Whatever my son might say, however, I can’t stop gushing about soy candles and their unique properties, and you, dear reader, are now in my line of fire. Not only are soy candles longer lasting, they also hold a fragrance better and do not produce unsightly deposits of soot. And when I say long lasting, I mean it, because the average 14 oz wax candle will last you about 70 hours, give or take five, while a soy candle will last all of 100, if not more. That’s almost 50 hours more, and not at significantly higher prices either.

If you’ve been following these articles, you’ll know about my friend Charlene Dewitt, the one who is an aromatherapy expert. Well, inevitably, it was Charlene who introduced me to soy candles, and one of the first things I noticed was the absence of soot. All those who have spent time cleaning blackened and grimy candle jars, walls and even ceilings know what a menace soot can be. With soy candles, because they are natural, the jar remains pristine, and the walls and ceilings unsullied.

Now I come to the most important reason for using soy candles. Various studies have revealed that traditional wax candles emit carcinogens into the air. Now, as we all know, carcinogens are cancer-causing toxins that also cause other health problems. Mostly, researchers are trying to prove that anything that emits carbon dioxide when burnt, such as wax candles and charcoal, will release carcinogens. Though it is too early to comment on this issue, soy candles certainly do not produce carcinogens, which means they are healthy, too!

All in all, it is no surprise that soy candles are gaining in popularity, considering they were only launched in 1991, and their discovery is credited to a certain Michael Richards, who found out by trial and error that mixing soybean oil with palm and coconut oils produced a perfect wax. He added a small amount of beeswax to the mixture to improve it even further.

Today, it has been conclusively proved that 100% natural soy wax does not contain petroleum or other environmentally unsafe ingredients. And it is much less expensive than other natural waxes like beeswax.

So I end my rave. Go ahead, call me a soy candle head, but remember what I’ve told you the next time you buy your candle supplies!

Source: Home Remodeling Tips

I find that using that system does not always work well because the wax is not strong enough to allow you to pull the wick tight and straight. I use wick stickers which are adhesive on both sides. You peal off one side and apply it to the bottom of the wick, then peal off the other side and stick it to the bottom of your container.

Now you want to get your wick to be nice and straight and tight. The only way you will accomplish this well is to use wick sticks and wick stickers. These sticks lay across the top of your container, the wick is pull through the opening on the stick and allows you to pull the wick tight and straight and eliminates the problem of the wick moving after the pour. If the wick moves, you will have a crater around the wick and you will have the burn melt a big hole instead of melting the wax all the way to the edge of your container, thus giving you a much longer burn time.

Remember to always allow your candle to burn until the wax melts to the edge before blowing out your candle. That way there is no memory burn (burning a hole in the wax).

Once you have measured each container, add up the ounces you will need to melt. Put your melting pot on a kitchen scale and press zero (for scales that will let you zero out) Now the weight of your pot will not be measured, only the wax.

For NuSoy Wax pellets, which is the brand I use because of the quality and ease of melting, it takes 1/2 lb. to equal 8 ounces of melted wax, 1 lb = 16 oz, 2 lbs = 32 oz. I always prepare a few tea light containers to pour any remaining melted wax. For those of you who want to sell your candles, these tea lights can be put in an organza bag and handed to people as a small gift or sample.

You will be amazed at the ideas you come up with on containers. Goodwill will be one of your favorite places or the Dollar Stores. The main thing is that you are making healthy candles, helping our enviroment, and having fun doing it.

Remember, Friends don’t let Friends burn paraffin.

By far the easiest way to obtain these tools is by purchasing a Soy Candle Kit because it will have everything you need without worrying about whether you are getting the right tools. I also find that trying to purchase these things separately usually end up with a higher cost and sometimes color dyes and fragrances that are meant for paraffin, and are not compatible with Soy.

So I like to take the "sure" route and purchase everything from the same source.

The tools you will need are: Soy wax, melting pot, double boiler, instruction book, wick stickers (to hold wick in place), wicks (cotton only), Wick holders, stirring stick, color, fragrance, thermometer, decorative containers, warning labels (must be on bottom of all candles you give away or sell) and if you like decorating your container after you have poured the wax, you will wants things like ribbon, rinestones, beads, charms and any other things your imagination can come up with.

To help get your "kit" together, Nussentials (NuSoy) offers a complete soy candle making kit for one low price. And if you order from me, I will include free shipping ! Get started today by visiting the Candle Making Kit page and ordering. It will be shipped right to your door (free) and you can get cracking on building your own sweet smelling all natural soy candles.

If you put too small a wick in your candle, it will not be able to melt all the way to the edge, thus burning a hole straight down through the center of the candle. Tip: Always allow your candle to melt all the way to the edge of the container before blowing it out for the day. That way you leave no memory burn.

You should not get wicks with metal filiment because they emit harmful vapors and burn very hot. The metal filiment is needed in paraffin because it takes a hotter burn to melt the wax. All cotton wicks are what you are looking for.

Now you need to determine what size you need. That is done by determining the diameter of your container. The company I work with, provides charts and templates that make it easy, but the bigger the diameter of the container means that you need a bigger diameter wick. Once you get past a 4 inch diameter, you will need to start thinking about putting multiple wicks in your container.

Unless you have a need for a very large candle, you will find that it is more fun to burn smaller candles because you get to make more, which equates to more fun. You will start seeing all kinds of containers that a candle would look great in. Martini glasses, little flower pots, etc. The Goodwill store is a great place to find unusual containers and they are "one of a kind" so it makes a perfect gift.

