Soy wax is becoming a much more popular and healthier alternative to paraffin wax when making candles. If you’re wondering what is the best soy wax for candles making, keep reading on because we have you covered with this review.
What Is Soy Wax?
Soy wax is a type of vegetable wax which is made from the oil of soybeans. The legumes are processed, and their oil is extracted. The oil then undergoes a process called hydrogenation, which means the addition of hydrogen atoms.
This process converts the fatty acids in the oil from unsaturated compounds to saturated compounds. This converts the oils from a liquid to a solid at room temperature.
Soy wax was discovered in 1991 by Michael Richards as a cheaper alternative to beeswax. There was an increasing demand for natural waxes, and beeswax cost ten times more than paraffin. The introduction of soy wax made natural waxes much more popular and affordable.
Soy wax is preferred over paraffin wax for several reasons:
- Soy wax is a renewable source of wax, unlike paraffin, which grows more costly as the world’s oil reserves dwindle.
- Candles made from soy wax burn more cleanly than paraffin candles and produce less soot.
- Soy wax candles burn more slowly than paraffin candles and therefore last longer.
- Soy wax is a more eco-friendly alternative since its manufacturing process is environmentally safe.
- Soy wax is a great scent carrier and does not require any chemical amplifiers.
What to Consider For Before Buying Soy Wax For Candles Making?
Before you purchase soy wax for making candles, you have to keep in mind a few key things:
- The hot and cold fragrance throw.
- For example, the type of soy wax, soy wax 444 is preferable to soy wax 415 for candle making.
- The number of wax flakes provided per package.
- The type of candles you wish to make. Soy wax is soft and therefore, cannot be used for making pillar candles.
- The price of the product.
- A product review on that particular brand.
What is the Best Soy Wax for Candles Making?
Here are some of the best soy waxes for making candles available on the market:
- The Candlemaker’s Store Natural – Best 444 Soy Wax
- Aksoy Natural – Best 415 Soy Wax
- CandleScience All Natural Soy – Best 464 Soy Wax
- Natural Soy 444 Wax – Golden Brands
- Natural Soy Wax 464 for Candle Making
If you’re in a hurry and looking for the best soy wax for candle making, we’d recommend the The Candlemaker’s Store Natural.
1. The Candlemaker’s Store Natural – Best 444 Soy Wax
The Candlemaker’s Store offers you some of the best 444 soy wax on the market. This blend has a 121-125°F melting point and is blended with 2% of their unique Universal Soy Wax Additive. The wax can hold up to 15% fragrance and has a great hot throw.
The package comes as a 10lb bag filled with natural 444 soy wax flakes. The wax is excellent for making container candles and tealight candles. It can also be mixed with natural 416 soy wax flakes to make great wax melt tarts.
Natural 444 soy wax is relatively safe and easy to use, even for beginners. Essential oils and fragrance oils can be added to the wax blend to create beautiful scented candles and wax melts that will leave your home smelling lovely.
Pros
- It creates high-quality candles.
- It has a great hot throw and holds fragrances well.
- Stable even at warmers temperatures.
Cons
- Some bags contain less than the advertised 10 lbs of soy wax flakes.
2. Aksoy Natural – Best 415 Soy Wax
This product is a 3lb bag of the best 100% natural 425 soy wax flakes from the Akosoy Natural company. The fragments come in small pieces that are relatively easy to work with. Each bag is made only from the best quality soy wax with no additives,
It is used mainly to make container candles but can be safely blended with other waxes for other projects. It has a maximum fragrance load of 8-10%, a pour temperature of 110°F, and a 120-125°F melting point. The product is eco-friendly, non-toxic, kosher, and completely vegan.
Each 3 lb package comes filled with small wax flakes, slightly larger than fish feed. The wax has a great fragrance throw, and due to the mix’s purity, there is no frosting. 415 soy wax is too soft for pillar candles or taper candles, but they are great for making tealight candles, container candles, and other scented products.
Pros
- Holds fragrance nicely.
- It has a great hot throw.
Cons
- Some customers found the wax challenging to work with.
3. CandleScience All Natural Soy – Best 464 Soy Wax
This product from CandleScience comes in a 5 lb package, which contains five 1 lb bags of the best 100% natural 464 soy wax flakes. This makes them quite easy to use as each 1lb bag can simply be mixed with 1oz of the desired fragrance oil.
CandleScience wax is known for its high quality and burns cleanly with little smoke. The hot and cold fragrance throw is fantastic and is sure to keep your home smelling lovely for hours. It has a maximum fragrance load of 10-12%, a 135°F pour temperature and a melting point of 115-125°F.
The flakes melt quite quickly and are great gifts for those new to the world of candle making. The candle wax is excellent for making container candles like tealights, glassware candles, clamshells, tins, etc. The wax absorbs dyes and colors very well and makes beautifully crafted candles.
