Candle Making Wax

The practice of making candles dates back several thousand years. Egyptians were making candles from beeswax three thousand years before the advent of Christianity, and the practice has continued throughout history using whale fat, insects, seeds, and herbs such as cinnamon for lighting and time-keeping, as well as an incense in ritual ceremonies.

While beeswax candles are probably the oldest type of candle, the more common source of candle wax has been the fat derived from rendering fish and animals. This type of candle material is generally referred to as tallow, which is made by melting animal fat and then forming it into a taper shape, usually by the use of a mold, and inserting a wick during the drying and cooling process.

Beeswax has been harvested for thousands of years for candle making wax as well as for use as a lubricant and a protective material. Worker bees create wax by masticating (chewing) honey and secreting a waxy substance that is then used to seal the combs in the hive. Beeswax is collected from the hives and melted down in boiling water to be used for candle making. In some cases, mineral oil is added to add a better consistency and uniformity when burning.

Paraffin wax came into use after the identification in 1830 of certain alkaline hydrocarbons in petroleum that, when solidified, would hold a form but would then liquefy at a melting point of approximately 115 to 145 degrees Fahrenheit. Paraffin wax has been widely used as a candle making wax due to an ability to maintain its form while melting at a slower rate than tallow or beeswax. This consistency of form lends itself well to making a variety of candle shapes.

Bayberries were discovered for candle making by early American colonists who sought an alternative to the excessive smoke and soot that is created by burning tallow. The berries from bayberry shrubs are collected and boiled down, and the liquid is then allowed to dry into a waxy substance that was used for candles. Although bayberry wax has a pleasant natural scent and produces less soot, it requires somewhere between 5 to 15 pounds of bayberries to make one pound of wax.

Soy has been recently discovered to be a viable source of candle making wax. Soybean wax is a derivative by-product of the oil found in soybeans, and is generally much softer than any other candle making wax. It is more often used to make container candles because for this reason. Soybean wax is also colorless and odorless, and therefore dyes and fragrances are often used in the candle making process when using soybean wax. So thats it , just a little history on the evolution of candle wax

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