{"id":2652,"date":"2016-12-14T04:15:12","date_gmt":"2016-12-14T04:15:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/?p=2652"},"modified":"2016-12-14T04:18:24","modified_gmt":"2016-12-14T04:18:24","slug":"natural-soy-candles-buying-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/natural-soy-candles-buying-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Natural soy candles buying guide"},"content":{"rendered":"
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How to choose the perfect soy candle?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/a>

Photo courtesy of Pairfum<\/p><\/div>\n

When buying one of the best scented soy candles you should expect the\u00a0following:<\/p>\n

Clean Burn<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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This is one of\u00a0the strong points of any good soy candle over paraffin candles.<\/p>\n

It should be burning cleanly for you without soot or smoke and it should not be tunneling, i.e. the should be no wax residue left on side of the glass.<\/p>\n

When a soy candle is nearly burnt down, you will notice that the good ones still do not smoke or soot but\u00a0the lesser ones will\u00a0and you may notice some soot appearing along the top of the glass.<\/p>\n

A further sign\u00a0of a high quality perfumed soy candle is that the wick does not develop a glowing ‘mushroom’ head. In the past, you may have noticed that some candles develop red glowing bubble or head that eventually drops off into the wax to create an unsightly mess in the wax. This happens usually because\u00a0something in the engineering of the candle is not quite right (the wick, the fragrance, some additives, etc.).<\/p>\n

Every candle should\u00a0burn down cleanly and completely, will not soot or smoke nor will it leave soot marks on the glass or tin.<\/p>\n

100% Natural & Eco Friendly<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The best soy candles are made from 100% natural soy wax without any synthetic or petroleum derived additives. These additives are not necessary and yet many candle companies blend soy wax into a paraffin wax candle.<\/p>\n

This is for the benefit of being able to claim ‘natural’ or ‘soy candle’ but also to keep the price of the candle competitive. Hence, if you see a soy candle that is very cheap, the chances increase that it will contain paraffin or another synthetic wax.<\/p>\n

Healthy Burn<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is the strongest point of a high quality soy candle.<\/p>\n

With soy being natural, it does not contain toxins that are carcinogenic!<\/p>\n

Paraffin contains toxins such as toluene and benzene, which are known carcinogens. It has been scientifically proven that a candle flame does not burn hot enough to destroy these ingredients before they are passed into the air, which makes paraffin candles air pollutants or harmful to the quality of the air in your home.<\/p>\n

Another key element you should expect of superior soya candles is that they only use\u00a0natural cotton wick, free from metal filaments. These metal filaments are woven tinto\u00a0wicks to keep them upright while the candle burns. Zinc and lead are typical examples of these but burning them in a candle can lead to lead or zinc poisoning.<\/p>\n

Today other solutions exist to keep a wick upright while the candle burns.<\/p>\n

It is easy to verify whether a candle contains a wick with metal core. Just look at the top of the wick and if you see a black dot in the middle, then it contains most likely metal in its core.<\/p>\n

Strong Perfume<\/strong><\/p>\n

Whenever there is a valid criticism of soy candles then it is the lack of ‘fragrance bloom’, in other words, many people find that the fragrance from a soy candle is not particularly strong.<\/p>\n

The reasons are easily explained: soy wax has a lower melt-point than paraffin and the cooler the molten wax, the less perfume evaporates.<\/p>\n

The melt-point of soy wax is around 35-55 degrees celsium whereas paraffin wax’s is at 55-70 deg C. This difference does not seem much but it become most significant when you consider that for every 10 degrees celsius you double the amount of perfume which evaporate.<\/p>\n

Here is an example: a typical perfumed soy wax candle will have a meltpoint of about 45 deg C and a fragranced paraffin candle will be at about 65 deg C. This is 20 deg C in the difference and it means that the paraffin candle releases 4 x times as much perfume into the room as the soy candle. It is no wonder that the paraffin candle seems stronger!<\/p>\n

The first solution to this is to only use strong and highly concentrated perfumes or essential oils in the candle. With essential oils and high quality fragrance oils being expensive, many perfumers dilute them. It then seems like a lot of odorous compounds are being added to the candle when in fact it is mainly diluents. This is\u00a0what typically happens with budget priced scented candles.<\/p>\n

