May 13, 2022

Handmade Soy Candles

The candles available from Mother Earth Essentials are all handmade with soy wax. We chose to work with soy wax for variety of reasons.

Soy was is natural.

Derived from the soybean, it contains nothing artificial, which makes it a better alternative to old-fashioned paraffin wax, which is made from petroleum oil and produces harmful by-products when burned or melted. Paraffin wax can release benzene, which the American Cancer Society classifies as carcinogenic, soy wax doe not release benzene when melted.

It's better for the environment.

Since soy wax is made from soybeans, it is made from a renewable resource, versus paraffin which comes from oil (not renewable) or palm, which is destroying rainforests to grow as a crop. Soy wax is also easy to wash and remove from jars, making it possible to reuse the container for another purpose.

Lastly, Soy wax burns longer than other waxes. With slow (and clean) burning candle you will get to enjoy the scents for a longer period of time.

Get the most out of burning your candle.

Make sure the candle is on a level surface.
Make sure to trim the wick to 1/4 inch. This should be done every time before you burn the candle.
Use long matches or a lighter to light the wick.
Make sure to melt the wax all the way to the edge of the container. This should take around and hour, and will prevent the wax from "tunnelling".
Avoid drafts. Burning a candle in a drafty area as it can cause the candle to melt unevenly.
Keep the candle burning for a maximum of 4 hours.
To extinguish the flame use a candle snuffer, this will prevent any debris from the wick falling into the candle.

How to fix candle tunnelling.

Tunnelling happens when a small portion of the wax around the wick melts while the candle is burning. As a result, it will appear as though the flame is burrowing into the candle and creating what resembles a small, vertical tunnel in the wax.

This is why the first burn is the most important. It sets the candles 'memory' - the indent made by the candle wax on its initial lighting and marks the edge that all future burns will reach. With this in mind, if the first burn does not reach the edge, a small memory ring will be formed and tunnelling will begin.

A very quick way of readjusting the memory ring is to blast the top of the candle with the high heat setting of a powerful hairdryer – just hold the airflow over the top of the candle until the top layer of wax has melted and smoothed.
Next time you light the candle, allow for the wax pool to reach the edges of the candle as described for the ideal initial burn.
If the tunnelling has sunk lower than a few millimetres you will probably need to use the foil method.

Using the Foil Method to fix candle tunnelling.

The aim of the foil method is to increase the heat trapped at the top of the candle, hopefully enabling the stubborn hard wax left up the sides to melt. It’s an easy method, but should be done with care – the foil can become hot so mind you don’t burn yourself. Also, be careful not to use this method for extended periods of time as the increased heat can put strain on the candle container, possibly leading it to shatter.

First, safely light your candle.
Then, being careful not to burn yourself, wrap a layer of aluminum foil around the top of the candle making a domed lid with a hole in the top.
This allows the heat to stay in and melt the rim of hard wax on the sides.
In an hour or so (depending on the size of the candle) you should have a good even wax pool and a re-set candle.
Be careful when removing the foil, it will be hot.

Handmade Soy Wax Candles

Shop our limited edition double wick candles →