Stearic acids

[LilFirecracker]

Regular stearic and palm stearic - is there really a difference when using it as a wax hardener? I'm looking to harden my ParaCoco wax blend for the summertime heat (wax melts). Does it matter which one I use? How much per pound would normal useage be? I'm not looking for a drastic hardening, but enough to make a difference. TIA!

Edited March 6, 2022 by LilFirecracker

[TallTayl]

All the stearic I’ve ever purchased has been palm derived. Triple pressed palm stearic

 

I’d  start with 1-2% and work up/down from there 

[LilFirecracker]

44 minutes ago, TallTayl said:

All the stearic I’ve ever purchased has been palm derived. Triple pressed palm stearic

 

I’d  start with 1-2% and work up/down from there 

Since they both serve the same purpose I'm gonna go with the palm stearic. I was just watching all of the posts about stearic acid and came across something interesting mentioned in more than one post. It's been said that palm wax is mostly palm stearic. Even test candles made with straight palm stearic look like palm candles. Anyway, have you or do you know of anyone who has substituted palm wax for palm stearic? I would think you'd have to use more - that's if it would even work as a sub. I probably won't test that theory, just wondering if you've heard of it. 

[TallTayl]

All palm waxes are very different, distilled from different fractions of the palm fruit oil. They are not necessarily interchangeable, even in melts.
 

Palm stearic (stearic acid) shrinks a lot, like a pillar palm wax. 

[Lynnann81]

So this may be way off topic, but I read that adding stearic acid to my soy wax would harden it. I just ordered some to try it out in my molds, if im reading the post correctly this is going to make my molds look like palm wax candles? 

[TallTayl]

43 minutes ago, Lynnann81 said:

So this may be way off topic, but I read that adding stearic acid to my soy wax would harden it. I just ordered some to try it out in my molds, if im reading the post correctly this is going to make my molds look like palm wax candles? 

Not necessarily.  It takes quite a bit of palm / stearic to develop the classic crystallization patterns of a palm candle.

[LilFirecracker]

On 3/6/2022 at 8:40 PM, TallTayl said:

All palm waxes are very different, distilled from different fractions of the palm fruit oil. They are not necessarily interchangeable, even in melts.
 

Palm stearic (stearic acid) shrinks a lot, like a pillar palm wax. 

Yeah I'm just gonna do it right and go with the palm stearic. No need for subs unless I get hard up later on down the road lol. I wish we'd have a few days of hot weather so I can test and see what my blend can withstand.