Preparing for Soy Candle Making

If you remember a while back, I promised a soy candle making tutorial.  Well, I have taken my time to really find the most efficient and earth friendly way to present this overwhelming amount of information.  In fact, I find it so overwhelming that I will be presenting this tutorial in a 2-part blog.  In order to incorporate your upcycled elements you will have to do a bit of work to gather your supplies so I thought that I would start there.

Pure soy candles have a very low melting point.  That means that, unlike paraffin, the entire top of your candle becomes a pool of melted wax when the wick is burning.  For this reason, pure soy candles need to be housed in a container.  This is the fun part! 

Start collecting glass containers from anywhere you can find.  In the picture to the right you'll see that I have a B&M baked bean jar, sake cups, water goblets and some miscellaneous heart shaped containers.  Most of these were yard sale items and many mismatched pieces that wouldn't find much use elsewhere.  A word of caution when selecting your containers:  If you pick clear glass, I recommend selecting glass that is textured.  Why? Wet spots will happen, even in soy candles sold in retail stores.  Don't worry, there is nothing wrong with your candle and it isn't actually wet, it will just look like the wax didn't ever dry in one spot.  It isn't very pretty and it will bug you, the texture disguises it.

You'll also want to start collecting containers for mixing and melting your wax.  Soy wax is super easy to melt in the microwave....yes, the microwave!  So hit the thrift shops and yard sales in pursuit of large glass measuring cups.  You can not only melt your wax in these but they are easy to pour from as well.  Plastic will start to deform as it holds that hot liquid so definitely stick with the glass.

I found it easiest (after trying many different methods) to melt all of my wax in one container and then pour it and any essential oils in separate containers.  The containers that I chose were upcycled as well.  I saved coffee cans and other large tin food containers.  Be very careful that you take a minute to file down the sharp point that is formed at the location where you snapped the lid off.  It is really sharp and you'll feel it when you're cleaning up.  The cans are also really easy to tap with a hammer to form a pouring spout, kind of like the one on the coffee can to the left.

What else will you need?  Here's a list:
1.  Soy wax - here is my two cents.  If you're going to spend the money on soy, go 100% pure soy.  Soy blends will allow you to make pillars and such but it is not as natural as it could be and look what happened to my experimental batch (it's called frosting, but your candle tops should be smooth as a babies bottom!):

 

I would also encourage you to really think about the amount of wax you will need.  I bought a 2 pound bag at the craft store for $10 and that was for the blend.  I bought 50 pounds of 100% pure soy wax online and (including the $25 dollar shipping fee) only ended up paying $2 per pound. 

2.  A digital scale.  Yes you need it, I fought it and regretted it!

3.  A thermometer.  Save your money and just buy a regular kitchen thermometer no need for a specialized candle making one.  Your wax shouldn't get much above 150 degrees.

4.  Fragrance and color if you choose to use either of them.

5.  And don't forget your wicks!  Opt for the all cotton wicks for a clean burn.  Remember a lot of those metal cores have lead in them.

So there you have it, your shopping list.  Start gathering your supplies and meet me back here for part 2 this weekend and we'll get those candles burnin'.

Soy vs. Other Candle Waxes

For the past several months I've been collecting glass jars from friends, family, strangers....just about anyone.  While I have some plans for all those clear jars, my mom gave me a bunch of really great brown jars that I can't do much with in the way of decorating.  So I had this wild and crazy idea that I would just throw together some candles.  I have never made candles before but I figured, "I'm crafty, how hard can it be?"   So I walked the isles of my local craft store and bought a bag of soy wax and then I did some research.  Yeah, I know that's a little backwards but I realized then that I had a lot to learn.

While I work out the kinks of this latest upcycling adventure I thought I should definitely share what I learned because what I learned convinced me to never BUY another candle.  I'll share my upcycled candle making tutorial another time.  For now please use the following information as guidance only.  Like I said, I've never made candles before now but was shocked by what I learned and thought others would benefit from it.  So without further ado...

There are some health benefits to soy versus other waxes such as paraffin, which is the most common type of candle wax.
1. Soy is a natural substance derived from the soy bean.  When a soy candle burns it burns clean.  Other waxes are likely petroleum based and release carcinogens into your home.  Need proof?  Take a look at the glass around any of the non-soy jar candles in your home.  See all the black stuff around the rim?  That is soot produced from the burning of petroleum.

2.  Often candlemakers are aware of the health benefits of soy and look to make all aspects of their candles healthier.  The wicks of non-soy candles often contain led or other metal cores.  On the other hand, soy wicks are likely made of cotton.  If you choose soy, be sure to pay attention to this detail.  There's no sense in burning led in your home when there are healthier alternatives.

3.  Soy wax has a low melting point so it doesn't need to get quite so hot in order to melt.  If you accidentally get it on you, either while you're making or burning candles, it won't burn your skin like paraffin would.

Some environmental benefits:
1. Soy beans are grown mostly in the United States so the environmental impact of shipping is reduced as opposed to other waxes that come from oil producing countries.

2.  Cleaner burning candles means less carcinogens in the air.

Better ingredients make better end products:
1.  Watch any of your non-soy candles burn and you'll see a hole burrow through the candle around the wick.  That's because you're burning just the wick.  In a soy candle when the wick burns it burns off the  candle; the wax. As a soy candle burns it leaves a beautiful wax pool that solidifies to a nearly even surface when the wick is extinguished instead of a hole in the center of the candle.

2.  While you may suffer a moment of sticker shock, in the long run soy will save you money.  Pure burning soy will last at least twice as long as a paraffin candle.

So there's what I learned.  Wish me luck, I have my first batch cooling!