Sometimes we simply can’t resist scented candles. If you catch yourself secretly eyeing scented candles in a store and thinking about which one to add to your collection this time, you should know that candle quality varies across all price ranges.
That’s why, no matter where you buy your favorite scented candles, you should know how to choose good-quality ones.
Soy wax is known to be the highest-quality and most prestigious wax in the world of scented candles. You should know that many brands and manufacturers actually make candles from a mix of soy and paraffin wax to reduce their production costs.
If you want to be sure you’re not bringing harmful substances into your home, it’s time to learn a few tricks.
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Touch test
Some candles that are marketed as soy candles contain a significant amount of paraffin wax. A simple way to check this is to touch the top of the candle and observe the wax.
Paraffin wax is usually soft and translucent and feels slightly greasy under your fingers. Soy wax, on the other hand, is firmer and opaque.
So the general rule is: the more soy wax a scented candle contains, the firmer it should feel to the touch.
To do this test yourself, it’s best to gently tap the candle’s surface with your finger. If your finger sinks into the wax, it means the scented candle doesn’t contain soy wax, or contains a much smaller percentage compared to paraffin wax. In very rare cases, this test may be inaccurate.
From time to time, we hear stories of people complaining about headaches when using scented candles. It’s often mistakenly believed that fragrance oils or perfumes in industrial candles cause this, but the real culprit is the evaporation of paraffin wax, a byproduct of petroleum processing.
If you’ve experienced this before, you’ll notice a drastic difference when you use a high-quality candle instead.
How do you know it’s a 100% soy candle?
The best way to determine whether your candle is made entirely of natural soy wax is to look at the top and sides (if visible). If you notice a whitish or crystalline film, that’s a phenomenon called frosting).
This is a natural characteristic of soy wax. The wax naturally tries to crystallize and return to its original state. “Frosting” doesn’t affect the scent quality or how the soy candle burns—it’s purely visual.
To reduce this effect, you can keep the candle in direct light. Temperature changes can also trigger “frosting” when a candle cools down suddenly. If this happens to your favorite candle too, you can be sure it’s made from 100% natural soy wax.
The highest-quality soy candles are made from 100% soy wax without synthetic additives. Although these additives aren’t necessary, many manufacturers still mix soy wax with paraffin wax. This is most often done so scented candles can be marketed as “natural” while reducing production costs.
So if you see a “soy candle” that’s quite cheap, know that it’s paraffin or some other synthetic wax.
What should you expect from a real soy candle?
When you buy a quality scented candle, here’s what you should expect from it.
Clean burn
A clean burn and a clean flame are one of main advantages of soy candles compared to paraffin candles.
Quality soy candles burn without soot and smoke and, if used correctly, shouldn’t create a so-called “tunnel.”
A tunnel is leftover unused wax that forms when a candle burns incorrectly and melts the wax unevenly.
How to use scented candles properly? Read HERE.
If a soy candle is near the end, quality candles still shouldn’t produce smoke. Lower-quality candles will leave soot and black residue on the glass near the top of the container.
Natural and eco-friendly
Quality scented candles are made from 100% natural, non-GMO soy wax, without added synthetic or paraffin wax.
We are committed to ensuring our candles contain no chemicals under any circumstances—we use only natural wax to make them.
We are not willing to make any compromises on this decision.
Health comes first
If you truly love scented candles, this is a very important thing to always keep in mind.
Paraffin wax is obtained as a byproduct of petroleum and gasoline processing. Its market price is quite low compared to natural plant waxes.
And that would all be fine—if paraffin wax didn’t contain toxins like toluene and benzene, which have been shown to be carcinogenic.
It has been scientifically proven that the flame of a scented candle does not reach a high enough temperature to burn off these particles, so unfortunately they end up in the air that we then breathe in.
This makes paraffin wax dangerous for health and the environment.
Scented candles
Eco Glow - Akacija - soywax candle
990 RSD
Scented candles
Eco Glow - Dream - soywax candle
990 RSD
Scented candles
Eco Glow - Amethyst - scented candle
990 RSD
A quality wick
A very important element when choosing a quality scented candle is to pay attention to the wick.
Quality candles use natural wooden or cotton wicks, without metal filaments. These metal filaments are thin threads woven into the wick to keep it standing upright. Zinc is commonly the metal used for this, which can lead to serious consequences if inhaled frequently.
Today, there are much better and safer ways to secure a wick and keep it upright. If you turn your scented candle upside down, you should see a small metal tab at the bottom that the wick is attached to. This way, the wick is physically secured to the container, and there’s no need for metal filaments in the wick that end up in the air we breathe when burned.
Natural scent
If you’re used to industrial candles, soy candles may seem like they don’t smell “strong enough.”
The reason for this is very simple to explain. Soy wax reaches high temperatures more slowly, so less fragrance oil evaporates—meaning it doesn’t overwhelm our sense of smell to unnatural levels.
Because it melts more slowly, soy candles last much longer—and that’s one of the reasons we don’t want to compromise, but keep quality at the highest level.
Some manufacturers combine soy wax with coconut or palm wax to boost stronger scent evaporation, but in the end the candle’s overall quality is lost.
An interesting (and very bad) marketing trick with industrial candles is that very cheap scented candles usually have fragrance oils or perfumes only at the top of the candle, while the rest has no scent at all. You can spot this marketing trick if you look at the candle from the side. If you notice a transition or a thin line in the middle of the candle, it’s very likely that an unscented portion was used for the bottom part. A really bad story.
Handmade
The highest-quality soy candles are usually made by hand.
Although this isn’t a strict measure of quality, it’s important to know that soy wax behaves differently during production from candle to candle.
For example, if we make 10 candles at once in one batch, none of them will cool down in the exact same way, and the wax won’t behave identically in any candle.
That’s why, after the initial cooling, each candle needs to be finished by hand to give it its final look.
This can’t be done by machine, because the wax behaves unpredictably, even under strictly controlled conditions.
That’s the beauty and charm of making real, pure soy candles.
Conclusion
With this story, we wanted to guide you in learning how to recognize the difference between quality, lower quality, marketing hype, and industrial production.
Every product finds its buyer, which is perfectly normal, but if you are able, pay attention to these few useful tips the next time you choose a scented candle for your home.
With smile,
Balavander
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