Soy candles are made of soybean and other natural vegetable waxes and are a great alternative to paraffin wax candles which often contain chemicals.
Soy candles are the way to go if you are looking for a candle that will burn much longer. It is also free of soot and since it is made from soy, a vegetable, it does not produce any harmful toxins.

The ingredients needed are soy wax, scent or fragrance and cotton wick. Soy candles are not freestanding, and you will also need a container of metal, glass or pottery, a dowel rod or stick wider than your container, a candy thermometer.
** Soy wax is very soft and can not be used to make taper candles or pillar candles.

1. Chose the container you wish to use
2. Prepare your container by washing and rinsing it thoroughly. Dry completely.
3. Place your pre-tabbed wick in the center of the jar.
   You should have at least two inches of wick extending beyond the top of your container.
   Wrap the extra wick around the dowel rod.
   Set the dowel rod across the top of your container. This will hold the wick in place. The wick will be trimmed after the candle has fully set.
4. Pour a tablespoon or so of wax into the bottom of your container to help adhere the wick tab to it. Allow this to harden a bit before continuing the pour.
5. If dye is used, heat the soy wax in a double boiler to 165°F, and add dye gently stirrung thouroughly, remove from heat and cool to 125°F. Proceed to Step 7
6. If no dye is used heat the soy wax in a double boiler to 125°F
7. Add the fragrance, recommended amounts are 1 oz per pound of wax
8. Stirring gently but constantly, cool slightly & pour into your container(s) keeping temperature over 100°F. 110°F is a good temperature to keep it at for pouring.
9. As you pour the wax, tap gently on the side of your container with a table knife to dislodge any air bubbles. If there are air bubbles you will see them come to the surface and pop.
10. Cool naturally
    Cooling too quickly or too slowly can cause the wax to collapse in the container or give the top of the candle a frosted look.
11. If you notice the wax begins to look like it’s caving in around the wick as it cools, you can poke a couple of small holes into the wax with a toothpick. Place the holes a ¼ - ½ inch away from the wick, an inch or two deep, and then pour a small layer of additional wax over the top of the candle to fill the holes and “top off” your candle. Tap gently a few times with a table knife to dislodge air bubbles.
12. Once the candle is cooled trim the wick to approximately ½ an inch.

See the Craft Index for Special Soy Candle instructions