A further solution is to deeply and highly scent the wax. Cheap paraffin candles only fragrance the upper most layer of the candle. When you look at the side of a cheap scented candle and you notice a thin line running around the glass, then there is a high probability that only the top is scented. The best perfumed soy candles are all fragranced from top to bottom contain a large amount of fragrance.<\/p>\n

The single most effective solution is to raise the melt-point of the soy wax used. We achieve this first by starting with a grade of soy wax which naturally has a high melt-point and then we further increase it by adding other 100% natural waxes that\u00a0melt only at high temperatures. This lifts the temperature of the molten soy wax and boost the fragrance intensity to levels similar to paraffin candles.<\/p>\n

Other companies believe they enhance their soy candle by adding coconut wax. Unfortunately, this is another low temperature wax and we find it merely reduces the cost of the candle rather than improve the burn quality or more importantly increase the fragrance strength.<\/p>\n

Longer Burn<\/strong><\/p>\n

Due to the fact that soy wax has a lower meltpoint, it has been found that on average they burn about 30% longer than a comparative paraffin candle.<\/p>\n

Eco-Friendly<\/strong><\/p>\n

With soy wax being made from soya beans, it is a natural and sustainable resource that can be used for many generations to come.<\/p>\n

Equally, it is a biodegradable wax that can go\u00a0back into the ground and break-down harmlessly.<\/p>\n

Craftsmanship<\/strong><\/p>\n

Most of the best scented soy candles are hand poured.<\/p>\n

This does not increase the measurable quality of how the\u00a0candle burns or smells but it does improve how the candle looks and presents itself. With soy wax being natural, every candle behaves slightly different when it is being made. This in turn, requires hand finishing and hand pouring to ensure that a soy candle is beautifully finished.<\/p>\n

Soy candles that are produced by skilled artisans do exude a certain personality, character and finesse that candles which are mass-manufactured on factory production lines and machines cannot match.<\/p>\n

Envelop your family and friends only with the\u00a0healthy atmosphere of soy candles candles and\u00a0will infuse your rooms with evocative and beautifully natural couture perfume.<\/p>\n

Choosing The Right Fragrance In Soy Candles?<\/h2>\n

Be creative and set a different fragrance tone in every room of your home.<\/p>\n

Our soy waxes are infused with natural and pure perfume oils. When lit, PAIRFUM candles will slowly release their fragrance to permeate your home with a sophisticated fragrance, a warming atmosphere for many pleasurable hours.<\/p>\n

Here are general fragrance families that offer some guidance. Enjoy the journey of discovery.<\/p>\n

Flowers<\/strong><\/p>\n

Floral fragrances shine with their\u00a0romantic and feminine character but also their\u00a0natural\u00a0beauty.<\/p>\n

Generally speaking, floral fragrances fall into one of two categories (but these obviously overlap):<\/p>\n

Red Flowers<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

These are the rich, sensuous and heady fragrances.<\/p>\n

The most prominent types are centered around rose, also known as the ‘queen of flowers’. But this group also includes violet, peony, orchid, mimosa, camellia, champaca, freesia, hyacinth, lilac and heliotrope.<\/p>\n

White Flowers<\/strong><\/p>\n

This fragrance type is personified by jasmine with other members being orange blossom, tuberose, gardenia, honeysuckle, lilac, magnolia, osmanthus, ylang ylang, iris, lily of the valley, narcissus and many other blooms with pale petals.<\/p>\n

White flower\u00a0notes are generally light and fresh with more of an outdoor feeling.<\/p>\n

Aromatic &\u00a0Aquatic<\/strong><\/p>\n

Freshness is the overriding sensation of these fragrances.<\/p>\n

The breaking waves of the ocean, the\u00a0freshness of the wind\u00a0or a clear blue lagoon. These are the images conjured up by the scents in the aquatic olfactive group. The notes tend to be transparent, fresh, natural, radiant and lasting.<\/p>\n

Lavender, rosemary\u00a0and artemesia\u00a0are aromatic notes. The lend virility and energy to a fragrance. To reinforce their freshness, aromatic fragrances\u00a0are often combined with citrus or\u00a0spicy notes.<\/p>\n

Wood & Moss<\/strong><\/p>\n

This olfactive heading summarises scents based on woods such as sandalwood, patchouli, vetiver or cedar. Woods are typically at the base of a fragrance giving it richness and warmth. Today woody notes can be both masculine and very feminine in character, whereas in the past they were predominantly used in men’s perfumery.<\/p>\n

Woods have many different olfactive profiles:<\/p>\n