The Top 5 Candle Making Wax -- Get To Identify Them Better

The candle wax industry has reached greater heights -- more and more people are into the fun and gratifying craft of creating candles, and because of this, the need for more candle making wax has never been greater than it is today. The passage of time has also contributed to the increase in diversity of candle making from designs to components. People are never satisfied and are always clamoring for the "in" thing, and this fact alone has led candle wax producers to develop their products.

There's an old aphorism that goes this way - "Progress springs from the acknowledgement of your roots". Let's get to identify the various waxes that are used to make candles.

If you are new to candle making, you will discover that the first decision you should make is determining what type of candle making wax to use.

Candle wax is normally available in 4 forms:

• Paraffin Wax
• Soy Wax
• Beeswax
• Gel Wax
• Palm Wax

Paraffin Wax

Paraffin wax is one of the most flexible and most popular waxes today. It is typically available in several melt points which are handy for several applications similar to pillars, containers and votives.A trip to the local store will tell you that most of the candles available out there are based in paraffin. However, you'll soon find out that paraffin wax is not widely used to all. Paraffin wax is a by-product of crude oil, and eco - friendly folks often tag it as "bad" just because it is a cousin of petroleum. Just because it is related to petroleum doesn't automatically tag it as toxic.

Soy Wax

This kind of wax is a newbie in the industry, but more and more people are choosing soy among the other wax kinds. With the influx of demand for "natural" candles escalating, soy wax was developed in the early 90s as an option/option to the petroleum-conceived paraffin, and the eco - friendly, but costly, beeswax. Similar to paraffin, soy wax comes in a multitude of blends and melting points, though container blends are the the majority widely used soy waxes. A vast majority of the soy waxes are made from pure soybean oil while the others are mixed 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 have been discovered withi the pyramids of Egypt. It was the ancient man's first plastic and for many years has been primarily used as a modeling material. Beeswax is a wonderful by-product of making honey. The bees excrete the wax into "combs" for the purpose of incubating their larvae. As a result, beeswax produces a sweet fragrance which differs based on the kind of plants or flowers that the bees consume. After it is harvested, the beeswax is melted and filtered numerous times. Beeswax can be bought in blocks or slabs, very much like paraffin.

Gel Wax

In reality, gel wax is not a wax at all, it is an fascinating mixture of mineral oil and resin. The Penreco Company owns the patent for this particular wax kind. Gel wax is like to other wax varieties in many ways. It burns, melts, has color and scent. The only differentiator lies in its transparency that fosters for a completely different variety of candles. Way back, gel wax is normally used for container candles. Recently, however, new gel that is strong enough to make pillars has been released into the market.

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. 75% of palm oil is harvested on a worldwide scale and is used as a component in food. The remaining 25% is used for other commercial and and agricultural products. Palm wax is also popular as a component in villars and votives mainly because it is very firm and brittle. Palm wax creates superb-looking candles because of its transparency. Palm wax can also be used in conjunction with soy wax to make it more solid while still maintaining its natural qualities.

The availability of different candle making wax provides candle makers with more choices, making it easier for them to choose the medium that will serve them best. A good understanding of the different wax kinds will help you appreciate this satisfying and enjoyable craft better.

By: Kim Montgomery

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Kim Montgomery loves candles and is passionate about sharing that love with others. Discover more professional techniques and secrets about candle making wax and all that you need to know about creating your own perfect candles with her popular free ecourse, available at => www.candlemakingshop-onalbertstreet.com/