Making candles is not just melting wax, throwing a wick in there and you're done. There are many factors involved in making a good candle. First, you have to decide what kind of wax to use - paraffin? Soy? Beeswax? Coconut? or a Blend?
After doing hours of research, I decided that I wanted to make coconut soy candles for a couple of reasons. First, the soy wax that I use is a 100% natural soy bean wax, made from a renewable resource. This means that my wax started off as a bunch of soy beans, and by a process called hydrogenation, the oil from the soy bean was turned into wax. Soy wax has passed many federal regulations to be granted the title "clean burning". Coconut wax is even cleaner burning then the soy wax, and will hold the fragrance even better than soy. Making this blend an even better choice for Sugars Wax N Wicks.
The other option that I was considering was a paraffin wax. Paraffin is popular with more commercial brands. It too has passed regulations to carry the title of "clean burning". Paraffin waxes are petroleum based and made from crude oil (or fossil fuel), which is basically decomposed plant and animal products that lived under water years and years ago. There is a refinement process that these products go through that make paraffin wax.
Paraffin has gotten a bad rap over the years, with statements that it is "toxic" because of the chemicals it gives off in the air. And even though this is true, the amount released is not harmful to people. And in reality, any candle can give off some type of particle in the air, soy included. If you are someone who is highly sensitive to smoke or smell, any candle may be bothersome to you.
The number one reason why I chose coco- soy was for how long the candle lasts. Coco- Soy wax needs a higher temperature to burn, therefore it burns longer. Now, it may take longer for you to smell the fragrance of the candle than if you were burning a paraffin candle, but a soy candle is going to last longer and can have the same scent throw as a paraffin candle, if done right. We test our candles with several different percentages of fragrance to bring you the most fragrant candle we can provide.
So that is it! Soy was my choice and I have a great time working with it! My family, friends and customers all love our candles and wax melts so give them a try and let me know what you think!
Until next time - stay positive in life, love yourself and others!