What is Soy Wax and Why is it so Great?
Soy Wax
What is Soy Wax?
Soy wax is a vegetable wax made from the oil of soybeans. After harvesting, the beans are cleaned, cracked, de-hulled, and rolled into flakes. The oil is then extracted from the flakes and hydrogenated.
The hydrogenation process converts some of the fatty acids in the oil from unsaturated to saturated. This process dramatically alters the melting point of the oil, making it a solid at room temperature. The leftover bean husks are commonly used as animal feed.
The U.S. grows the vast majority of the world's soy beans, primarily in Illinois, Iowa, and Indiana. Our soy wax is made from soy beans grown in the USA.
Why is Soy Wax so Great?
Soy wax has a lower melting point than paraffin wax, so because of this, soy candles will burn slower and longer than paraffin candles. A well-made soy candle will burn cleanly and slowly, much to the delight of our customers. Soy wax captures and carries it's scent phenomenally.
While the performance and beauty of soy candles speak for themselves, soy wax is truly a dream. Our soy candle wax is natural, eco-friendly, renewable, American grown, sustainable, carbon neutral, clean burning; the list goes on and on. Purchasing a well made soy candle is an investment not only in your health, but also in our environment.
Reference: https://www.candlescience.com/learning/what-is-soy-wax
What about the Wicks?
Wicks
Why are some wicks bad?
Once upon a time, many scented candles on the market contained lead-core wicks. Fragrance oils soften the wax, so the manufacturers used lead to make the wicks stand firm.
Fortunately, unless you have candles more than a decade old, they probably don’t have a lead-core wick, because those were banned in 2003. A candle with a lead-core wick releases five times the amount of lead considered hazardous for children and exceeds EPA pollution standards for outdoor air, says the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Exposure to high amounts of lead has been linked to hormone disruption, behavioral problems, learning disabilities, and numerous health problems.
Why are our wicks so great?
Our ECO candle wick is a flat cotton wick braided with thin paper threads that gives the wick a rigid structure without the need for a core. In turn, our wicks are excellent and encompass good burn stability.
Reference(s):
https://www.candlescience.com/learning/what-is-soy-wax; https://www.greenamerica.org/toxic-candles
Why not Paraffin Wax Candles?
Paraffin Wax (We do not use paraffin wax in our candles!)
What is Paraffin Wax and why is it bad?
The biggest issue with other candles are toxic wax and, in the case of older candles, toxic wicks (our wicks at Ambiance are 100% cotton and non-toxic).
Look out for aromatherapy candles made of paraffin—a petroleum byproduct—which releases carcinogenic soot when burned. The soot can also cause respiratory problems and will aggravate the conditions of those who already have asthma, lung, or heart problems.
Besides endangering your health and that of your family, soot from paraffin wax can cause significant damage to the inside of your house, plus your computers, electrical appliances, and ductwork.
And if that weren’t enough, aromatherapy candles that are scented with synthetic oils release microscopic particles that can cause cancer and other health problems when inhaled.
Reference: https://www.greenamerica.org/toxic-candles