• Ribbon
• Jewelry (old earrings, necklaces etc that you can find at garage sales for almost nothing)
• Beads
• Stickers
• Coffee Beans
• Marbles
• Whatever you can glue on is can be used.

Let your imagination go wild.

I also make tiny little cards (about 1" X 1") to personalize the gift I am giving.

I punch a hole in the corner of it and place in on the wick, wrap the wick into a pigtail to hold it on, and now you have a personalized, one of a kind, gift. You can add graphics to the card, like a heart or Christmas wreath, etc. I use the business card paper to make mine. It comes in a box that you get at the Office supply store. On one side I put the graphic and "Made Especially For You" and on the other side I tell about the benefits of Soy being a healthy candle . Then I fold the card in half so that the graphic is on the front and you open it to read the message.

I have put together a few of the candles I have made and people in my home classes have made, to give you a glimpse of what you can do to decorate your candles. Everyone just loves decorating them and it is very social and relaxing.

1 lb of NuSoy wax = 18 ounces of melted wax, 1 1/2 lb = 27 oz of melted was, 2 lb = 32 oz, 2 1/2 = 41 oz, 3 lb = 50 oz. As I explained in a previous post, your container size is important. If you are interested in making several gifts size candles, 4oz to 7 oz containers are perfect.

The way you determine the amount of melted wax you need is to pour water into your container leaving about 1/2 inch below the rim. Pour the water from your container into a measuring cup and then I like to put a little sticker on the bottom of the container with the number of ounces I need for that container. That way, if I am working with several different sizes, it is easier. So if you have a 7 oz, a 6 oz, a 4 oz container that would equal 17 ounces. So you would need to melt 1 lb of NuSoy way.

Get a kitchen scale that you that has a zero indicator on it. Place your empty melting pot on the scale. The scale will show you how much the pot weighs which you don’t need to know. Push the zero button and your scale will go back to zero with the melting pot still on it. Now pour your wax into the pot until you reach 16 ounces or 1 pound.

You are now ready to place your pot in the double boiler and begin melting.

First you need to know that Soy burns at a much lower temperature which is why you pour the melted wax into some kind of container. That is the fun part. I go to discount stores, Dollar stores, Goodwill, etc. and find some fabulous containers. Wine glasses, antique cups, small vases, ashtrays, bowls, you name it. Since the wax is not so hot that it breaks glass or melts hard plastic, you can use most anything. The great part about going to Goodwill and the like, is that you can give "one of a kind" gifts to your friends.

I also like to find containers that hold 2 to 7 ounces of melted wax because it is more cost effective. If you find large containers that you just love, you can add some kind of filler (coffee beans, marbles, porpourri , pebbles, etc.) in the bottom, then pour your wax into a smaller container and set down inside the filler.

You will use a double boiler (comes in the kit) to melt the wax) 1 pound of NuSoy wax = 18 ounces of melted wax. So you can make 3 or 4 candles of 5 ounces or less. NuSoy is melted when it reaches a temperature of 180 degrees. You will then add you color and let it cool to approximately 150 degrees then add your fragrance.

One of the neatest things about making your own is that you can make whatever colors you want and add as much or as little fragrance as you like. When the wax has cooled to approximate 110 degrees you pour into your containers. You may have to adjust to cooling depending on your altitude. If your candle looks bumpy or has little imperfections on the top, 110 degrees is usually the best pour temperature. If the top is not smooth, you can use a hair dryer and heat the top a little bit to smooth it out.

Now you are ready to decorate your container. Sometimes you can decorate the container before you pour if you know the color your wax will turn out, but sometimes it is better to wait until after the pour to decorate because you can match your ribbon or stones, or other decorations to your color better.

More on decorations and pictures of finished candles to come.

Soy wax comes from the Soybean. Paraffin wax comes from the bottom of the petroleum barrel. Burning paraffin is like sucking on your car muffler. I know that you are probably gasping with horror and the idea that you have been burning candles around your family all this time and had no idea of how unhealthy paraffin is.

There are up to 11 carcinogen compounds (cancer causing agents) in paraffin candles which are all considered "toxic air agents". Certainly, children, asthmatics, allergy sufferers and people with respertory problems should stay away from burning paraffin. But with all the carcinogens in it, no one should be burning paraffin.

Lets also mention the oil consumption used by paraffin candle manufacturers. Most paraffin wax is manufactured from petroleum from foreign countries. America sells about 2 billion dollars in petroleum based candles. Soy wax is truly American made. Buying Soy helps our American Farmers.

So, let’s compare! the Soy I use is NuSoy which comes in pellet form for ease of melting and has many great qualities.

I am the *Queen of Soy. *

Or let me put it another way. I love candles.

They make wonderful gifts , they are relaxing , romantic and beautiful to look at.

Up until last year, I always burned paraffin candles . That was because I didn’t know better . When I decided to open my own home business , the company I am with (Nussentials.com/infinity ), added a Soy Candle Making Kit to our line of nutritional products. That is when I learned that burning Paraffin candles is a lot like sucking on your car muffler. Not something I would recommend.

Burning paraffin candles is the number one home pollutant.

I learned that Soy is made from vegetable oil and Soy Candles are healthy to breathe. Since my husband has asthma and I have grandchildren around all the time, paraffin was the worst thing I could have been doing around people with asthma and allergies. Actually no one should burn anything but Soy.

So I began my journey to make beautiful soy candles, and teach others to make them in their own home. Please explore all the resources here to indulge your passion for making and burning candles . There are tips on making them, decorating them, and then cleaning up after.