Candle Making Wax

Today, with the growing popularity of candle making, candle making wax has made strides to become better, more available, and with more diversity than before. Changes have been made to candle making wax, in order to keep up with the changing demands of people.

Most of the wax used in candles today is refined from petroleum like paraffin wax. This is the type of candle making wax that is in most candles. The most inexpensive and easily available wax is paraffin wax. Other types of waxes are natural and refined from vegetable or plant materials like soy, palm, or bayberry.

A natural candle making wax growing in popularity is soy based wax. It is processed by hydrogenating soybeans which makes them suitable for candles. Soy wax is a renewable resource that is eco-friendly. The states of Illinois, Iowa and Indiana in the United States are the major producers of soybeans and hence, it is a positive aspect.

Palm wax is also a natural and renewable resource for candle making wax. Unfortunately with the growing popularity of palm wax, countries like Indonesia and Malaysia are clearing out vast areas of rainforest in order to plant palm plantations. This is devastating to ecosystems and compromises the populations of endangered animals like orangutans, rhinoceroses and the Sumatran tiger.

Thankfully, the WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) stepped in and founded RSPO. Developing and defining sustainable palm cultivation is the major objective of this organization. They assist in implementing and verifying the procedures for member organizations as well. So when you are shopping for palm candle making wax make sure that they are obtaining the wax in an eco-friendly way.

Some candles are made from animal based materials like beeswax. Candles made from beeswax, palm, and bayberry were offered by companies in the past. Recently there has been a new and growing interest in making candles out of these natural products. One of the more popular natural candle making waxes is beeswax. It is offered in white and yellow. Because of its flavor, burning characteristics and rigidity, candle makers are finding it more attractive, although it can be expensive.

Gel candles are also a new kind of way to make candles. It is a clear, rubbery texture but works the same as wax. Gel candle making wax is available in three different densities. The density of the gel that the candle requires depends upon the type of candle you are planning to make and how much fragrance you are planning to use.

For a fragrance load of 0-3%, low density gel wax is preferable. Even at a lower temperature, the low density wax can be used. The medium density gel wax works well with candles that have a 3-5% fragrance load. It is possibly the most popular gel candle making wax. If the fragrance load is heavy, high density gel wax can be used.

With so many different kinds of candle making wax available, candle makers are able to pick the type that works best for them. The candle maker would get double, triple or even quadruple the fulfillment out of the candle making, if they are able to understand the nature of each kind of wax.