Soy Candles that are American Made
There has been a huge movement in the last few years for Americans to buy American made items. It is partially because when you purchase goods made in a specific country - it's that country's economy that benefits from the purchase. In these days of economic hardships in the United States, it only makes sense for Americans to buy American to help bolster our own economy. Soy candles are a terrific way to buy American.
The American farmer plants dried soybeans as seeds each spring. Then when the growing season is finished, the American farmer will harvest the ripe soybeans. After transporting the crop of soybeans to a processing plant, the oil is extracted from the meat of the soybean through crushing the bean. The soy oil is then passed through a partial hydrogenation process which transforms it into the soy wax that is used to make candles. Soy wax is incredibly soft and creamy in texture.
The soybean wax is very soft so it works very well with containers. However, freestanding candles such as pillar candles and taper candles can not be made purely of soy wax because it is so soft. Any freestanding candle that is marketed as soy must have some other ingredient in it (paraffin wax is very common) so the candle will not become a complete blob of molten wax the first time it is burned. Another possible wax used to "firm" the soy wax is palm wax - a natural renewable resource. Other vegetable waxes, such as bayberry, candelilla, carnauba, castor, jojoba oil, ouricury wax (from the Brazillian Feather Palm) or rice bran may also be used to firm the soy wax to form the freestanding candles.
Soy wax candles are non-toxic so they are safe for humans as well as pets. Soy candles are extremely clean burning, producing at least 90-95% less soot than paraffin wax candles. The soot which is produced by burning a soy candle is black like it is with paraffin wax candles, but mostly a white color which may not be noticeable to the naked eye. There is very little black soot produced with a pure unscented soy candle. Adding fragrance and other additives to preserve color or to form freestanding candles can create more of the black soot. Soy candles also burn at a cooler temperature than paraffin wax candles which results in 20-30% longer burn time.
Soy wax is famous for accepting any fragrance that is added to it with incredible ease. Pound for pound, soy wax can hold more scent than paraffin wax. This means that your unlit soy candle will throw scent just as well as the burning soy candle, potentially filling your entire room with delicious fragrance. The fragrance is evenly distributed throughout the candle, so the scent at the end is the same as at the beginning.
Paraffin wax candles are a petroleum based product - meaning they are made from oil. This increases the American dependence on foreign oil supplies and further erodes the American economy. The all natural soy wax candles do not depend on foreign oil or foreign economies because they originate from the soybean plant, grown by American farmers. Soy candles are not just a healthier alternative for our bodies but also a healthy alternative to the economy of the United States.
Article Source: http://www.search-raven.com
About the Author
Nancy Rivers is a candle lover who was brought up on an American farm and owns Joyous Candle. All natural soy candles, including a wide variety of scented soy candles, are available with free shipping on orders over $85.
This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution - No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License, which means you may freely reprint it, in its entirety, provided you include the author's resource box along with LIVE links (without "nofollow" tags).
by: NancyRivers
Total views: 17
Word Count: 548
Rating: Not yet rated