Soy Candle FAQ

Candle FAQ

Why is soy awesome?

Because it is! Oh, you need more than that? Sure, how about:

Soy Wax is a completely natural, non-toxic, and biodegradable candle wax. They use farmed soybeans to make the wax. Which means this wax is actually a type of vegetable oil.

It releases fragrance naturally and for longer than most waxes.

Soy candle wax can actually accommodate more fragrance on a by-weight basis than paraffin (petroleum wax), the most commonly used candle wax, which means you will get a longer lasting and purer scent throw. The scent of a candle comes from the pool of melted wax, Soy wax has a lower melting point than paraffin candles and consequently has a larger pool of melted wax to disperse the fragrance. Soy wax candles can also last for 25 – 50 % longer than paraffin candles, making them more economical to your budget.

Made from an environmentally friendly, renewable resource, it is water soluble thus you can wash out your jars with hot, soapy water, which means containers and  jars can be reused. However, we do not recommend that you pour wax down your drains as the wax can solidify in the pipes and clog your sink.

In addition to all the other benefits of soy candles, they also produce up to 90% less soot than paraffin candles.  The soot that is produced is white, not black, so it won’t stain your walls as it burns. For this reason, soy candles are one of the healthiest choices when burning candles. Breathing soot can be very unhealthy and will eventually cover nearby walls and furniture with the black substance.

 

Why is my candle doing that: terms and solutions

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. This is because the wax is clean burning and the fragrance is coming from the melted wax pool rather than the wick only.

Tunneling:
“Tunneling” is when a candle burns down the middle of the jar, or more specifically, when the wax does not melt all the way to the edge, leaving lots of wax stuck to the side of the jar. To help prevent candles from boring a hole down the middle burn candles at a minimum of at least one hour for each inch in diameter, up to a maximum of 4 hours. For example, burn a 3-inch diameter candle for a minimum of at least 3 hours each time. Burn long enough to achieve a melt pool that can be seen all the way around the glass. If not, the wax will never melt past the first wax pool and thereby cause tunneling. We recommend that the first time you light the candle, allow it to burn until the liquid wax covers the entire top of the candle. This breaking in process insures that it will perform better and more evenly throughout the life of the candle and help prevent tunneling.

Frosting:

It is possible for some candles to develop a light flakey or chalky appearance. This is called "frosting" and is very common with candles made from soy wax and is a natural characteristic of soy. I find it is more obvious when you have the darker colors. This is also known as “blooming”. The whiteness caused by crystallization is similar to what you get on chocolate over time.  There are a few things that can cause this: the season we are currently in (fall and winter months you will probably see this more because of the cold shifts), the pour temperature when that candle was made, and direct sun light and dramatic changes in temperature can also be a factor. Many makers use a paraffin and soy blend to combat this however we have opted not to use paraffin to combat frosting because we feel it’s important to provide an ecofriendly candle. It should not be considered a flaw and does not in any way affect the burning or the quality of the candle.

 Wet spots:

Sometimes you may notice that it looks like your candle has a wet spot, this is not actually a wet spot, but an air cavity. With some candle containers, the Soy wax has a tendency pull away from the container side causing an air pocket. This is normal. It could be caused by the difference in room and jar temperature, or the temperature of the room the candle is in while setting. Sometimes it can happen after the candle has set and the wax shrinks. I’ve had jars that look perfect when made, but after being exposed to fluctuations in temperature they change in appearance. This will not affect the candle burn or scent throw of your candle.

Mushrooming:

Mushrooming is when you wick gets too long while burning and the tip of the wick develops a small round cap of charred wick on it. This is a buildup of the soot and will cause your candle to smoke. When you notice smoke, an unusually large flame, or see this cap simply put out your candle and, once cooled, trim your wick back to the proper length. Never move a candle while hot or burning. Extinguish the candle if jar becomes excessively hot.

Soy Sweat:
This is moisture on the candle surface.  Since soy wax has a low melting point, it can release excess moisture that it cannot hold.  Typically, this is due to temperature changes.  You can leave it or wipe it out with a tissue. Sweat from soy candles will NOT affect the burn quality and will generally not show up again after your first burn. For optimum performance of soy candles, please do not put them in direct sunlight.

Smoking:

There are largely two possible reasons why a candle is smoking. The candle may be in a draft or the wick has gotten too long and/or mushroomed. Simply extinguish the flame, let the candle cool down, trim the wick back to 1/4th of an inch and move to a draft free area before relighting. To extinguish Either use a candle dipper, pinch it out, or dip the wick into the melted wax. Blowing the candle out is of course the easiest, but it will also cause the wick to smoke for a while. Never move a candle while hot or burning.

Air bubbles:
Sometimes you may notice air bubbles on top or in your candles between the sides of the container and the wax. Soy wax is more sensitive to temperature change than other types of wax and will sometimes shrink resulting in air bubbles. This is not considered a fault and will not affect the way the candle burns or the scent throw.

