If you love soy wax melts and soy wax candles, you might be curious about how soy wax is made. Soy wax is a natural and renewable product that comes from soybeans, a crop that is grown in many countries around the world. In this blog post, we will explain how high quality soy wax is made from start to finish, and why it is a great choice for your home fragrance needs.

Soybeans are the main ingredient of soy wax. They are harvested from the soy plants, which are legumes that can grow in various climates and soils. Soybeans are rich in protein, oil, and other nutrients, and have many uses in food, animal feed, biodiesel, and other industries.

After harvesting, the soybeans are cleaned, cracked, and de-hulled. This means that they are separated from their pods, shells, and other impurities. The resulting soybeans are rolled into flakes, which look like thin and flat pieces of yellowish-brown material.

The soybean flakes undergo a mechanical process that extracts the oil from them. The oil is then refined to remove any unwanted substances, such as free fatty acids, phospholipids, and waxes. The refined oil is then hydrogenated, which means that it is treated with hydrogen gas under high pressure and temperature. This process changes the chemical structure of the oil and makes it more solid and stable.

The hydrogenated oil is then filtered and bleached to remove any remaining impurities and colour. The final product is a white or off-white solid wax that has a high melting point and a smooth texture. This is the pure soy wax that can be used to make container candles and wax melts.

However, pure soy wax is not suitable for making pillar candles or other free-standing shapes, because it is too soft and brittle. To make pillar candles, soy wax needs to be blended with other types of wax, such as paraffin or beeswax, to increase its hardness and strength.

Soy wax has many advantages over other types of wax. It is natural, renewable, biodegradable, and vegan. It burns cleaner and longer than paraffin wax, and does not produce soot or harmful emissions. It also holds fragrance well and releases it slowly and evenly.

At Wax and Scents UK, we use only high quality soy wax to make our products. We source our soy wax from reputable suppliers who follow ethical and sustainable practices.

We hope you enjoyed learning about how soy wax is made. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact us, and don't forget to check out our amazing selection of soy wax melts and soy wax candles that will fill your home with delightful scents.