all the candle wax forms. Paraffin wax is very versatile -- has a couple of melt points and can be used for many applications such as containers, pillars and containers.Majority of the commercially produced candles you buy in stores today are all paraffin - based. On the other hand, it is not universally accepted these days. This kind of wax is produced when making crude oil, and a large amount people tag it as "bad" just because it belongs to the petroleum family. Just because it is related to petroleum doesn't necessarily tag it as toxic.
Soy Wax
This wax kind is a newcomer in the candle making industry, but is already getting a lot of attention. Along with the need for natural products, soy wax was developed in the 1990s as a better option to paraffin, and the costly but eco-friendly beeswax. Similar to paraffin, soy wax comes in a large amount of blends and melting points, though container blends are the a large amount popular soy waxes. A vast majority of the soy waxes are made from pure soybean oil while the others are combined with other vegetable oils and waxes mainly coconut and palm and beeswax respectively.
Beeswax
Beeswax is the grandfather of all candle making waxes. Beeswax candles were first discovered inside the ancient Egyptian pyramids. It was the ancient man's first plastic and for many years has been primarily used as a modeling material. Bees produce Beeswax as a byproduct of making honey. The bees excrete the wax into "combs" for the purpose of incubating their larvae. The honey blend in this kind of wax enables it to produce a sweet fragrance depending on the type of plants or flowers that the bees ate. Once harvested, the beeswax undergoes filtering and melting several times. Parallel to paraffin, beeswax are available in slabs or blocks.
Gel Wax
The truth is, gel wax is not really wax. It is a nice combination of mineral oil and resin. The Penreco Company owns the patent for this particular wax type. Gel wax shares many similarities to other waxes. Like other wax kinds, it has aroma and color, melts and burns. The only difference is that gel is transparent, making it distinctly unique. Gel wax, previously, was crucial used for container candles. Today, wax suppliers have developed the wax's strength and resiliency that it can be made as pillars.
Palm Wax
Palm wax is similar to soy wax in a number of ways. Both of them are made from all-natural oil, however, palm oil is added when creating palm wax. Most of the palm oil that is produced all across the globe is utilized as a food component. The remaining 25% is used for other commercial and and agricultural products. Generally, this medium is used to make votives and villars because of its firm and brittle consistency. Palm wax creates superb-looking candles because of its transparency. It can also be blended with soy wax to make it more solid while still successfully maintaining its natural properties.
The availability of different candle making wax offers candle makers with more selections, making it easier for them to choose the medium that will serve them best. A thorough and clear understanding of each will also give way to a higher form of appreciation for the candle making industry and everything else associated with it.
