My $.02 on a sore subject

[LilFirecracker]

I know people are tired of hearing of the same old what seems like a decades-long debate of Soy vs. Paraffin, but I do have something to say about it. I found this great post here from way back in 2006 that was very interesting, to say the least! And pretty entertaining I might add! 🤣 

 

My post is in no way meant to get anyone stirred up or start any kind of crap. Just the opposite actually. Personally, I love any kind of candle as long as it's made well and smells great!  I assume the majority of consumers feel the same. Everyone's idea of what a "great candle" is will vary greatly. Perception & generalization is what I believe to be one of the biggest problems we face right now as the whole debate continues. Now before everyone starts saying "I don't think that way." or "Not me. I don't believe that." I just mean people as a whole. Everyone. Anyone. No one. It's just a general term for this post's purpose. When people think of paraffin, they automatically think of dirty crude oil, gasoline, & diesel - just to name a few. So that naturally brings some people to believe that paraffin candles are the most chemical-ridden candles of all. Therefore, that pushes them toward a "cleaner" burning candle - Soy, Palm, Beeswax, etc. These consumers that are now worried about burning their paraffin candles are now probably picturing lighting their candles & expect it to start sooting and smoking like a diesel truck shifting gears - puffing out big thick clouds of black smoke each time. They want something better. Safer. Healthier. So they reach for soy, palm, or beeswax. I'll use soy for this example. They believe that since it's plant-derived, it's all-natural and way cleaner & healthier than paraffin. Most don't think about what happens AFTER the soybeans are harvested or the process it goes thru in order to make those soybeans into this waxed loved by so many. Right now it's all basically summed up like this: Paraffin = dirty. Soy, Palm, etc. = clean. 

 

It seems like the approach we've all been taking trying to explain the good, the bad, & the ugly to people just isn't working and never will. Maybe talking about the pros & cons of each one isn't the approach we should be taking. Instead, I personally believe we should look at what they have in common (both good & bad) and focus on that. For example: Both will make a great smelling candle if a good FO is used and is wicked properly. They can both soot if it's not made properly & wicks aren't trimmed regularly. One is no more "natural"  than the other. You get the idea. If I'm at some sort of market or fair where there are several vendors there and I walk up to your booth, I'm trying to decide if I want to buy a candle from you, you start start trash-talking a candle made from a different wax or another vendor - guess what?? Buh-Bye!!

 

What are you're thoughts on trying to look at things from another angle?? 😃

 

Hope everyone has an awesome weekend!! --LilFirecracker🔥

[TallTayl]

There is absolutely nothing natural about soy wax.  The industry uses hexane to extract the oil, then hydrogenation to turn that oil into a solid-ish form. 
 

if you (generic you) need to trash talk something else to sell your wares, look elsewhere. Some of the worst candles I’ve  ever burned were soy. 
 

palm is trash talked too for different reasons. Lots of discussions on this board about it. 
 

the soy lobby is well funded and well staffed with marketing genius. 

[Candybee]

This information you are getting from 2006 is just that, really old info that was passed around and around ad nauseum back in the early years when soy first came into the market and was toted as a so-called 'natural' wax. Once palm came on the scene the manufacturers had a new "enemy" to attack and then palm became the wretched low down dirty wax. A lot of that propaganda and misinformation is water under the bridge so to speak as today's candlemakers and wax manufacturers have moved past that and educated themselves and I can tell you customers have as well.

 

What you probably don't know is how much this divide and misinformation was driven by the wax manufacturers themselves to put down the other wax types to promote their own as the perfect wax to use.

 

All waxes are manufactured. None are all natural. The original source of each wax; palm, beeswax, coconut, soy, and yes even paraffin is derived from a natural source. Paraffin is derived from the oldest natural source, fossil fuels. Can't get any more natural than that as its been on earth the longest and comes from natural oils of decayed plants and animals and lays in pockets deep in the earth.

 

About the only candle wax that can be claimed as all natural is beeswax and only if it has been cleaned naturally. ONLY.

 

However, all manufactured waxes for candlemaking leave a footprint on the environment, all candles produce soot, and all waxes are the by-product of a much larger industry. So environmentally speaking they each have their own impact on the environment and none are natural. If a wax manufacturer says their wax is either natural or all natural, et al., they are lying.

 

 

Edited November 12, 2021 by Candybee

[pcbrook]

I don't have a long explanation of any of this.  I make and sell palm wax.  When I am at shows and asked if palm wax is clean like soy I say yes but then add that all waxes are clean as long as they are wicked right and trimmed before burning.  

 

I have been using palm for 10 years and have the wicking down pretty darn good.  I tried getting the hang of coconut but I couldn't get the wicking down right away and lost my patience with it.  I guess I'm too old to learn new tricks!  😂

[LilFirecracker]

Thank y'all for responding! I've learned so much in my few months here (lurking then joining) and I only wish I would've been here before I placed my first order. Hell, I just realized a couple of days ago I could've saved myself a lot of FO had I tested all of my wax combos for consistency BEFORE using FO! Not really wasted... I'll use it for myself!😃