Appearance/texture of soy vs. paraffin

[glily]

After a lot of research, I'm really interested in making candles as a hobby. It looks like fun, and they'd be great to give as gifts or sell at the farmer's market. I've already found out that soy wax isn't as natural as it claims to be and that paraffin isn't the villain it's made out to be. So, I'm NOT asking which wax is better, safer, or healthier.

I'd like some concrete information about *real* differences between soy and paraffin, like burn temp and burn time, appearance, and scent throw.

Which wax will give a consistently longer burn time? Does soy really "burn" cooler than paraffin?

When you look at a soy candle and a paraffin candle, what visible differences will you see? Soy candles can "frost," but do they take color differently than a paraffin candle? When you handle them, do they *feel* different?

How well does each type of wax take fragrance? Do you have to add anything to soy or paraffin wax to get a better scent throw?

Thanks to any who can give me some info! In all my searching, these are things I haven't had much luck finding out about -- it seems like I need to hear from some folks with experience :smiley2:

[topofmurrayhill]

Soy holds fragrance well but generally needs a higher amount of FO to throw comparably to paraffin. It also requires compatible FOs or there won't be any scent throw, but it has become common for suppliers to test fragrances in soy so this isn't as much of a problem nowadays.

Soy is completely opaque, so will tend towards more pastel colors. With larger amounts of dye you can get bright colors, but you won't get jewel tones because of the way it reflects the light.

Soy is viscous and requires a larger wick to burn properly. There's no consistent difference in burn times.

Soy can have issues setting up without aesthetic flaws (frosting, rough tops or sometimes cracks) when the candle is made or after it's burned. Notably, the candle can also develop problems over time because the wax can morph. The addition of paraffin solves the problems with aesthetics and stability, so soy-paraffin blends are popular.

With proper wicking, soy and paraffin candles put out similar amounts of soot and by-products. Both are natural materials, but soy is renewable because it's a vegetable fat.

HTH.

[glily]

Thanks for the reply, it did help!

After a lot of reading and researching, it really sounds like soy and paraffin are more similar than they are different. If making candles ever does become more than a hobby for me, I'll be certain that I'm not one of the soy-misinformation-spreaders. It doesn't sound, to me at least, like soy is any better than paraffin -- it sounds more like they're both good for different reasons.

I'm leaning toward the soy wax, at least for my first couple of batches to give as gifts. But the paraffin-soy blends sound intriguing, too!

Thanks again. I'd love to hear what others have to add!

[Stella1952]

it really sounds like soy and paraffin are more similar than they are different

They are similar in that they both are waxes from which one can make pleasing candles. The similarity ends there.

[topofmurrayhill]

When I present the basic facts in answer to your questions, it may not sound like much of a difference. However, the experience of working with straight soy wax is pretty different from other waxes.

The conclusion I would draw from those facts is actually that straight soy wax offers no advantages over paraffin or parasoy, since those two types of wax encompass all the qualities you might want in a wax without the appearance and instability problems. Those two problems represent a significant disadvantage. Occasionally someone will claim to have overcome those problems, but realistically you will probably have to live with them.

The reasons to use straight soy that I can think of are:

• It's vegetable oil, so it cleans up with soap and water.
  
• You like the "idea" of it.
  
• You want to sell to people who like the "idea" of it.
  
• It was the wax you started with, for whatever reason.
  

In other words, nothing to do with any objective advantages other than maybe the cleanup part. None of the other advantages that people have claimed over time are supportable.

Edited October 20, 2009 by topofmurrayhill

[MarcyHK]

I'm also a hobby candle maker who's been debating whether to try soy and have been sifting through information.

I think this is a nice, clear, succinct, comprehensive and clearly informed summary of the differences.

Thank you.

[glily]

Indeed, this has been really helpful to me. I'd received a soy candle as a gift and was intrigued by it -- that's sort of how this all started for me. I loved the creamy appearance of the wax and the "frost" that appeared on its top.

I'm going to give soy wax a try for my first candles, but I'm definitely not ruling out other waxes. I'd like to experiment a bit (as my hobby-budget allows, lol) and see what's the most fun to work with and which I like best.

Thanks again for your input!

[Stella1952]

I loved the creamy appearance of the wax and the "frost" that appeared on its top.

:laugh2::laugh2:Good that you enjoy "frost." Soy wax chandlers frequently battle it in its many forms. Welcome to the World of Soy! :yay: