7 Types of Candle Wax and When to Use Each
This comprehensive candle wax guide will help you choose from the 7 types of candle wax and when to use each. Homemade candles make for wonderful gifts and great decorative accents for your home, and candle–making can be both a fun hobby and a true art form. If you are venturing into the exciting world of candle–making, one key factor to consider is what type of wax is best suited for the type of candle you want to make.
There are many different waxes available on the market, from rare organic beeswax to the more widely–used paraffin, to the more recently popular options such as soy, palm and coconut wax. Each of these waxes has their own characteristics and properties that make them a good choice for making different types of candles.
Some are better for making pillar candles while others work well if you’re using containers. Some waxes are colorless and odorless and carry added dyes and fragrances well, while others have their own natural scent and color and need no additives.
Environmental & Health Impacts
With more people conscious about the environmental impacts and the negative effects on the air quality in their homes from burning candles, there has been much debate about which waxes are the most clean–burning and friendly to the environment.
Some candles are made from 100% natural, renewable raw materials and are biodegradable, releasing no toxins into the air, and sometimes even purifying it. Others however, do release toxic chemicals and carcinogenic soot into the air and don’t burn quite as cleanly.
Non–toxic candles made from clean–burning beeswax or vegetable waxes have the lowest impact on the environment yet still deliver maximum joy. Whichever type of candle you are making, this comprehensive candle wax guide will help you find the right choice. When burning candles of any type of wax there is always the potential for a fire hazard, so don’t forget to read through our tips for the safest and healthiest use of candles.
Beeswax
You can use this wax for numerous types of candles, but it is particularly well suited for pillar and taper candles as it doesn’t drip very much and is therefore great for candle holders and seasonal wreaths.
The most natural—and by far the most expensive—raw material for candles is beeswax. Beeswax candles are the most environmentally friendly candles. This is because beeswax is the most sustainable type of wax, especially when it comes from organic beekeeping.
This precious resource is obtained from honeycomb, which is built from the wax excreted through the glands of worker bees, thus the limit of its large quantity availability. The market share of beeswax candles is less than 2%, which explains their rather high price tag compared to paraffin or vegetable oil waxes.
Beeswax can be produced and harvested sustainable all over the world. The only downside to beeswax is that it is not technically vegan, although some people accept it as a vegan product since bees aren’t harmed while the wax is harvested.
Beeswax candles have a long burning time, a subtle honey scent and a signature golden color that’s instantly recognizable. Beeswax candles produce a warm–toned flame that doesn’t give off any smoke or soot, which is good for both the air quality in your home (and lungs) and the environment.
Beeswax is one of the most popular candle–making waxes and has been for centuries. The term “beeswax candle” may only be used for candles which do not contain any admixture, so you can be sure they always consist of 100% beeswax. If you are looking for a natural organic wax to use, beeswax is the best option.
Coconut Wax
While you may think that coconut wax would naturally smell like coconut, this colorless wax is actually odorless and carries scent very well, so it’s a good option for making scented candles. It is often combined with soy wax and is best suited for making container candles. Adding coconut oil to any type of wax helps the candles burn slower and more consistently, preventing “tunneling”.
Candles made from coconut wax are another very environmentally–conscious and sustainable option. Coconut wax is also a good vegan alternative to beeswax. Although growing coconuts does contribute some to deforestation, coconut trees produce a very high yield once they mature, so less acreage is needed to produce the raw material. Plus, most coconuts are grown without the use of pesticides.
Coconut wax is more sustainable than soy, throws scent well, and has a smooth creamy texture to it. Coconut wax has a slow and even burn. Unlike paraffin, coconut wax releases very little soot and no toxic fumes as it burns, making it a safer choice for your home.
Although coconut wax is not without its downsides. It is more expensive than paraffin, soy, and other “vegetable” wax blends. The wax is soft and has a low melting point, which can be problematic when shipping or storing the candles in warmer climates. For these reasons coconut wax is often mixed with other types of waxes like soy and beeswax.
Soy Wax
Soy wax is best suited for use in container candles. If you are using jars, tins or teacups for your candles, or you’re making tea light candles, soy wax is a great choice. It is also a very good scent carrier and using it for scented candles gives off a more pure scent.
Soy wax is made from the oil of soybeans and is therefore a biodegradable plant–based resource. Just make sure to get wax made from organic, non–GMO soy. Soy wax usually comes in the form of flakes and is easy to work with.
Soy wax is one of the most popular waxes on the candle–making market today. One of the best things about soy wax is that it has a clean burn (burns at 120° F) without soot. It also has a slow burn, so while soy wax candles are more expensive, they also last longer.
It is crucial to pay attention to the quality—or more precisely—to the ingredients. That’s because there are many producers of soy candles that add various synthetic materials such as fragrances, dyes and even paraffin to the wax.
And those are the very substances you want to avoid. In fact, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rules in order to be able to label a product as a “soy candle”, it only needs to contain 51% soy. The other 49% can be anything, including toxic paraffin—which is a lot cheaper.
Palm Wax
Palm wax is a strong, firm and durable wax, which makes it especially good for making free–standing candles, such as pillars. Palm wax produces high–quality candles that have a long burn time. It also carries scent well so it is a great option if you are making scented candles.
Similarly to soy wax, palm wax has become a popular choice in candle–making in recent years because it is non–toxic, burns cleanly and is a more sustainable choice. When burned, palm wax candles don’t release carcinogens into the air, unlike paraffin wax or gel candles.
Palm wax is also common used in beauty and skin products, especially those marketed as “natural”. Although the more chemicals added to a product, the less natural it becomes. Compared to other waxes, especially paraffin wax, palm wax is quite expensive. But the biggest problem with palm wax is that growing palm trees contributes to deforestation.
Stearin Wax
Stearin wax makes for colorful, scented candles of all types. Stearin wax candles burn longer, drip less and produce less soot than paraffin candles. Stearin wax candles are almost always made from palm oil. However, they can also be made from coconut oil or animal fats—so do pay attention to the ingredients list.
Stearin candles must contain at least 90% palm oil to be labeled as such—the rest can be paraffin. In short, vegetable oil candles can be a clean and healthy alternative to paraffin candles, but only if they are actually made of a 100% natural source.
Unlike paraffin, which is a petroleum byproduct—stearin wax comes from a natural resource, so it is biodegradable. Which means you can simply toss your candle residuals into your organic waste or compost.
Gel (Wax)
If you want to make highly decorative candles, consider using gel. Technically, it’s not wax but a mixture of resin and mineral oil that creates the transparent look unique to gel candles. Gel candles come in different colors that might be transparent or translucent, with a different type of fragrance oil than regular wax candles because gel holds fragrance differently than paraffin and other waxes.
Gel candles can be purchased commercially or can even be made at home. This material is a great choice for clear container candles, as you can add small, non-flammable, and decorative objects such as dried flowers, seashells, or berries into the containers before pouring in the gel, and they’ll stay visible as the gel firms.
Avoid adding plastic items to gel candles since it can be hazardous. Gel candles should be put out before burning reaches the bottom.
Like paraffin wax candles, gel candles are made from petroleum byproducts. But whereas paraffin wax candles are made exclusively from paraffin oil, gel candles are made from 95% mineral oil and 5% powdered polymer resin (another word for plastic). The resin causes the oil to take on a gel-like consistency.
Gel candles have a longer burn time (almost twice as long) than candles made from paraffin and other waxes because the polymer resin in the gel raises its melting point so that it melts more slowly. Gel candles give off a different quality and brighter light (up to twice as bright) than regular wax candles. The light (or glow) is brighter because the transparency of the gel reflects light.
The gel used in making gel candles can be of low, medium, or high density. The level of density desired is dependent on how much fragrance is used as well as the kind of decorative embellishments added. More powerful fragrance requires higher gel density.
Gel (Wax) Candles Could Be a Health Hazard
Despite their difference in appearance, from an environmental standpoint there is no difference between gel and paraffin wax candles. Gel candles are not sustainable since petroleum is not a renewable resource. They also cannot be recycled because the gel might clog up recycling machines.
Studies have determined that mineral oil and plastic have poor biodegradation rates, usually between 15–35%. Besides, even if gel candles were to biodegrade, they would release harmful chemicals into the environment, the soil and the groundwater. Gel candles are vegan, but cannot be composted.
Gel candles, like paraffin wax candles release soot, air pollutants, toxins and carcinogens like benzene and toluene as they burn. Because gel candles release toxins into the air, they are a poor choice for aromatherapy.
There have been concerns that gel candles, depending on the container material used, can create an explosive combination that can easily catch fire. Retail gel candles are much more heavily scented, when these candles are burned, these fragrances are released into the air making it dangerous to inhale.
There was one study in 2014 that suggested that “under normal conditions of use scented candles do not pose known health risks to the consumer”. The study compared the exposure concentrations of volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds (VOC, SVOC) and particulate matter in gel candles with existing indoor or ambient air quality. That said, this study was conducted back in 2014, since then, the severity of the climate impact of burning fossil fuels and animal agriculture has accelerated to create climate change effects which have rendered parts of this planet unlivable. This is a trend that is not only unsustainable, but alarming.
Paraffin Wax
Paraffin wax is the most widely used and most inexpensive of all the waxes used for candle–making. If you want to make scented candles that are highly saturated in color, paraffin wax is the way to go as it holds both color and scent very well. It is a highly versatile wax that can be used for everything from container candles to taper and pillar candles.
Paraffin wax (or petroleum wax) is a soft colorless solid derived from “slack wax”, which is a mixture of oil and wax, a byproduct from the refining of petroleum (crude oil), coal, or oil shale (an organic–rich fine–grained sedimentary rock).
Common applications for paraffin wax include lubrication, electrical insulation, and candles; dyed paraffin wax can be made into crayons. It is distinct from kerosene (a combustible hydrocarbon liquid derived from petroleum) and other petroleum products, which are also sometimes called “paraffin”. Un–dyed, unscented paraffin candles are odorless and bluish–white.
Paraffin wax was first created by German chemist, geologist, metallurgist, naturalist, industrialist and philosopher Carl Reichenbach in 1830. The name is derived from Latin parum (“very little”) + affinis, meaning “lacking affinity”, referring to paraffin’s unreactive nature.
Reichenbach’s creation marked a major advancement in candle–making technology, since at the time paraffin burned more cleanly and reliably than tallow candles (made from rendered beef or mutton fat), and was cheaper to produce.
Paraffin Wax Candles Are a Health Hazard
While they may be affordable, pretty to look at, and hold any scent very well, paraffin wax candles release a lot of soot when they burn and are not biodegradable. The toxins and carcinogens released by paraffin wax candles has raised questions regarding its effects on the environment.
Petroleum is obtained by drilling, which causes environmental pollution and habitat loss from deforestation or ocean acidification. Then the crude oil is refined into its end products, which involves heavy manufacturing processes that contribute to air pollution.
Petroleum refining is the third largest greenhouse gas (GHG) emitter, behind power plants, and petroleum and natural gas systems. Petroleum refining is the second highest ranked in terms of GHG emissions per facility.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released several reports about the health dangers of paraffin candles with synthetic fragrances, lead wicks, and contaminated oils. In fact, for many years experts have equated the dangerous impact of paraffin wax candles on air quality and your health as that of secondhand smoke.
Adding to this problem, some mass–produced candle wicks contain heavy metals, even though the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) requires candle wicks to be made from cotton or paper. Heavy metals like lead release unsafe levels of toxins into the air when burned. Yet, paraffin wax and paraffin candles with lead wicks continue to be sold on the market.
To list just a few, the health hazards caused by metals and other toxic pollutants released into the air when burning paraffin candles are Kidney, nervous system and brain damage, cancer, asthma, allergies and contact dermatitis (eczema), as well as impaired mental development in children.
The majority of these harmful substances come from dyes, scents and fragrances (especially dangerous synthetic fragrances) that are added to the either the candle wax or the wick, or both. Frequent use of paraffin candles means inhalation of the dangerous pollutants that drift into the air.
A 2009 study at South Carolina State University examined the health hazards of paraffin wax candles as compared to natural wax candles. The paraffin wax candles tested released unwanted chemicals into the air. None of the vegetable–based wax candles produced toxic chemicals.
If you want to be more a more conscious consumer, try candles made from soy, palm, coconut, or beeswax Instead. Candles of wax made from vegetable or other natural raw materials are the better option for your health as well as the environment. Unfortunately, the overwhelming number of mass–produced commercial candles sold—about three quarters—are paraffin wax candles. Read our list of 5 great natural (soy & beeswax) candle brands for suggestions on alternatives to gel, paraffin and palm wax candle retailers.
5 Tips for the Safest and Healthiest Use of Candles
Candles—as with any combustion process—even natural candles may release certain pollutants in small quantities due to incomplete combustion. To reduce this risk, you can minimize soot formation. The following five tips will help you make a healthy use of your candles:
- Ensure good ventilation in closed rooms before (and especially) after use.
- Do not blow out candles! Instead, wet your fingertips with cold tap water and quickly press the lit wick between your fingers, or dip the wick into the liquid wax and immediately prop it back up again (don’t use your fingers, instead use a match, toothpick, etc.).
- Avoid drafts during use (the flame should not flicker).
- Don’t let the wick become longer than about ½ inch (1 cm).
- Avoid the formation of “craters”—let the candles burn long enough until the entire wax surface has melted (especially big and wide candles).
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