Where does your wax come from?

Our wax comes the Peace River Region of Northern Alberta.

 

How do you color your colored candles?

All of our colored Honey Candles® are colored with an environmentally friendly dye* Natural beeswax is not colored.

• Non-hazardous 
• Non-carcinogenic
• Dyes are not tested on animals
• Solvent free
• Does not contain hazardous additives such as naphtha or naphthalene
• We use a minute amount of dye in our candles, less than 0.0125%
• None of the components in the dye is required to be listed in the California Proposition 65 list of cancer causing agents.

 *White beeswax is not bleached or dyed; it is achieved through a unique filtering process.  

 

Do your candles have lead or zinc in the wicks?

Our wicks are top quality 100% cotton or cotton with a paper twist, they are pre-waxed for easy lighting. We do not use lead or zinc cores and take care to trim each of our wicks.  

  

What is Bloom?

All of our 100% pure beeswax candles will develop bloom over time. The whitish film is an indicator of purity and is cherished by candle connoisseurs.

Bloom is defined in the Merriam Webster’s Dictionary as a “state or time of beauty, freshness and vigor.”

Fully developed bloom will sparkle beautifully in the light and look like crystals or snowflakes. Many candle lovers like the look of fully bloomed candles, especially for Christmas. Beeswax candles that have been blended with other waxes will not develop bloom.

 If you prefer a polished look, simply buff with a soft cloth, nylon stockings or cheesecloth. You can also run a warm blow dryer over the candle.

 

What is Beeswax Used for?

• As an ingredient in making soaps, body lotions, lip balms and other cosmetics.
• To line baking pans to prevent certain pastries from sticking and to create a crispy crust
• To create textile designs in the art of Batiking
• As an ingredient for making natural tree grafting wax
• To rub on garden tools to prevent rusting
• To wax thread for sewing, beading and leatherwork
• As an important component in the beautiful Ukrainian art of decorating eggs
• To coat nails and screws to prevent the wood from splitting
• As a lubricant on drawers, hinges and oven racks 
• To make children’s toys and crayons
• As part of a blend with other oils for furniture polish
• As weather and water proofing on hats, jackets and boots
• To polish shoes
• As an ingredient in moustache and dreadlock wax

 

What is the difference between beeswax, paraffin, soy wax and palm wax?

Paraffin

Advantages

• Cheap (about 9 times cheaper than beeswax)

Disadvantages

• Non-Renewable
• By-product of fossil fuels
• The equivalent of inhaling exhaust fumes
• Creates a large amount of black sticky soot
• Polymers are added to raise the melting point and improve burning qualities
• Paraffin candles are known to drip
• Often scented with artificial fragrance
• Often bleached and dyed with toxic colorants

 

Beeswax

Advantages

• The purest of all natural waxes
• The benefits of beeswax and long burn times means customers save money
• A natural air cleaner and purifier
• Makes attractive, premium candles without additives
• Has a pleasant scent naturally
• Drip and soot-free in a draft free environment
• Longer lasting than other waxes
• Buying beeswax supports the beekeeping industry
• Best choice for asthma and allergy sufferers
• Recommended by the American Lung Association
• The light spectrum emitted from a beeswax candle is the closest of all waxes to natural sunshine

Disadvantages

• Considered pricier than other waxes, (however based on the long burn times and health benefits the value of beeswax is higher.)
• Some beeswax candle companies get their wax from China or blend other waxes into their candles.

 

Soy Wax

Advantages

• Renewable resource
• No known toxins in the raw wax
• Biodegradable
• Longer burning than paraffin
• Non-carcinogenic

Disadvantages

• Soy products are commonly Genetically Modified, bleached and hydrogenated 
• Aesthetically, soy wax is not pretty and candles often develop bumps and lesions while burning
• On the light spectrum, soy candles have a cooler tone
• Soy wax goes rancid without preservatives
• Some soy wax candles contain additives and hardeners
• Toxic pesticides are often used on soy crops
• Soy candle makers are limited by the type of candle they can make because the wax is so soft. They are unable to provide customers with pillars, tapers or ornamentals.
• Requires large amounts of agricultural land and processing

 

Palm Wax

Advantages

• Palm Crops require a lower input of fossil fuels compared to soy
• Palm oil production creates 3,200 kg/hectare per year and soybean production creates only 351 kg/hectare per year.
• Clean burning and soot free
• Toxin and carcinogen free
• Has a beautiful crystalline structure
• Slow burning
• Renewable resource
• Makes a great base for aromatherapy candles as the crude wax has no scent
• Not genetically modified

Disadvantages

• Must be imported (mostly from Malaysia)
• Pesticides are often used for palm plants