Candle Making|
Oct
23
Filed Under (Little Fingers) by Kert
Angelic Ventura asked:
Lately, a ton of people have showed interest in candle making. Because of this recent flocking to the craft, candle making suppliers are under pressure to not only improve upon items commonly used, but to come up with new options that are just as viable as the traditional ones. Luckily, those who sell candle making wax have met our expectations.
Paraffin candle making wax is a classic example. As a byproduct of petroleum processing, there is no shortage of it and is therefore relatively inexpensive to get your hands on. As the petroleum distillation process continues to be improved upon, so does the quality of paraffin wax obtained. Even though it is an indirect improvement, the fact of the matter is the paraffin wax of today is of a higher quality than the paraffin wax of 20 years ago and will just continue to increase in quality as time goes on.
We can look at the much newer palm candle making wax as another example. When people figured out that you can get candle wax out of palm trees, people in countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia cut down giant swatches of rain forest, home to many endangered species, just to plant their palm plantations.
Luckily, before the ecosystem damage went too far, the World Wide Fund for Nature stepped in and created the RSPO. The RSPO is an organization responsible for defining techniques to improve palm wax production. They also found ways that the plantation owners could still plant their palm trees and get their palm candle making wax, but without any ecosystem destruction. That is why if you purchase palm wax for your candles, you should be sure that the company you buy from is RSPO approved.
Soy candle wax has recently risen in the popular candle making wax ranks as well. Made from hydrogenated soy beans, it is both a renewable resource and actually more eco-friendly than petroleum based waxes. It does have it’s limitations, being a bit softer than paraffin wax, but it behaves exactly the same. So if you’re looking for a slightly cleaner burning candle, soy wax is what I would recommend.
There are several other candle making waxes available. You could use beeswax for your candle making, which has a natural fragrance, is sturdy and also burns very cleaning. Gel wax is another option. A lot of people like using gel wax because with the higher densities you can actually suspend decorations in the wax making for some truly beautiful candles. If you choose gel wax though, you have to realize that the higher the density you choose, the longer the wax will take to melt and the harder it will be to pour into your mold.
As you can see, there are quite a variation of candle making waxes to choose from today. In order to make the right decision for which is right for your project, you may need to do a bit of research, but once you find the perfect wax for you, the little bit of time invested is well worth the result.
NED
Lately, a ton of people have showed interest in candle making. Because of this recent flocking to the craft, candle making suppliers are under pressure to not only improve upon items commonly used, but to come up with new options that are just as viable as the traditional ones. Luckily, those who sell candle making wax have met our expectations.
Paraffin candle making wax is a classic example. As a byproduct of petroleum processing, there is no shortage of it and is therefore relatively inexpensive to get your hands on. As the petroleum distillation process continues to be improved upon, so does the quality of paraffin wax obtained. Even though it is an indirect improvement, the fact of the matter is the paraffin wax of today is of a higher quality than the paraffin wax of 20 years ago and will just continue to increase in quality as time goes on.
We can look at the much newer palm candle making wax as another example. When people figured out that you can get candle wax out of palm trees, people in countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia cut down giant swatches of rain forest, home to many endangered species, just to plant their palm plantations.
Luckily, before the ecosystem damage went too far, the World Wide Fund for Nature stepped in and created the RSPO. The RSPO is an organization responsible for defining techniques to improve palm wax production. They also found ways that the plantation owners could still plant their palm trees and get their palm candle making wax, but without any ecosystem destruction. That is why if you purchase palm wax for your candles, you should be sure that the company you buy from is RSPO approved.
Soy candle wax has recently risen in the popular candle making wax ranks as well. Made from hydrogenated soy beans, it is both a renewable resource and actually more eco-friendly than petroleum based waxes. It does have it’s limitations, being a bit softer than paraffin wax, but it behaves exactly the same. So if you’re looking for a slightly cleaner burning candle, soy wax is what I would recommend.
There are several other candle making waxes available. You could use beeswax for your candle making, which has a natural fragrance, is sturdy and also burns very cleaning. Gel wax is another option. A lot of people like using gel wax because with the higher densities you can actually suspend decorations in the wax making for some truly beautiful candles. If you choose gel wax though, you have to realize that the higher the density you choose, the longer the wax will take to melt and the harder it will be to pour into your mold.
As you can see, there are quite a variation of candle making waxes to choose from today. In order to make the right decision for which is right for your project, you may need to do a bit of research, but once you find the perfect wax for you, the little bit of time invested is well worth the result.
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NED
