Candle Making Wax and Types

More and more people are now getting interested in the age old art of candle making. Hence, it’s obvious that the manufacturers of candle making wax are striving to make it better and introduce new and more interesting innovations in the candle making wax.

Paraffin wax is the main source of candle wax in the modern times. Paraffin wax is a by product of the distillation and purification of petrol. This inexpensive paraffin is then later refined and used in the candles. Though paraffin wax is available in abundance, there are other types of wax as well which are extracted from plants and vegetables. Examples include bayberry, soy and palm. Amongst these, soy is quite liked by people. This soy wax in produced by soybean hydrogenation. The benefits of using this soy wax are that’s its eco friendly and renewable source of energy. It’s abundant in some states like Indiana, Iowa and Illinois where soybean is grown in abundance.

Another renewable and natural wax is the palm wax. However, when countries like Indonesia and Malaysia discovered that palm wax was growing in popularity, they started on a mammoth project to clear up their jungles and plant palm trees. This would have been fatal for rare and endangered fauna like the Sumatran tiger, rhinoceros and orangutans. As a result the WWF or the World Wide Fund for Nature created an organization called RSPO which defines the best strategies to enhance palm wax production and plant more palm trees without harming the ecosystem. Hence, next time you buy some palm wax, ensure that it’s from an eco friendly source.

Bees wax is also used to make candles. These days it’s again gaining popularity in candle making. Qualities like hardiness, burning qualities and great fragrance make bees wax a popular choice amongst candle makers in spite of its cost.

These days gel candles are gaining new popularity. Gels are as good as wax in their texture and clarity and can be procured in three kinds of densities. The kind of gel density you would use is dependent on the amount of fragrance and the kind of candles you want to make. If you want to make candles with 0-3% fragrance, then use a low density gel wax. A medium version of 3-5% load would need a medium density gel wax and same is the case with the higher fragrance load.

These days there are umpteen choices in the kinds of wax available for candle making. All you need to do is to know them intimately and use them and enjoy your candle making to the fullest.

Ruky Walsh is a candle making expert. For more great tips on candle making wax, visit http://candlemakingtips.net.

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