Sue Ellen Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 Good morning, I am curious about something. I make only beeswax candles. Making a 100% organic beeswax candle is basically impossible and I would think that beeswax would be the closest to organic as one can get in a candle. I am not terribly familiar with either soy or paraffin waxes. I understand that by definition, it is impossible to have an organic paraffin candle – is this correct? But, is it possible to have an organic soy candle? From what I have found in making beeswax candles, the only wicks that are truly organic are the wood wicks (unfortunately these do not work with beeswax.). So if a candle has a non-wood wick, there is no way that it is organic? I wonder about this because sometimes I hear people say they can buy organic soy (or paraffin or gel or blends) candles cheaper than my beeswax candles. I don’t disagree with them, just wish them well, mostly because I don’t want to call another candle maker a liar, but is there any way that this is possible? If it is possible, would these candles not have to be at least as expensive as my beeswax candles? I’m thinking that if it’s a really inexpensive candle, then there is truly no way that it is organic.:smiley2: (And I am asking about those of us who buy supplies and make candles in quantities large enough to sell. Not speaking about a person who is willing to grow the soy, extract the wax, grow the cotton, make the wick, etc. I have never heard of anyone willing to go to that much trouble to make candles to sell.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisR Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 I definitely would question the source of any organic soy wax, since the wax is obtained through a chemical process, thus it isn't organic in any sense. The beans themselves may have once been organic, but not the wax. You can call the wax anything you want, but you need to prove it to me by showing the manufacturers certified organic papers. Also, most wood wicks are also not organic, as they usually contain a chemical process to help with the burn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue Ellen Posted January 24, 2014 Author Share Posted January 24, 2014 Thank you ChrisR. I find the topic interesting, most all of my clientele are concerned about the items they purchase being organic and I want to be sure to not give them incorrect information. I stopped researching wood wicks when I found that they do not work well with beeswax, so I did not realize that they also must contain a chemical process. Very interesting. I have clients who would pay whatever it costs for a truly organic candle and I would be happy to make such a candle, but, unfortunately, it is apparently just not possible. For some of my clients it us just a personal preference, but others have allergies, asthma, sinsitivities to different scents and/or chemicals, and some have birds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 (edited) There is no way i can think of to make organic soy wax, the commercial oil is extracted using hexane. It's not like you can squeeze a soy bean and make oil drip out all clean in any great quantity sufficient for main stream consumption. Then hydrogenation is another non-natural process. I live in the Midwest where GMO soy beans are grown as far as the eye can see. Not one acre is even grown as organic. Those would be smaller, specialty operations. Like you and ChrisR, i make beeswax candles using cotton wick. IMO the goal is not to make the impossible all organic beeswax candle, it is to make the best quality beeswax candle possible using minimally processed ingredients. Don't hate me when i tell you i color and scent many. Plain, inscented beeswax candles had no appeal in my market. As soon as i added scent and color sales improved dramatically.It's a shame beeswax candles do not command the prices to reflect how expensive and time consuming they are to make. They burn far longer than any other wax i use, making them extraorgpdinarily economical. They are a labor of love for me, and a way to keep nostalgic products available. Edited January 24, 2014 by TallTayl Typo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue Ellen Posted January 27, 2014 Author Share Posted January 27, 2014 Thank you TallTayl. I have not experimented with color or scents in my beeswax candles yet, but I do see where there would be a market for it, so I probably will try at some point. (when I get extra time. LOL.) I have started to experiment with beeswax melts with natural scents in them. They are a work in progress, but I am hopeful that they will work nicely. Beeswax is definately a labor of love, but I just cannot imagine working with any other wax. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisR Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 Good luck with the beeswax melts. I tried them, but found most wax melters didn't get hot enough to melt the beeswax. I gave up on them, but let me know how you make out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue Ellen Posted January 27, 2014 Author Share Posted January 27, 2014 Hmmmm, hadn't considered that yet. Mine is working with it, but it is a unique one. I should go pick up a couple at wal-mart or somewhere and check them out. Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 I have to blend the beeswax with something like palm kernal oil to lower the MP. Most of the melters I have seen are geared for the 120-ish *F range. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sporadic Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 It's not possible to make an "organic" candle. Right off the bat, the wick is not 100% natural. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubure Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 according to european law there is no such thing as organic bees wax (as this is no food and therefore cannot be labeled as organic) but of course you can purchase beeswax from beekeepers who work organically. You can use organic wicks as well (hemp for example) but it will be extremely hard finding a supplier for these.But on the whole beeswax is the way to go if you want to have a candle that is as natural as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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