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Where does wax come from?
There are two main waxes used in candlemaking, Paraffin Wax and Beeswax.
PARAFFIN WAX
Paraffin wax, which is classified as a natural wax, is the most common wax used in candlemaking, and can be
said to ultimately come from plant life.
In order to protect themselves from adverse weather conditions plants produce a layer of wax on their leaves
and stems. Material from dead plants 100-700 million years ago accumulated in large quantities and eventually
became buried beneath the surface of the earth. After a long period of time, forces of heat and pressure turned
the slowly decaying plant material into crude oil, otherwise known as petroleum. Because of the nature of
waxes, being inert and water repellent, they were unaffected by the decomposition of the plant material and
remained intact, suspended within the crude oil.
Petroleum companies "harvest" the crude oil and process it. They refine the oil, separating the different
properties into Gasoline, Kerosene, Lubrication oil, and many other products. In many cases, the wax in the
petroleum is considered undesirable and is refined out. The refinery will process the wax into a clean, clear
liquid, or as a solid milky white block, and make it available to companies who may have a use for it.
The refined wax is called paraffin, which comes from the Latin "parum = few or without" and "affinis =
connection or attraction (affinity)". Basically there are few substances that will chemically react with or bind to
this type of wax.
BEESWAX
A less common but more highly renowned wax for candlemaking is beeswax. Classified as a natural wax, it is
produced by the honeybee for use in the manufacture of honeycombs.
Beeswax is actually a refinement of honey. A female worker bee eats honey, and her body converts the sugar in
the honey into wax. The wax is expelled from the bee's body in the form of scales beneath her abdomen. The
bee will remove a wax scale and chew it up, mixing it with saliva, to soften it and make it pliable enough to work
with, then attach it to the comb which is being constructed. Usually another bee will take the piece of wax which
has just been attached to the comb, chew it some more, adding more saliva to it, and deposit it on another
section of the comb. The combs are built up, honey is deposited inside, and then the combs are capped with
more wax. Since several worker bees construct the comb at the same time, and the hive is constantly active
with other bees flying around and walking on the combs, depositing foreign matter onto the combs, the
composition of the wax becomes very complex.
As is the case with paraffin, collecting beeswax is also the byproduct of a process. The beekeepers main
interest is in the collection of honey. The capping wax must be removed in order to extract the honey; they save
the capping wax until they've collected enough to make it available to market.
Because beeswax is harvested in relatively small quantities it does not boast the same availability as paraffin
and is therefore more expensive. It is used extensively in cosmetics and candlemaking. Candles made from
100% beeswax are generally held in high regard, when burning they glow beautifully and impart a very pleasant
honey like aroma.
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