Soy candles have made quite an impact on the candle industry over the past decade.
An even newer development in the industry is soy pillar candles.
To clarify, soy pillar candles are actually not 100% soy wax.
Pillar blends can contain paraffin and/or other botanical oils to give the wax the ability to hold its shape.
Here we will be speaking of pillar candles that contain no paraffin and are instead made with soy wax and other botanical oils.
If you are purchasing soy pillar candles in order to avoid paraffin, make sure that the soy wax blend used does not contain paraffin.
If you run across a site that says their pillars are pure soy wax, they are either lying, or more likely, they do not know that blended soy wax is not pure soy.
Here I will be comparing soy pillar candles to paraffin pillar candles citing 5 reasons why I believe soy is better.
1.
Soy pillar candles burn cleaner & longer.
As opposed to paraffin candles, soy candles do not release petro-carbon black soot into the air.
Soy based candles are also less likely to produce allergies.
Many believe that burning paraffin wax releases carcinogens into the air.
Soy wax produces non-toxic white soot, and when burned properly, soy candles generally release little to no soot.
People often complain that they get headaches when burning paraffin candles.
It is believed by many that it is the petro-carbons released from paraffin candles that are the main cause of this problem.
Soy candles produce no petro-carbons.
Because soy wax also burns cooler, it burns longer.
Soy wax has a lower melting point and produces fewer BTU's.
Because of this, the wax is consumed more slowly.
Many people claim that soy based candles can last up to 50% longer than paraffin based candles.
2.
Soy pillar candles hold their shape more than their paraffin counterparts.
Especially in the warmer months, soy pillars tend to hold their shape, whereas paraffin pillars tend to sag as they burn.
Have you ever noticed that when a paraffin candle burns halfway down, the top of the candle bulges out? This can cause large amounts of wax to actually fall off the candle.
This rarely happens with soy pillars.
The part of the soy candle that does not burn keeps its shape and is easier to deal with, and if you burn your candle properly, many of these soy candles will be completely consumed.
3.
Soy wax has a better scent throw than paraffin wax.
Scent throw is how the fragrance is dispersed into the air.
Another advantage of the cooler burning of soy wax is that it helps to better distribute the fragrance.
It is widely believed that the fragrance lasts longer and is distributed more evenly when burning a soy pillar candle.
Soy pillar candles cannot hold as much fragrance as soy container candles.
I personally think this is a good thing.
It is a common practice of many candle manufacturers to put the maximum amount of fragrance in a candle that the wax will allow.
When a candle has too much fragrance, it affects the burning of the candle and the fragrance itself can cause the release of soot into the air.
Generally, 3 to 4% fragrance is ideal for a well scented, but not overly scented candle.
Any more than that, and you end up choking on the scent.
An even newer development in the industry is soy pillar candles.
To clarify, soy pillar candles are actually not 100% soy wax.
Pillar blends can contain paraffin and/or other botanical oils to give the wax the ability to hold its shape.
Here we will be speaking of pillar candles that contain no paraffin and are instead made with soy wax and other botanical oils.
If you are purchasing soy pillar candles in order to avoid paraffin, make sure that the soy wax blend used does not contain paraffin.
If you run across a site that says their pillars are pure soy wax, they are either lying, or more likely, they do not know that blended soy wax is not pure soy.
Here I will be comparing soy pillar candles to paraffin pillar candles citing 5 reasons why I believe soy is better.
1.
Soy pillar candles burn cleaner & longer.
As opposed to paraffin candles, soy candles do not release petro-carbon black soot into the air.
Soy based candles are also less likely to produce allergies.
Many believe that burning paraffin wax releases carcinogens into the air.
Soy wax produces non-toxic white soot, and when burned properly, soy candles generally release little to no soot.
People often complain that they get headaches when burning paraffin candles.
It is believed by many that it is the petro-carbons released from paraffin candles that are the main cause of this problem.
Soy candles produce no petro-carbons.
Because soy wax also burns cooler, it burns longer.
Soy wax has a lower melting point and produces fewer BTU's.
Because of this, the wax is consumed more slowly.
Many people claim that soy based candles can last up to 50% longer than paraffin based candles.
2.
Soy pillar candles hold their shape more than their paraffin counterparts.
Especially in the warmer months, soy pillars tend to hold their shape, whereas paraffin pillars tend to sag as they burn.
Have you ever noticed that when a paraffin candle burns halfway down, the top of the candle bulges out? This can cause large amounts of wax to actually fall off the candle.
This rarely happens with soy pillars.
The part of the soy candle that does not burn keeps its shape and is easier to deal with, and if you burn your candle properly, many of these soy candles will be completely consumed.
3.
Soy wax has a better scent throw than paraffin wax.
Scent throw is how the fragrance is dispersed into the air.
Another advantage of the cooler burning of soy wax is that it helps to better distribute the fragrance.
It is widely believed that the fragrance lasts longer and is distributed more evenly when burning a soy pillar candle.
Soy pillar candles cannot hold as much fragrance as soy container candles.
I personally think this is a good thing.
It is a common practice of many candle manufacturers to put the maximum amount of fragrance in a candle that the wax will allow.
When a candle has too much fragrance, it affects the burning of the candle and the fragrance itself can cause the release of soot into the air.
Generally, 3 to 4% fragrance is ideal for a well scented, but not overly scented candle.
Any more than that, and you end up choking on the scent.