Pros
- Holds fragrance and dye quite nicely.
- There is no frosting or pitting when used to make container candles.
Cons
- Some customers complained about discoloring when cooled.
4. Natural Soy 444 Wax – Golden Brands
Golden Brands is a well-known soy wax manufacturing company, and its 444 soy wax is one of the most popular brands on the market. This package comes as a 5 lb bag of high-quality, non-toxic, scentless soy wax flakes that are great for candle making projects.
It has a maximum fragrance load of 12%, a 135°F pour temperature, and a 120-125°F melting point. It can be mixed with other wax types to enhance its properties and make it more suitable for certain types of projects such as pillar candles and votives.
444 soy wax is used for making container candles like glassware or tin candles. The wax is entirely scentless and pure, so it does not interfere with whatever fragrance or dyes you wish to add to the blend. The wax has a great fragrance throw and absorbs dyes quite nicely. All this is to ensure you have a beautifully crafted candle at the end of the day.
Pros
- It mixes well with dyes and fragrances.
- It has a good fragrance throw.
Cons
- Wax frosting and pitting.
5. Natural Soy Wax 464 for Candle Making
This fantastic product comes from PA Wax Distributor. What you get is a 10 lb package that contains the best 100% natural 464 soy wax flakes on the market. According to the manufacturers, the optimal recipe for making great-smelling candles is 1 lb of wax to 1 oz of fragrance oil.
464 soy wax has a maximum fragrance load of 10-12%, a 135°F pour temperature and a melting point of 115-125°F. This product mixes quite well with fragrances and dyes. The soybeans are grown in the United States, and the wax flakes are manufactured, packaged, and distributed in the US.
The high quality of this soy wax brand and its completely scentless nature makes it a great template for creating beautiful looking and great smelling candles. It’s a great present to give to friends or family members who make candles or wish to pick it up as a hobby.
Pros
- No frosting or pitting.
- Melts smoothly and forms a smooth wax surface when cooled.
Cons
- Impurities are found in the wax.
Best Soy Wax for Candles Q&A
Is Soy Wax Toxic?
Soy wax is a non-toxic and eco-friendly alternative to other commonly used candle making waxes like paraffin. Soy wax is made with 100% natural ingredients and no chemical additives.
Soy wax burns more cleanly than paraffin wax. This means that it leaves less soot when burnt and also releases fewer chemicals into the environment.
Paraffin wax can produce unavoidable emissions when heated up, affecting the air quality in your home. These may include alkanes, alkenes, and toluene, which have all been reported to have harmful effects on humans.
Since soy wax is made with no chemical additives, you do not have to worry about harmful substances being released into your environment while you use it.
Does Soy Wax Burn Longer?
Soy wax burns longer than paraffin wax because it burns more slowly. Due to key differences in the two waxes’ chemical composition, they both heat up and melt at different rates.
Soy candles are denser than paraffin candles. This higher mass means they melt more slowly and, therefore, last longer than an identical candle made from paraffin wax.
Is Soy Wax Vegan?
A lot of people who are interested in using soy wax for candle making ask this vital question. The good news is that soy wax candles are 100% vegan.
Beeswax candles are made from the waxy substances found in bees’ honeycombs while tallow is made from animal fat. Pure soy wax is entirely made from soybean oil and is therefore vegan as no animal products are used in its production.
Asides from being vegan, it’s also eco-friendly and renewable. As the world’s oil reserves dwindle, so does the supply of paraffin, a by-product of petroleum processing. This will eventually cause a sharp hike in the price of paraffin wax.
Soybeans can be grown continuously, and therefore, soybean oil provides a renewable source of raw material for making soy wax.
What Do the Numbers On Soy Wax Mean?
You may have noticed that different soy wax brands seem to be marked with different numbers such as 415, 444, 464, and so on. These numbers serve an important function by telling us about the type of soy wax and its properties.
Different types of soy wax differ in features such as their ability to hold fragrance, melting points, pouring points, etc. This affects what the wax can be used for. Some waxes are better for making candles, while some are best used for wax melts and other projects.
Here are some popular scented wax types and their features:
Soy Wax 415
- Melting Point: 120-125°F
- Pouring Point: 110°F
- Maximum Fragrance: 8-10%
- Applications: Making container candles and blending.
Soy Wax 444
- Melting Point: 120-125°F
- Pouring Point: 135°F
- Maximum Fragrance: 12%
- Applications: Making container candles and tealights.
Soy Wax 464
- Melting Point: 115-125°F
- Pouring Point: 135°F
- Maximum Fragrance: 10-12%
- Applications: Making container candles and tealights.
Soy waxes are great for making container candles and wax melts. They absorb dyes and fragrances wonderfully well and have a great fragrance throw. Try out any of these fantastic products and expect only beautiful results.