Monday 17 December 2012

Why don't I use paraffin when making candles?

As you can no doubt tell, I like to make candles from soy wax. I would like to take a minute and explain to you why that is.

Make Candles At Home
Soy pillar candle
  1. Soy is 100% natural. Yes, I have seen the arguments that paraffin is natural as it originates with the decomposition of organic matter. But seriously, how many of us consider petroleum to be a natural product? Paraffin is a by-product of the petroleum industry. Yes, paraffin is used in a lot of women's health and beauty products but that doesn't necessarily make it natural or good for you. Take a quick look at any cosmetic item you use and you will see an extensive list of chemical compounds. Why would you want to burn chemicals in your home? Surely a 100% natural wax is a healthier choice.
  2. Soy is renewable. Soy beans can be harvested and then more grown the following season. It takes millions of years to make the petroleum necessary for the production of paraffin.
  3. The use of soy beans to make wax for candle making helps local farmers in the USA and many other countries
  4. Soy wax works in so many forms. You can use soy to make pillar, container and molded candles. I use to worry about using soy in silicone molds but really works well. Soy wax is softer than paraffin and it is a white wax, therefore the colors are not as vivid, but it is a great wax for making candles.
  5. Soy candles burn cleaner than paraffin candles. I burn candles everyday and I am often surprised when I see other people's candles with black sooty residues around the edges. I never have black soot on my soy candles.
  6. Soy candles burn slower and therefore they last longer. This makes soy candles a good economic choice as you are getting a longer burn time for your dollar.
  7. Soy has an excellent scent throw. Most of us burn candles for the beautiful scent they give off around the home. Soy wax has an excellent cold and warm scent throw meaning your house will smell delicious in no time at all.
Make candles at home
Soy Candle using Silicone Mold
As you can see, there are so many reasons why soy wax is a great decision when making candles. Soy wax is better for you, your family and the environment. You know when you use soy wax you will get great looking candles and a candle that will burn well.

Great ideas on using soy wax in candle making can be found at Candle Making Skills

Tuesday 4 December 2012

Advent Candle Wreath

Do you have an Advent Candle wreath? 

I think this is one of the Christmas traditions that is losing popularity. Many people still use wreaths, generally though these are hung on their doors. My daughter taught me something new about wreaths this year. I had no idea a wreath was traditionally made from ever green boughs to symbolize ever lasting life. I did know that is was circular to show the continuous love of God and the immortality of the soul. Modern day wreaths are made of so many different items, burlap, plastic bags, candy, tinsel, paper, baubles and ribbons to name a few.

I have a few friends who light Advent candles, these are generally the ones that count down the days to Christmas much like an Advent Calendar does. Initially I thought perhaps Advent Candle Wreaths were rare because most people are unaware of the term "Advent" but then I realized the proliferation of Advent calendars refutes that argument. As a candle maker I am going to encourage the use of Advent Candle Wreaths. So what is an Advent Candle Wreath?

Generally an Advent Candle Wreath is made up of four or five candles. The four candles on the wreath are lit on the four Sundays of Advent (the 4 weeks before Christmas). Three of the candles are traditionally purple and the other is pink.

The candles represent

  1. Hope - faith in God keeping his promise to the world
  2. Preparation - reminding people to get ready to receive God
  3. Joy - reminds us of the angels joyfully singing of Jesus' birth (the pink candle)
  4. Love - a reminder that God loves the world so much he sent his Son

Often, a white candle is placed in the centre of the wreath and it is the Christ candle.

In the first week of Advent the Hope candle is lit, in the second week both the Hope and Preparation candles are lit, in the third week the Hope, Preparation and Joy candles are lit, on the last Sunday of Advent the Hope, Preparation, Joy and Love candles are lit. Lastly on Christmas day or sometimes at Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve the center candle, representing Christ, is lit.

While an Advent Candle Wreath is a traditional way to remember the Advent season there are variations to this practice. Some people use a single Advent candle while others have a display of candles.

Saturday 1 December 2012

Christmas candle madness

'Tis the season to be jolly, and to get lots done. I am on a hectic schedule at the moment, besides my day job and looking after my family I need to start my Christmas preparations and I need to make a lot of candle presents. I had this wonderful idea of making Christmas candles for hampers our local church is giving away this year. Perhaps I should have considered the sheer volume of candles I was going to need to make and made some simple pillars or containers. Unfortunately, I decided to make stars and I only have one mold which makes 6 candles at a time. I am two pours in and still have 8 sets to go!

Make Candles at Home
The candles look absolutely amazing though and the house is filled with the festive scents of cinnamon and cranberries. I made these candles using silicone bake ware, yes the ones you would use to make cupcakes or muffins. If you have never used re purposed kitchen items in your candle making then you really are missing out on some great candle making experiences. Some of these cupcake molds have interesting detail and also excellent shape designs. I have flowers, hearts, stars, presents and bugs in my collection. The best thing about using these molds is:

  1. You often have them on hand already at the back of one of your kitchen cupboards
  2. You can often pick them up cheaply at a discount store, dollar store, yard sale or Goodwill
  3. They are much cheaper than candle molds
  4. Usually there are 6 molds meaning you can make candles much quicker that if you are reliant on a single pillar mold.
If you are wanting to make some Christmas candles and aren't sure where to start, or need some inspiration drop on over to Candle making skills for some great ideas.