Is there a difference between soy wax and paraffin wax?
A. If you burn paraffin candles, you might as well be inhaling diesel fumes. Paraffin is the final residue left from refining crude oil. It has become the leading wax for use in cosmetics, food and candle manufacturing because its cheap and readily available. And the oil industries make a healthy profit from its use. Paraffin wax is a non-renewable resource. Once all the crude oil is gone, we will not have any more. Paraffin burns more quickly and hotter than most waxes creating more concern for fire hazards than necessary. Because it is oil-based, paraffin wax spills do not cleanup easily. Soy wax is made from soybeans, which is a renewable resource. Soy wax spills can be cleaned up with soap and warm water. Using and buying soy wax products helps the American farmer. The main concerns cropping up from research deal with high levels of indoor pollutants, particularly soot. This is a major problem considering that air borne soot can penetrate the deepest areas of the lungs and the lowe
