Why Buy Soy Candles?

In the more than six years that I have been making

soy candles there has been a collective 

"lightbulb moment"

in candle buyers of America.

When my friend Beverly and I first began

making and selling candles

ladies would look at us as if we

had two heads when we said the candles 

were made from soy.

"What was the difference"

they wanted 

to know.

Today, when I go out to shows with the 

candles I find a large majority are 

looking for soy candles.

This is a very good thing.

For those who are still trying to figure 

it out, let me break it down for you.

Soy wax is made from the oil found in 

soybeans.  That means that it is natural

and it is produced by our American farmers.

For that reason alone I am thrilled to support it,

however, it would not be enough to make me work 

with it or sell it to others.

Soy wax is also very clean burning.

It will not leave the sooty residue you'll 

find in petroleum based waxes.

Now, in the interest of full disclosure,

most of the candles I make have 

petroleum product added to them 

in the form of color and fragrance.

At your request I would gladly leave both out

and make you a 100% natural candle.

What I do, however, is keep the amount 

of color to a minimum and you'll find 

that most of my candles are fairly pastel 

in nature.  The white soy wax is largely 

responsible as well as my intentional minimal 

usage of the coloring.

I also choose to use natural wicking in 

all of my jar candles.

Hemp wick contains no metal.

It is a bit more likely to mushroom

but regular wick trimming easily takes 

care of that.  

(You should be trimming 

the wick of any candle you burn.)

It is well worth it for the knowledge that

your candle is as healthy as it can be.

Soy wax burns much longer than 

traditional paraffin candles.

So, while my current pricing of 

approximately $1 per ounce is higher

than the dollar type stores

$1 per candle you are 

getting something that is in 

a completely different league.

No.comparison.

A customer once brought me a candle

to refill that she purchased at 

one of "those stores".

She couldn't understand why it 

had quit burning so soon.

I found out....

Just below the waxy surface about a 

quarter of the way down

was a packed white powdery 

filler.

I couldn't believe it!

What looked to be a nice sized candle

ended up being about the amount of 

a votive.

What a sham.

If they cut corners here 

what else might they have skimped on?

You can't believe some of the things

I have seen or have been told about.

Bottom line?

Buy candles from someone you trust.

Get them fresh.

There is nothing like a candle that has

been poured in the days, weeks or months 

before you light it.

Yes, candles can actually get stale.

Buy candles from someone who 

knows how to add enough fragrance

to last the lifetime of the candle but not 

so much as to drown the wick.

There is a fine line.

Most skimp...

some inexperienced candlemakers

go overboard and cause other issues.

Another thing to watch out for...

"soy candles" that are only a small

percentage soy and mostly paraffin.

Natural soy wax has a very, very
short shelf life

before the appearance begins to change.

This makes retail sales of 100% soy wax

very challenging, therefore many producers 

of "soy candles" add paraffin to "improve" the 

appearance.  Buy them if you don't mind

the same issues already pointed out with 

paraffin, but don't buy them for the benefits

of soy.  You aren't getting them.

Finally, one of my very favorite things about

soy wax.  

It cleans up with hot soapy water!!

So much nicer than having to freeze and chip away

at the end of a waxy candle.

As a candle maker I cannot even begin 

to imagine working with that other stuff

every day.

But that is a whole other post.

What matters to you is that when your 

candle has reached its end you can remove

the wick while the wax is still liquid, 

pour any remaining wax into your trash 

can and wash your container

with dish soap and hot water.

Now, you can enjoy that container

all over again.

That is why I love to place candles into 

beautiful containers.

Its a gift that keeps on giving.

First the candle...

then the container.

I hope this information is 

helpful to someone.

Soy candles are NOT all created 

equal...so educate yourself and then 

choose wisely.