Are you confused about the different types of waxes and their uses? We reveal to you all the important information about our candle waxes.
Wax is the main component of your candle and the choice of the latter is of capital importance for the success of your creations. Each wax has unique characteristics that are crucial to know.
These guides will help you understand how each type of wax works, but also help you avoid possible problems you may encounter when making your creations or cleaning your wax stains. If you want to know the specificities and the use of a specific wax, we invite you to consult the sheets for our Cargill, Kerax & co waxes.
Our guides on waxes
The different types of candle waxes
3 categories of waxes and 1 of additives are available on Terre de Bougies. They are very different and have more or less interest depending on your creative desires.
Vegetable waxes from raw materials of natural origin
We offer a selection of high quality, environmentally friendly vegetable waxes. Vegetable waxes are made using natural oils such as soy, rapeseed, palm or coconut.
- Soy wax ensures excellent scent diffusion no matter what creation you envision. In our opinion, it is the best wax for making cast candles. It is also interesting for molded candles, but also scented fondants.
- Rapeseed wax has a long lifespan suitable for all types of creation, but is more used for molded candles and melts. Its low melting point has many advantages, although it is more difficult to work with to obtain good results.
- Olive wax comes from olive oil. It is the ideal wax for making shiny scented melts and molded candles. For cosmetics too, with its melting and soft texture, it will perfectly nourish your skin.
- Coconut oil is a vegetable oil composed of approximately 90% saturated acids extracted from coconut pulp. Used in the production of candles, it helps improve combustion. Additionally, it is very popular in the cosmetic industry for its benefits for skin and hair.
- Palm wax is an interesting alternative for making long-burning molded candles. When unmolding, the wax comes cleanly from the mold. Stearin comes from fatty mixtures and is obtained by fractionating the solid components of processed palm oil.
- Made from sunflower oil, sunflower wax is rich in essential fatty acids and vitamins. Sunflower wax is a very popular plant-based alternative in cosmetic products. But that's not all, it is widely used in the paper and candle industry due to its particular plant properties.
Mineral waxes like paraffin
At the top of the list of mineral waxes, we find the famous paraffin . Derived from petroleum, it has long been used for the manufacture of scented candles because it is the latter which has the best fragrance restitution characteristics .
Easy to work with for everyone (to the great benefit of beginners), it is often found in industrial candles, but its origin raises questions for the health of individuals and the environment.
Animal waxes like beeswax
Beeswax is the animal and natural wax par excellence. Resulting from bee secretions, beeswax makes it possible to make natural, unscented molded candles as well as votive candles. It is also widely used in the manufacture of cosmetics and as an additive in soaps or scented candles by improving the olfactory rendering and shine of the wax. Its unique scent will also beautify your unscented candle.
Additives improve the properties of your mixtures
Among the wax additives, we find vegetable stearin or even stabilizers .
Stearin is a palm-based fatty acid that can be used alone or in addition to soy wax, for example. Thanks to it, you can color your creations easily or considerably increase the lifespan of your candle thanks to the increase in the melting point due to its opacifying effect when the acid is consumed.
Stabilizers have properties used to homogenize or stabilize your creation. The BE60 homogenizer will fix the oil in your scented candle by optimizing the combustion rate while the CS 6000 stabilizer will protect your candle against thermal changes thanks to its anti-oxidation capacity.
Conclusion
Now you know all the different types of waxes! We invite you to read our articles to learn more about some specific aspects of soy waxes for candles.
