How to Select the Best Natural Wax for Making Candles

Selecting the best natural wax for making candles is important and knowing what types of natural waxes are available and when to use each one will assist you in determining the best natural wax for you to use.

 First, it is important for you to know what type of candles you want to make. For example, you would use a different natural wax for container candles than you would for taper candles. You would also want to know the different characteristics of the different natural waxes, such as is the wax easy to work with, does the wax require little to no additives or does the wax have a wonderful natural scent? These are questions you should know the answer to before choosing the natural wax for your candles.

 Listed below are different natural waxes and their characteristics. This should help you determine the best wax to use:

1. Soy Wax

 Soy wax is made from soybeans and it is an all natural vegetable wax. Because it is made from vegetable wax, it burns cleaner and cooler than the other natural waxes. It contains less toxins and carcinogens but it does tend to be a bit more expensive the the other natural candle waxes. Because soy wax is made from soybeans, this is a favorite.

 However, soy wax needs additives to make the wax look rright and to increase the fragrance. Soy wax is a favorite because it offers environmental benefits, but it can be tricky to work with. You may not want to start with this type of wax until you become proficient with the candle making process.

2. Beeswax

 Beeswax is great to use for candles because candles made from beeswax burn the longest. However, because of that, beeswax is one of the most expensive natural waxes. The most common use for beeswax is to in making taper candles. But most people find it too expensive to use for most other types of candles.

One way to get the benefits of using beeswax but also cut down on the cost is to blend the beeswax with other types of waxes. You can experiment with blending the beeswax with other natural waxes until you find something that works for you.

3. Palm Wax

The third type of natural wax is palm wax. Palm wax is derived from palm trees. However, palm wax is also very expensive.

4. The fourth type of natural wax is bayberry wax which is made from the berries of bayberry bushes. It is a very hard wax and has a natural bayberry fragrance. This type of wax can also be a little expensive.

 To select the best natural wax for your candles, consider your personal preferences and also who you are making your candles for. If you feel strongly about using a vegetable-based product, then the soy, beeswax, palm or bayberry waxes would be good choices for you. If you are making candles to sell, then you need to determine who you will be selling your candles to and use the appropriate natural wax.