Paraffin Free Soy Candles

A candle is judged almost entirely by two things people rarely check before buying: what the wax is made of, and how long it will actually burn. Paraffin, which is what most cheap candles use, is a petroleum byproduct that burns hot and fast and leaves soot on the jar and the ceiling above it. Soy wax burns cooler and slower, and leaves the glass clean.

Everything here is paraffin free soy wax. Below: the sizes with their weights, which ones have wooden wicks, how to burn a candle so it does not tunnel, and one honest note about where these come from.

Why Soy Wax Rather Than Paraffin

It burns cooler and therefore longer. A lower melting point means the wax pool takes more time to consume, so a soy candle of the same weight outlasts a paraffin one.

It burns clean. No petroleum byproducts means no soot, which is why the inside of the jar stays clear rather than blackening after a few hours. Anyone who has cleaned a smoke mark off a wall above a candle shelf understands the difference.

It carries fragrance differently. Because the pool is cooler, scent releases more gradually and steadily rather than blasting out and fading. This is why soy candles seem quieter at first and then fill a room.

And it is renewable. Soy wax comes from soybeans and is biodegradable, which paraffin is not.

Wooden Wick or Cotton Wick?

Two of these use a wooden wick, and it is a genuinely different experience rather than a decorative detail.

A wooden wick crackles. Quietly, like a small fireplace. That sound is the whole point for some people and mildly irritating for others, so it is worth knowing which camp you are in before ordering.

It burns wider and lower. Wooden wicks produce a broader, shorter flame, which melts the surface more evenly across a wide jar and reduces tunnelling.

It needs different trimming. Rather than cutting a cotton wick to a length, you snap or scrape the charred layer off a wooden wick before each burn, which takes a moment and matters more than it sounds.

The Farmhouse and Home designs use wooden wicks; the Mini is single cotton wick.

Sizes, Weights and Scents

Note the shape difference in the large sizes. Wick and Shoreline are 3.9 inches across and 3.7 inches tall; Hillside holds the same 15.9 oz of wax in a wider, lower jar at 5.3 by 2.75 inches. A wider surface throws scent faster into a large room, a taller narrower jar burns longer in a small one.

On scent: five of the six are in the sandalwood family, woody and warm with a spiced base. Hillside is the outlier, lighter and fruitier with a floral middle and a powdery finish, which makes it the spring option in a range that otherwise reads as autumn and winter.

How to Burn a Candle Properly

Two rules, and the first one determines the entire life of the candle.

The first burn sets the memory. Wax has a memory: the first time you light a candle, let it burn until the melted pool reaches the edge of the jar all the way around. That usually takes two to three hours on a large candle. If you blow it out before that, the candle will tunnel down the middle for the rest of its life and leave a ring of unused wax against the glass.

Trim before every burn. A cotton wick wants to be about a quarter inch; longer than that and it smokes and flickers. On a wooden wick, snap or scrape off the charred layer instead.

Two smaller points. Do not burn a candle for more than about four hours at a time, since an overheated jar affects the scent and the glass. And stop when roughly half an inch of wax remains, because burning below that puts too much heat into the base of the jar.

Where These Come From

An honest note, because this is a leather goods shop. These candles are not made in our workshop and contain no leather. They are soy candles we source, chosen because they work in a gift and because they suit the same rooms our leather pieces end up in.

None of the craft story that applies to a hand stitched bag applies here, and we would rather say that plainly than let the surrounding pages imply otherwise. What we can tell you about them is what is on this page: the wax, the wick, the weight and the scent.

Candles as Gifts

A candle is the easiest thing on this site to give and the hardest to give memorably, because everyone has received one. Two things help: size and scent direction.

The Mini at 3.2 oz is the piece to add alongside a larger gift rather than to give alone, and its amber jar suits a bathroom or a bedside. The 15.9 oz candles are substantial enough to be the gift itself.

Candles fit inside the wooden gift box, which can be added separately, and there is a dedicated wooden gift box for the enamel mug if you are pairing a candle with one. For a housewarming, a candle alongside a leather coaster or bowl covers the table without repeating itself.