soy candle care

What is Soy Wax?

Soy wax is simply a vegetable wax made from the oil of soybeans. After harvesting, the soybeans are cleaned, cracked, de-hulled, and rolled into flakes. The oil is then extracted from the flakes and hydrogenated. The hydrogenation process converts some of the fatty acids in the oil from unsaturated or saturated. This process dramatically alters the melting point of the oil, making it a solid at room temperature. The leftover bean husks are commonly used as animal feed. The US grows the vast majority of the world’s soybeans, primarily in Illinois, Iowa, and Indiana.

How is it used?

Soy wax is used by candle makers in many different ways. It can be used straight as in our Soy wax, blended with other natural oils, or mixed with paraffin to form a para-soy blended wax.

What are the benefits?

The greatest advantage of soy wax is that it is completely renewable! While the global reserves of oil shrink and paraffin prices increase, the only limit to the supply of soy is how much we choose to grow. The soy wax that you buy from SCS today was likely in the ground less than a year ago. And chances are that same field is growing more soybeans for the soy candles to be made in the future.

In addition to sustainability, a well-made soy candle will burn cleanly and slowly, much to the delight of consumers. While the performance and beauty of soy candles speak for themselves, soy wax is truly a marketer’s dream. If you are making soy candles, you can market them as eco-friendly, renewable, American-grown, sustainable, and carbon neutral; the list goes on and on.

Soy Candle Safety

Thank you for choosing Maddison Avenue Candle Company for your soy candle needs. Handcrafted from 100% soy wax (made from soybean oil), our soy candles are a renewable, biodegradable resource. Please follow these helpful hints to ensure maximum safety and enjoyment of your clean burning soy candle.

Our container candles are designed to burn 1 hour per inch in diameter. Approximately 3 hours for each lighting.

At each lighting, burn your soy candle until the melt pool reaches the edges of the glass. This is usually around 3 hours. Keep the wick trimmed to 1/4″, which means you may have to extinguish it during the burn. Before re-lighting, make sure to trim your wick. If you do not burn your soy candle until it gets a full melt pool, you will not achieve a good fragrance throw, meaning the candle will not smell as good.

If during the burn the wick gets too big, simply extinguish the candle, trim the wick to 1/8″ and relight. This is usually caused by drafts.

On the other hand, if your melt pool does not get to the edge of the glass in 3 hours, DO NOT trim the wick as much or try burning the candle a little longer. Avoid tunneling by burning your candle until the melt pool gets to the edge of the glass. If your candle is burning to one side simply adjust your wick by gently pushing towards the opposite side of the candle using a wick dipper.

Stop burning the candle when 1/2 inch of wax remains in the bottom. Our glass containers clean easily with soap and water and can be reused. Simply scrape out cooled wax and dispose of it in a garbage container (NOT IN THE SINK – wax will clog your sink).

Before and after burning your candle you may notice an unevenness on the inside of the glass. This is normal and is caused by the wax expanding and contracting with the changing temperatures around them.

Another common occurrence is a white frosting on the top. Sometimes you may even see bubbles around the edges of your melt pool, none of which will affect the performance or safety of your wonderful soy candle. This is simply one of the natural occurrences of natural waxes. Remember that you are helping support America’s Farmers and helping keep a cleaner environment by burning soy candles!

Never leave a burning candle unattended. Extinguish the candle before going to sleep!

Soy Candle Burning Instructions

• A lit soy candle should always be within your sight. Place on a protected, heat-resistant, dry surface, away from anything that can catch fire.
• Never leave a burning candle unattended.
• Never burn a soy candle on or near any object that could be reached by the flame.
• Keep candles out of reach of children and pets.
• As your candle starts to burn down and melt make sure your wick stays centered and does not contact the side of the container to prevent the jar from possibly cracking.
• Read and follow all manufacturer instructions carefully.
• Trim the wick to 1/8 inch each time before burning to prevent smoking and carbon mushrooming.
• Extinguish the flame if it comes too close to the container to keep the container from getting too hot.
• Always burn your soy candle on a stable, heat-resistant surface.
• Keep burning soy candles away from drafts and vents.
• Handle with care; glass containers are fragile. Do not use if the jar is cracked, chipped, or scratched. Do not refill with wax.
• If smoking occurs, check for drafts or high traffic areas, which may cause the flame to flicker and smoke. Also, be sure that the wick is no longer than 1/8″. If it is, extinguish, trim to 1/8″, and relight.
• Extinguish a candle if it smokes, flickers repeatedly, or the flame becomes too high. Cool, trim the wick, and relight.
• Do not allow the flame to touch the side of the jar. The jar may become hot. Handle carefully.
• Keep the wax pool free of wick trimmings, matches, and debris at all times. Keep the wick centered.
• Always burn soy candles in a well-ventilated room.
• Never touch or move any soy candle when the wax is still melted.
• Burn your soy candle until it is melted completely across the top. This will help prevent your soy candle from tunneling (burning down in the center). It does not affect the quality of the candle if some wax is left of the sides. The amount will vary per fragrance and burning conditions.
• To dispose of unwanted soy wax, pour the wax in a trash can or something similar. Please do not pour wax down the drain as IT WILL CLOG YOUR SINK!
• Extinguish your soy candle with a wick dipper if it smokes, flickers repeatedly, or the flame becomes larger than 1″ high. Cool for one hour, trim the wick with a wick trimmer, and relight.
• Prevent possible heat damage to the counter/surface by discontinuing use when 1/2 inch of the wax remains in the container to ensure safety. Only burn in a suitable holder, or on a plate or other fire and heat resistant surface. Do not burn soy candles for more than 3 hours at a time.
• Extinguish carefully before replacing any lid.