Soy candles burn cleaner & longer than paraffin candles, produce less harmful emissions, are healthier for loved ones & pets and in most cases can even be safely burned around people suffering from asthma!
Soy is everywhere these days, including in your milk, chips, nuts, and even burgers adding health benefits through and through, now it seems soy is also in your candles. Soy candles are a new and emerging type of candle the offers great benefits to those candle heads in the world that can’t live without fresh aroma burning each and every day in their homes.
“If it lasts longer it’s okay with me” said a friend of mine once during a casual dinner. Take that comment for what you will, my friend could’ve meant a variety of things by it, but in general consumers prefer long lasting items to those that are short in life span. Soy candles last 30 to 50 percent longer then traditional candles. Your average 14 oz candle, similar to a Yankee candle large size, will last about 75 hours. If you were to have that candle be a soy candle, it would last over 100 hours and smell just as sweet as the traditional candles do.
Traditional candles are known to cause soot in and around the general area they are burning. For those that aren’t familiar with our friend soot, think grayish black smoky smelling fog that clouds the top of your candle jar, on your walls, and even on ones ceiling. Soot is caused by the toxic elements in the traditional candles that are released when ignited. Soy candles are all natural and do not contain any toxins, thus no soot will come of them.
Carcinogens are released into the air when a traditional candle is burning. Carcinogens can cause cancer, and other health related problems. New research is showing links between candles, charcoal, and other burning devices we use in our home lives as cancer causing. Research is just beginning on this issue; however it is a fact that soy candles do not produce carcinogens. When thinking about buying soy candles think of the old cliché, better safe than sorry.
Why Burn Soy Candles?
Those who have burned soy already have seen the benefits of soy candles, both to both your health and the environment first hand. As with most soy wax candle websites, it's our pleasure to present the facts, myths, and benefits of soy candles.
Clean Burning
One of the most famous benefits of soy candles is how clean they burn. Soy wax doesn't not produce the black soot like paraffin does. While some might say "no soot", it's actually "little soot". Everything that burns puts off smoke, and soy candles are no exception. However, the amount of smoke released from soy wax is so minimum, there are very few that notice it.
If you have ever had a soy wax candle in the past that did leave black soot around the jar, there are several reasons this may have happened. One explanation is it wasn't 100% soy, but rather a soy/paraffin blend. Many advertise "soy candle" have unknown blends that you may not catch unless you search deep into their site. If it doesn't say 100% or tell you what's in the candles, watch out.
Another reason you see black soot could have been the use of metal wicks. While no candle made in the US has lead, they can have zinc. Zinc wicks are not toxic like lead, but they will produce more soot than cotton or hemp wicks.
There are other possible reasons, but those are a few. See our blog post to answer the question "Why Do My Candle Wicks Smoke?" for additional information and benefits on soy candles.
Promoting American Farmers
Help the farmers and everyone benefits. Soy beans are grown in American fields, and processed into soy wax in the US as well. This is one of the most important benefits of soy candles!
You don't have to be an economic major to know cheap paraffin candles made in other countries doesn't benefit anyone but the big business selling it. Support our farmers and our economy!
Cost Effective
A point which sometimes isn't included in many lists of the benefits of soy candles. You may be shocked by this point, but in many cases soy wax candles can be more cost effective than paraffin. Not only in quality, but in quantity too. Soy not only burns cleaner, but slower too. A soy candle can burn up to twice as long (sometimes even more!) than parafin, giving you twice the candle.
Wonderful Scent Throw
When it's said that a candle scent "throws well", this means it fills the room with a strong, lasting scent. Soy wax candles not only have a great scent throw, but also have a cleaner smell. It's been noted by many that paraffin wax will give them headaches. Of course it's not the scent itself, but the additional chemicals the paraffin is putting off. Because soy burns so clean, you'll get a cleaner scent as well.
Facts & Myths About Soy Candles
Some information you may have seen about soy may or may not be true. For more reading on the facts and myths, our blog has articles and detailed information on the benefits of soy candles. See below for a list of important posts which cover facts, myths, and benefits of soy candles. It is interesting to note that the National Candle Association, the organization that represents the candle industry in the United States, has sent Mike Richards, president and founder of nationally known Candleworks Inc., a letter asking him to cease telling the public about the dangers of paraffin. When the American Lung Association made a similar announcement, the NCA threatened them with legal action.
Of course, such a reaction is expected because the oil industry has assumed a very dominant position in the candle manufacturing business. The oil industry not only sells their byproducts to the candle industry but also has four members sitting on the board of the National Candle Association.