Q.
What is a soy container candle? A.
Soy wax container candles are made from a natural product, hydrogenated soybean oil.
The hydrogenation process allows the oils to solidify at room temperature.
Q.
What is soy container wax? A.
Soy container wax is made from soy bean oil.
Soy bean oil is extracted from soy beans that are initially cleaned, de-hulled and converted into flakes.
Most soy beans used to produce soy wax are harvested from the United States throughout the Midwest part of the country.
Q.
Can soy pillar candles be made with soy container wax? A.
Soy wax used to pour container candles has a lower melting point (115-125 degrees) and cannot be used to make free standing candles.
Additives and other waxes may be added to the soy for pillar manufacturing.
Q.
What are the characteristics of a container candle made with soy wax? A.
The wax is opaque and creamy in nature.
These qualities make a beautiful finished candle.
Candle dye may be added to achieve a pastel shades.
Tinting to a dark shade is challenging because of the large amounts of dye required.
Q.
How does a soy container candle burn? A.
Soy candles that are manufactured with the correct sized wick, should burn from edge to edge with no waxy residue left on the sides of the container.
When burning, you will notice that the melted wax pool will be slightly deeper as compared to a paraffin candle.
Expect a melt pool of at least 1/4" to 1/2" deep.
The melt pool is the release point for the fragrance.
Q.
Are soy container candles soot free? A.
All well-made candles that are burning appropriately should emit little to no soot.
Soot comes from non-combustion at the wick.
Disturbing the candle's flame or an untrimmed wick will also cause soot.
Q.
Will I be able to smell the fragrance when the candle is burning? A.
Reputable candle makers spend numerous hours testing fragrances to insure scent throw, some fragrances do well in soy and some fall short.
Wax manufactures provide guidelines on the amount of fragrance a specific wax can hold and most candle makers adhere to these guidelines by adding the maximum amount of scent.
Too much fragrance will result in a candle that burns improperly.
Q.
Are soy container candles completely natural? A.
Soy candle made with plant based fragrance oils, dyes and natural additives would qualify, but soy candles made with synthetic fragrance oils and chemical dyes would not.
Emerging on the scene are soy blend candles which contain a mix of soy and paraffin waxes.