Herbal Candle Question

[GypsyDancer1980]

My aunt and I are looking at making herbal candles and soaps, and I have two questions: Do I need to use paraffin or can the candles be pure beeswax with the herbs? Do I need to add esential oils to enhance the scent or will the herbs do enough on their own?

Thanks for the help

Gypsy

Candle Making Newbie

[mparadise]

You would need to use essential oils or frangrance oils NOT dried herbs. By mixing in dried herbs you will be adding something that could potentially cause an unsafe/uncontrolled burning condition when the herbs catch fire.

[GypsyDancer1980]

Thank you, I thought that sounded odd when I was reading the instructions. I'll find a different recipe. What about the paraffin though...do I really need to use that?

[Stella1952]

You can make candles from many different waxes: beeswax, paraffin, bayberry wax, soy wax, palm wax, etc. Some are very expensive or difficult with which to work, but there's lots of choices. There is a vegetable wax forum here where waxes other than paraffin are discussed.

[GypsyDancer1980]

Thanks!

[Wildcrafter]

My thoughts are, if you're going to do herbal candles, why use paraffin? The two just don't go together in my book.

I make all beeswax tapers scented with EOs.

[GypsyDancer1980]

My thoughts are, if you're going to do herbal candles, why use paraffin? The two just don't go together in my book.

I make all beeswax tapers scented with EOs.

That was my line of thinking too!I want to go as natural as possible with everything.