soy vs. paraffin

[tammy]

Hi, has anyone else made the switch? I started out with paraffin. I have done all of my testing with paraffin. I am thinking of switching to soy. What are the differences? Will I have to buy all new wick and FO's? Maybe I am thinking to much about this. What do you think? Any suggestions?

[MommaD]

Soy is a whole new ballgame. A lot of FO's will not work well in soy, that work well in paraffin. I tried soy for a while, found that it wasn't for me. Yes, you will have to have new wicks, and some of your FO's will probably not work well in your soy wax.

[Holly]

Hi Tammy,

I made the switch. Although, I still do make some paraffin candles.

I needed to make the switch and I found that it works better for me. If I chose different jars (non-soot collectors) then the paraffin would have worked for me. However, I like the fancy jars and soy works the best in them. I have found that I love the cold throw and the hot throw with the soy. I have only tested 4 different soy waxes and only one of them extensively (Calsoy CB-3). I tested the EcoSoya 120 (two candles) that I had on hand for awhile as an additive and I also tested the Ecosoya 135 (one candle) and I am currently testing the C-3 Cargill a bit. So, I can't compare many soy for the scent throw, but so far out of the ones I listed, the CB-3 Calsoy and the C-3 Cargill are the best in the cold and hot throw department -- not sure which one is better out of these two yet -- may be the CB-3.

Soy burns longer and burns cleaner (for me). It is not as easy to work with because you sometimes have to pour cooler (depends on the soy) to help achieve the smoothest tops possible -- don't like to wait to pour. You have to put up with frosting -- mostly with the pure soys or almost pure soys. You have to sometimes put up with unsmooth tops and dips and pitts. But there are things you can add or do to help with this. I have to tell you though, even though soy has its quirks I LOVE the clean burn and the CLEAN jars after the candle has burned all the way down. So, the quirks are worth it to me. I do like the look of soy too even though it can frost and I love the way the scents smell in it. It is true that there will be more scents that do not throw as well in soy than in paraffin, but most throw really well if you shop at the right places. When it throws well it really throws well. I have only had a few that threw well in my paraffin but not in my soy.

I still like paraffin but found that for my needs soy works the best. I use my paraffin in large mouthed jars without any narrowing at the bottom. It works really well for me in these jars.

If I were you, I would give soy a try. If you find you don't like it, at least you will not always wonder what it is like. And who knows, maybe you will find that you are a soy girl!

Good luck and have fun!

~Holly

[Holly]

I should add -- I use RRD wicks. Some other wicks that can work in soy are:

ECO

CD

HTP

COTTON

PAPER

~Holly

[Henryk]

Right now I'm all over the board. I used to do only soy (when I was "brainwashed" by all the hype) but then got fed up with things like frosting and opaqueness and not being able to do things like rustics/mottles/hurricanes, etc.), so now I'm looking at soy/para blends (the "V" waxes from IGI). Even some pure paraffin waxes - like the mottling container blends. I didn't like the veg waxes for pillars (I like BW, but thats not veg). I'm sure I'll continue to use everything (including BW, Bayberry and Palm waxes). Regarding wicks, I've used LX wicks in soy for nearly 2 years.

[topofmurrayhill]

Hi, has anyone else made the switch? I started out with paraffin. I have done all of my testing with paraffin. I am thinking of switching to soy. What are the differences? Will I have to buy all new wick and FO's? Maybe I am thinking to much about this. What do you think? Any suggestions?

If you're interested in soy, go ahead and take the plunge. The benefits of soy versus paraffin are mainly hype, but it's still a great candlemaking material and you might find you like working with it.

I urge you to start with a simple approach and not get overwhelmed with information. Here's a specific strategy for getting into it without stress:

(1) Eco-Soya waxes are widely available and they have a nice range of products to make whatever you might initially want to try. Start by selecting one of their products. You can get Eco-Soya at Peak, Bitter Creek, or CandleScience.

(2) Most FOs are worth a try, but if you want extra confidence just choose a few from a supplier that comments on the performance of their FOs in soy. Bitter Creek is an example.

(3) For now, avoid the agonizing of other people and simply follow the manufacturer's instructions over at http://www.ngiwax.com/ for the product you've chosen. Their info is simple and useful, with good advice on pour temps, wicking, coloring, etc.

[scents for me]

I would start with a soy/paraffin blend first, JMO