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The Many Types Of Candle Making Wax

Written by Patrick McTigue Monday, 19 October 2009 14:59

Candle making just keeps increasing in popularity. This increasing popularity has led to some great advancement in the types of candle making wax that is available. Not only has it improved, but it is also more readily available. This makes candle making even more exciting as you have such a wide variety of wax to work with.

Candle making just keeps increasing in popularity. This increasing popularity has led to some great advancement in the types of candle making wax that is available. Not only has it improved, but it is also more readily available. This makes candle making even more exciting as you have such a wide variety of wax to work with.

Paraffin wax, abundantly available and inexpensive, is the type of wax used in most candles today. This wax, like many, is refined from petroleum. Although very easy to work with, it burns fairly quickly.

Without getting into great detail here, the following are density guidelines for gel wax. Low density works well with up to a 3% fragrance load. If you have a 3-5% fragrance load you will want to go with a medium density, and for heavier loads you will want a high density.

Another popular natural wax is palm wax. Like soy, this is also a natural resource and eco- friendly. Due to its increasing popularity, however, some third word countries have caused serious damage to their ecosystems by clearing out major areas of rain forest in order to produce more crops. So when buying this wax, check to be sure it is being grown eco- friendly.

Beeswax and bayberry wax are two more natural waxes that are very popular. Beeswax, available in white or yellow, is perhaps the best candle making wax you can buy. Although also the most expensive, it holds scents extremely well and burns cleaner and much longer than other wax.

Although newer to the scene compared to other waxes, gel candle making wax is becoming quite popular. Gel wax has properties that are different than most wax. It has different densities that allow you to do a variety of things with fragrances.

High density will allow you to use a lot of fragrance. If you are not using a lot of fragrance then you want a low density. The low density gives you the advantage of being able to pour the wax at a lower temperature.

As you can see, there are a number of different waxes to choose from. As a candle maker, you can try out new things just by using a different type of candle making wax. As you experiment and learn the different characteristics of different types of waxes it opens up many possibilities in your candle making.