When it comes to firm candles that won’t slump, nothing beats a little stearic acid. If you haven’t used it before in your candle making, it’s amazing stuff and it’s quite easy to use – you’ve just got to know the right amounts.
Using stearic acid in your candle making just requires adding approximately 3 tablespoons of stearic acid for every pound of wax. It’s a ratio of 10% as far as your candle content and that’s all that you need to get some added durability in your candles!
Today we’ll answer some of the most common questions on stearic acid so that you’ll be ready to try mixing some in on candles of your own. Once you see the difference that it makes in your candles you’ll never go back!
How to Use Stearic Acid in Candle Making
To use Stearic acid with candle making you simply need to melt it and mix it with the wax of your choice. Different amounts may be used to see which you feel fits your candles the best, but it’s recommended that you go with 3 – 6 tablespoons for every pound of wax that you want to harden up.
Heat your Stearic acid between 140 and 160 degrees and once it’s been safely melted then it’s ready to mix with your wax of choice. This should give your candles an appreciable boost in durability and as a bonus, you’ll get some longer burning times and fragrance retention in the bargain.
One note on its use, however, is that you’ll want to avoid using it with latex molds, as the Stearic acid is not good for the rubber. For latex molds, an additive called Vybar may be safely used to the same effect.
What Is Stearic Acid Used for in Candles?
Stearic acid is a candle making additive with a very useful purpose. It gives you stronger, harder candles! It’s derived from vegetable and animal fats and you’ll want to get the flaked or powder variety, as this is going to be the easiest for mixing into your candles.
Stearic acid has been used as a candle additive for a good, long time – over 150 years, so this is something that you will be using a lot of. You might want to considered stocking up on 5 or 10 pound bags so that you always have some at ready.
As far as the amount that you’ll need, you’ll be using about 1.77 ounces of stearic acid for every pound of wax — which comes to roughly 10% of the candle.
Using it is a simple matter of melting it in a double boiler or a wax melting pot and then adding in your dyes until you get the color that you are looking for with this batch of candles.
Once you’re happy with the color, then you can add in your paraffin and reheat your mixture until it’s ready to pour and as an added bonus, you’ll find that the Steric-strengthened wax even pops easier out of molds.
To check the current price and availability of Stearic Acid for candle making, click here to view the listing on Amazon.
Does Stearic Acid Harden Candles?
Stearic acid definitely hardens up your candles nicely but you can also use it to make transparent waxes a bit more opaque. This gives increased burn time and you’ll also retain more fragrance in the bargain.
You can try adding it in different amounts to see which is best for your candles, though generally 3 – 6 tablespoons per pound of wax is going to be ideal.
You can use stearic acid to harden all of your candles if you like, but it’s especially useful for pillar and votive candles where you really need the added durability and burning time. You’ll also notice that it will give your candles an improved gloss, really bringing out the color!
It’s also completely safe, with Stearic acid having a number of industrial uses in skin lotions, shaving creams, and more!
Can You Use Stearic Acid in Soy Candles?
Yes! As soy wax is much softer than paraffin, adding stearic acid is a great, easy way to toughen up your soy candles. The ratio should still be same, just 3 – 6 tablespoons for every pound of soy wax and heated to between 140 and 160 degrees Fahrenheit in your double burner.
If you want to ensure that no animal products are used in making your candles, then not to worry. You can get vegetable based or even synthesized Stearic acid and it works just as well as the animal-based varieties.
Give it a try and see for yourself – your soy candles will burn longer and they really retain their color and fragrance better.
Can You Add Stearic Acid to Beeswax Candles?
While you could certainly add stearic acid to beeswax candles, you generally don’t need to. Beeswax has a high melting point and is quite durable on its own, so the addition of stearic acid simply would not be required.
If you would like to use stearic acid with beeswax, then you could simply use 3 – 6 tablespoons per pound of beeswax, but you really don’t need it. Beeswax is quite durable enough on its own!
For all other waxes, though, Stearic acid is definitely a great additive to use.
Final Thoughts
Stearic acid is a great additive to have on hand for your candles, so be sure to stock up on some to give it a try. You’ll get harder, more durable candles, increased burning time, and it also helps to retain fragrances.
You can use it with waxes like paraffin and soy, but you might want to leave it out of beeswax candles, as it really won’t make a huge difference. Just be sure to use about 3 – 6 tablespoons per pound of wax and you should get excellent results.
Just be sure to get your stearic acid it in powdered or flaked form so that it’s easier to mix in and then you’re ready to give it a try. Once you do, then you can see for yourself — it really makes a difference for your candles!