Candle Wax Frequently Asked Questions | Soy Wax | Eroma (2024)

What is the difference between a pillar and a container blend?

Pillar and votive blends are a harder wax, designed to be freestanding. As such, you can make either pillar candles or votives with these blends. This wax is not suitable as a container candle because the wax will shrink as it cools and frees itself from the container wall, leading to rattle.

Container and tealight blends can be used only in container-type products. If you pour this wax into a container and then try to take the wax mould out to burn freestanding, it will not hold its shape and the molten wax will run, so for this reason alone, it is designed for use in containers. It also has minimal shrinkage, so once you pour it into a tealight or container, then it should stick well to the outside surface.

What is the difference between soy wax and paraffin wax?

Soy wax and paraffin wax are both suitable for making container candles. Paraffin wax is the derivative of petroleum, made by removing the waxy substance from crude oil. It is one of the most popular kinds of wax used in candle making as it is very efficient at releasing the fragrance oil due to its molecular structure. Paraffin will maximise your scent throw. Soy wax was discovered in 1991 as a new and more natural alternative to paraffin wax. It is a 100% natural, renewable, non-toxic and biodegradable wax. It is a hydrogenated form of soybean oil. Soy wax is a softer wax that has a lower melting point and burns longer and at a cooler temperature than paraffin wax. It is available in flake form and can produce a nice creamy white surface finish.

How can I increase my scent throw in my container candle?

There are a number of options to increase your scent throw. Well known companies often use a soy-paraffin wax. This allows them to market the candle as a soy candle whilst maximising its scent throw, as paraffin is more efficient at releasing the fragrance oil due to its molecular structure. Soy-paraffin wax comes in block form and does not need to be blended with any other waxes. For more info, please click here. If you prefer to use one of our 100% natural soy waxes, you can try the following to enhance your scent throw:

• Choose a strong fragrance – add up to 10%
• Harden wax by adding an additive to allow a higher fragrance loading. For more information, please click here
• Harden wax by adding palm wax to allow a higher fragrance loading. Customer feedback indicates that a ratio of 20% blending palm to 80% soy wax can be a good start for testing. By doing this, you may be able to increase your fragrance loading to 12-15%.
• Add your fragrance oil just before the wax reaches its pouring temperature of approximately 75Cº and stir gently. Let your candle set for at least 5 days before test burning them. Place a lid on each candle and store them in a place away from excessive heat or light.

Find out more about fragrance loading with our super helpful infographic, Fragrance Loading Guide

How much wax will I need when using your glassware?

To determine how much wax you will need, first you need to decide on which container you want to use. We provide the wax quantity in grams for each of our containers in the description. All you need to do is click on the “more information” icon. Once you have this information, then you will need to decide how many candles you want to make. Simply multiply the grams needed per container by the number of candles you wish to make. Once you get the result in grams you can then divide this number by 1000 to determine how many kilograms of wax you need.

For example, let's say you wanted to make 30 candles in our Danube small base. The wax quantity to fill line is 40g, multiplied by 30 candles equals 1200g of wax. To convert this to kilograms you would divide it by 1000 which equals 1.2kg of wax. In this example, you would need at least 1.2kg of wax to make 30 small Danube candles. It is always a good idea to round up this number. It's always better to have a little wax left over than to not have enough!

How much wax will I need when using my own glassware?

To calculate a reasonable estimate of how much wax is required for a container candle, you will need a set of digital scales. Place your container on the scales and press the 'tare' or 'zero' button. This will set the scales back to zero. Fill it up with water to your desired wax level (normally 1-2cm gap at the top). Because wax is slightly less dense than water you will need to deduct 20% of the weight to get a reasonable estimate of the wax weight. e.g. water weight is 100 grams, deduct 20%. 100 x 0.8 = 80 grams of wax per candle.

How do I melt the wax?

We recommend the double boiler method as described below. However, some people also use a microwave or invest in large electric melters for manufacturing candles on a larger scale. A double boiler is an efficient and economical way to melt wax for candle making. Here's how to create one with items you may already have on hand.

1. Fill a large saucepan about half-full with water and place it on the stove to heat.
2. Place your wax into an aluminium pouring pot.
3. Put the aluminium pouring pot into the larger saucepan and heat over medium-low heat until the wax is completely melted. Carefully add more water to the larger saucepan as needed to prevent the water from evaporating.
4. Use a thermometer to monitor the temperature of the wax.
5. Heat the wax until it is melted to your desired temperature. Once molten, pour into the wax pouring jug.
6. Mix in the fragrance at your desired temperature and pour.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to get in touch with our friendly team. You can call our customer service teams in Sydney on 02 8316 5530 or in Melbourne on 03 8372 1200, use the 'live chat' function on our website or fill out a query form on our 'Contact us' page.

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General Disclaimer: While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy and completeness, no guarantee is given nor responsibility taken by Eroma Wholesale Pty Ltd for errors or omissions in this information and Eroma Wholesale Pty Ltd does not accept responsibility in respect of any information or advice given in relation to or as a consequence of anything contained above. The above information is issued by Eroma Wholesale Pty Ltd for guidance only and we acknowledge that other important precautions may be applicable and that are not contained in this document. Therefore we take no liability for the information contained above in any way, shape or form and we recommend that you seek further information from the relevant authority.