thecandlehut web store FAQ section

There are a lot of myths surrounding soy candles. Most of these are designed to sell soy candles better, and have very little truth in them. A great example is the great "no soot" myth. Sites that sell soy candles love to say that there is absolutely no soot produced with a soy candle. However, there is no truth and all hype to that claim. Absolutely, positively, and most importantly, scientifically, all organic compounds when burned will emit some carbon (soot) due to incomplete combustion. Sooting is primarily a factor of wick length and disturbance of the flame's steady teardrop shape. There is no such thing as a soot-free candle. Further, while soy wax is all-natural and will not produce the thick black soot that you see on some paraffin containers, it does produce soot. An important fact to remember is that not all soot is black. Soot can be a "white soot" that cannot be seen with the naked eye. Soy wax will produce little black soot - unless the candle is improperly wicked, made, or burnt, but it may produce white soot. But before you get scared of soot, let me tell you, that soot is in fact not harmful to you. Candle soot is composed primarily of elemental carbon particles, and is similar to the soot given off by kitchen toasters and cooking oils. These everyday household sources of soot are not considered a health concern, and are chemically different from the soot formed by the burning of diesel fuel, coal, gasoline, etc. So the myth of "soot free soy candles" is not only inaccurate, but simply an effort by some companies to scare the general public into buying their candles. With that being said, there are some benefits to purchasing soy wax candles. While petroleum based paraffin wax is a limited resource, soy wax is a renewable resource that is limited only by how many soybeans we can grow. It is also beneficial to farmers who sell soybean crops, as well as lasting almost twice as long as paraffin wax. However, soy wax is naturally a "soft" wax. While container candles, tealights, and small tarts may be made entirely of soy, it is extremely difficult to make good pillar candles and votives out of 100% pure soy wax. Additives are used to make them better, but in most cases, paraffin wax is still a much better solution for those types of candles. In my own company, Mystickal Incense & More, we use a blend of 50% soy wax and 50% paraffin wax for our free-standing candles. In the end, both paraffin wax and soy wax are both good choices for candle wax. Neither is more "environmentally friendly" than the other, as there has never been scientific evidence that paraffin wax is harmful to your health in any way at all. It is a personal choice of which type you prefer to use, and both types hold scent and dye just as well. The only benefit that there is in all reality, is that container candles using soy wax do burn longer. And it does benefit the farmers of the Mid-western United States. However, most other claims regarding soy wax are false and/or misleading.

~~Choose a location to burn your candle . Make sure there are no loose curtains, clothing, paper, cobb webbs, dust bunnies, or any other debris that may catch fire. ~~Using a lighter or match, light the wick...remember, there are now specially made lighters just for candles. These are especially helpful when the wax begins to diminish. Use the diameter of your jar as a guide when determining how long to burn a candle; for example, if your jar measures 2.5" across, only burn that particular candle for no more than 2 1/2 hours. On the flip side, burning your candle less than the diameter of your jar results in tunneling (candle burns down the center and leaves wax on the sides). A good candle should burn all the way across and down, leaving no wasted wax behind. ~~Now that you have burned your candle and your house or office smells wonderful, it's time to snuff it out. You can just blow it out, but a better way is to take a snuffer, or other object (fork, bamboo skewer, anything that won't burn quickly) and push the wick into the melted wax. This coats the wick for an easier lighting next time and safely puts out the flame. Blowing into melted wax may cause splash back and this method prevents that. ~~Before you light your candle next time, take a pair of scissors or fingernail clippers and clip the wick 1/4 inch from the wax. This allows for a cleaner, safer burn. Complete this step before you light your candle each time. Always remember, NEVER LEAVE A BURNING CANDLE UNATTENDED! Practice all warnings on the caution label.