 

 General questions:

Where should I burn my soy candle?
It is best to burn the candle on a stable, protected, hard surface away from drafts and material that could catch fire. 

How do I clean up a soy wax spill?
Soy wax cleans up very easily with mild soap and warm water.

Can I use a Plastic (polycarbonate) Tealight Cup in my tart warmer?

Plastic tea light cups are made so that you can see the beautiful colored wax through the plastic. They are not to be used inside any enclosed holders such as tart warmers, tea light lamps, or tea light houses. The heat could build up and melt the plastic cup.

Why Is This Soy Solid? Soy is an oil.

The soybeans are crushed, and the extracted oil is then hydrogenated by passing a solution of hydrogen through which changes the melting point and composition so that it solidifies at room temperature.

How long should I burn my soy candle? 

We suggest that you not burn your candle more than 3 to 4 hours at a time. This will keep the flame from becoming too large, the jar from becoming too hot and prevent soot from accumulating around the top of the wick. If you are a “Power Burner” that likes to keep a candle burning from morning to night, it’s very important to extinguish the candle every 3-4 hours and trim the wick and let the candle cool before you relight. As always, you should not leave any lit candle unattended.

Do I need to trim the wick?
You should always trim the wick to 1/4" every time you light your candle.  When not properly trimmed, the wicks of all candles can "mushroom", causing excessive flickering and/or smoke, it can also cause your candle to burn far too quickly, thus shortening the longevity of you candle.  Keeping your wick trimmed keeps this to a minimum and makes your candle safer. Trimming also prevents your wick from curling back into the wax - a common problem with non-metal cored wicks. Avoid getting match particles, dust or wick pieces in your candle wax. Any foreign objects may cause spluttering of wax.

Is soy better for allergies/Asthma?  

Because we use only soy and non-metal cored wicks in our products, this does seem to help with these problems. We have many customers who had similar concerns – they have allergies or asthma and are bothered by regular candles, but have no problem enjoying our soy candles. However, because everyone is different, we cannot guarantee how our candles may affect you.

 

 What makes our candles great?

I’m so glad you asked! There are many reasons we think our soy candles are a step above the rest:

Unique and reusable containers are our thing! We love to find and use all kinds of containers for our candles; wine glasses, mugs, soup bowls, candy dishes…. Anything we can think of that will safely hold a candle really! We do a sample burn of all of our container types before we put them up for sale,just to ensure they will hold up to the flame. They mix with our more standard containers and makes things fun!

We don’t blend our wax. Many "soy" candles in today's market are actually a blend containing soy wax and paraffin wax.  My candles are all soy and do not, and never will, contain paraffin wax.

We use ecofriendly cotton braided wicks that contain no metal whatsoever. This ensures that you get less soot and smoke than you would get with more common traditional zinc wick.

We strive to make sure our burn times are accurate by burning them ourselves first, so you know just what you’re going to get when you buy from us. Burn times can always vary depending on the location and conditions of your candle but if you follow the instructions you can expect to have an accurate burn time when you buy with us.

More fragrance options! We have a huge list of fragrances we offer and can custom make for you and we are always on the lookout for new and interesting scents to add to the collection, so you can count on us for varied and unique scents year-round. We love to hear your thoughts on new scents and our selection! Please contact us with your feedback.

We know that some people love the seasonal scents because they only come along in their season and their very limitability makes them more special, however, we also know that some people love those scents and would want them all the time if given the choice. So we’ve decided to give you the choice! We offer all or our seasonal scents including; Pumpkin spice latte, lemonade, and frozen pine year-round!

You don’t always have to light them to smell them. We use the maximum amount of fragrance soy wax will take to ensure that you get the most bang for your buck in the scent of your candle. So much so that you don’t even have to light your candles to smell them! Many of our customers have told us that when they just want a little hint of scent they just open the candle and leave it unlit.

Things happen, but we do strive to make sure we use a high level of care in our packaging of your items to reduce any chance of damage during shipping. Don’t worry, if an accident does happen and your candle is damaged, we will work with you to make things right!

We don’t try to make our product sound better than it is. We won’t promise a color we can’t deliver, and we won’t tell you things like we make “triple scented" candles. This is a claim some make stating that they add triple the amount of normal fragrance oil to their candles. However, the truth is there's really no such thing as a triple scented soy candle. Soy wax can only hold a certain amount of fragrance oil and if you add more than that the oil will seep out of the candle and pool on top. We are a company that believes in openness and honesty. We will always explain the pros and cons of any request we get that we would consider out of the norm and let you decide where to go with your order. Our candles are already great, and we don’t need to make things up to sell them. What you see is what you get with our company.

We are The Rambling Magnolia Candle Company and we’d love to hear from everyone about why YOU think our candles are great. Reach out to us anytime via our website, email, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or Pinterest!