Why We Use Soy Wax

When I started making candles, I tried a bunch of different waxes. Paraffin was the cheapest and honestly, it worked fine. But I kept reading about what's actually in it—it's a petroleum byproduct—and I just couldn't get past that.

Soy wax comes from soybeans. That's it. American-grown soybeans, turned into wax. Simple.

The difference I noticed

The first thing I noticed switching to soy was how much cleaner everything stayed. No more black soot on the jar, no residue on the walls near where I was testing candles. My apartment smelled like candles, not like... burning stuff.

Soy also burns slower. Same size candle lasts way longer. And the scent doesn't hit you all at once and then disappear—it's more steady throughout.

The jar thing

This sounds small but it matters to me: when a soy candle is done, you can rinse out the jar with warm water and reuse it. I keep succulents in my old ones. With paraffin, you'd be scrubbing forever to get that black coating out.

Yes, it costs more

I'm not going to pretend soy is cheap. It costs more than paraffin, which is why our candles aren't $5. But I wanted to make something I'd actually want in my own home, and this is it.

Every candle we sell is 100% soy wax with cotton wicks. No weird additives, no dyes. Just clean-burning candles that smell good and last a long time.

And since all our profits go to ALS patients and research anyway, I figured we should make something we're really proud of.

—Ramita