Soy wax for pillar candles, Keragreen Soy Pillar

Wicking

Decide on the size of the mould you would like to use, and choose a wick that is suitable. Natural waxes require a larger wick than traditional paraffin waxes. Wick your container by placing your wick centrally in the mould.

Melt Your Wax

Weigh your wax to ensure you have the correct quantity for your mould. Heat wax to 70°C to melt. Do not heat to above 70°C for prolonged periods. Molten wax can be safely stored for up to a week, cool the wax to 60°C and cover.

Fragrance & Colouring

Choose fragrance oil and colour which is suitable for use in natural wax. Allow the wax to cool to 60°C then add the fragrance oil and gently stir for 2 minutes to combine.

Time to Pour

Pour immediately after adding fragrance oil. If you are not using fragrance oil, pour at 60°C.

Setting & Test Burn

Leave your candles to set for at least 48 hours at room temperature (around 20-25°C). Once the candle has cured you can start to test for things such as burn pool diameter and quality.

Tips & Tricks

To improve a candle’s performance, it’s a good idea to test for one variable at a time to isolate a cause and change its effect.

Variables may include: mold, wax, dye, fragrance, wick, pour temperature, manufacturing conditions and environmental conditions such as cooling temperature. Once you’ve found the ideal conditions you should then try and replicate these as closely as possible for future batches.

If you’re encountering any problems then you can try the following:

1. Make a candle with only the wax and wick (no dye or fragrance).
2. One at a time, change a variable such as adding dye but no fragrance to the candle. Be sure to try different manufacturers and types of fragrances, wicks, dyes, etc., until you have your desired results.
3. Once you’ve found the perfect conditions, make a note of them and aim to replicate them for future batches.