What Temperature Do You Add Color To Soy Wax?


Because of their environmental friendliness, soy candles have grown in popularity in recent years. Candle making is a sophisticated art form. Not only is it fun, but it also helps one unleash creativity by indulging in this craft. Adding color to them also takes the fun to a whole new level. But at what temperature do you add color to soy wax?

The range of colors that can be incorporated into soy wax is boundless. But to get the color right, you need to know the right temperature at which to add the color. The ideal temperature to add color to soy wax is 180 to 185 degrees Fahrenheit. This is when the wax has completely melted.

And the best form of dye to use is dye chips, as they are cost-effective and you don’t have to worry about any spills or accidental dripping. On top of that, they melt smoothly and evenly, so you’ll have no reason to worry about the clumps. And they go great with soy wax.

So, let’s look at the ideal temperature to add color to soy wax and other factors that influence it.

What Temperature To Add Dye To Soy Wax?

Add it while the melted soy wax is at its hottest temperature to ensure that all the dye melts into the wax without leaving any clumps. The ideal temperature for this is 180 to 185 degrees Fahrenheit.

There is also another method that you can use that will provide you with similar results. That is by using the double boiler method. If you use this method, you don’t have to wait until the wax fully melts at the highest temperature to add the dye. You can just add the wax and dye together in the double boiler and mix them.

What Kind Of Dye Should You Use For Soy Candles?

Adding color to soy wax may seem like a hassle, but in reality, it’s easier than you think. There are many dyes that you can use that are compatible with soy wax. Out of those, the following three are the most popular: liquid dyes, dye blocks and chips, and finally dye flakes.

But you can’t use all of them using the same method. Each of them follows different procedures that need to be taken into account before you proceed to color your wax.

Out of the three dyes mentioned, dye chips and blocks are mostly used to color soy wax. Not only is the method easier, but the result is also truly worth the effort. And depending on the intensity of the color that you prefer, you can choose either a dye block or a dye chip. Let’s have a look at dye chips first.

Dye chips are small fragments of wax with dye added to them. These are a great addition to your wax melts if you’re using the double boiler method. But you can also add them at the hottest temperature, at 185 degrees Fahrenheit. The downside to the dye chips is that the color falls flat when compared to the rest of the dyes.

In this case, you can just add more chip dyes for that vibrant outlook that you’re looking for. The positive aspect of using dye chips or blocks is that they go great with soy wax. The colors that produce the most vibrant outlook are the primary colors: red, green, and blue. You can also mix and match to create your own custom colors.

Liquid dyes are also great, and if you’re into pastel shades, they will produce wonderful pastel colors in your soy wax. And you can also mix them up to get the shade that you prefer. But when it comes to mixing the colors, it’s better if you do it beforehand. In that way, you’ll be able to see the final color that you’ll be putting into the wax melt.

And in the case of dye chips, you can mix two different dye chips for a custom color. Just stir them well at 180- or 185-degrees Fahrenheit to avoid any lumps.

What Happens If You Add Dye At An Extremely High Temperature?

It’s not recommended that you heat your wax above 185 degrees Fahrenheit. If the temperature is way too high, your soy wax will become way too soft and clump together. If dye is added then, they will not mix evenly and the whole thing might even fall apart once cooled.

You need to avoid clumps at all costs. If your wax becomes too soft, it will form clumps and won’t hold together. So, even if you cool it down and pour it into a container, it will still not hold its ground.

You will end up wasting the entire thing along with the dye, as it won’t even mix with the wax properly. That is why you should always make sure that you’re using the right temperature when adding dye to the wax.

Can You Add Food Coloring To Soy Wax?

Food coloring is a water-based product. So, if you mix it with dye, despite the temperature, the color will not mix well with the soy wax. Thus, there will be no use in adding that dye to your wax as the final product will not be standard.

Even though we do not recommend adding food coloring to wax, it’s a completely different case for gel food coloring. Gel food coloring blends immediately with soy wax and it’s a great dye to use if you’re a fan of hued candles.

How Much Dye To Use For Soy Wax?

The amount of dye that you should mix with the wax depends on the color that you’re going for. For medium shades, we recommend that you use 0.05% of dye. That’s the standard amount for your wax. In simple terms, that’s 2 pounds of liquid dye for every 4000 pounds of wax.

But that’s a large number, and people don’t usually make candles in that amount. For a more realistic approach, try to use 7 to 8 droplets of dye for each pound of wax. But as I mentioned earlier, the process is different for each type of dye that you want to use. Here, we strictly talked about liquid dye.

When it comes to the more popular dye chips, using 2 chips for every 2 pounds of wax is the ideal amount. But the fun part here is that you can adjust the intensity of the color that you want. Just add more dye to result in a darker shade.

However, we do not recommend that you end up using too many dye chips. That will ruin the candle and clog the wick once it’s time to pour.

What Temperature Should Soy Wax Be Poured?

Once you’ve added the dye at the highest temperature of 185 degrees Fahrenheit, you cannot pour the wax and dye mix immediately. You need to let it cool. But do not wait for it to harden. The ideal temperature would be 120 to 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Once it reaches this temperature, it can be safely poured into the container.

This is to avoid potential cracking and frosting of the candle. Just make sure you’re not overheating your wax or pouring it at a very high temperature. That would just end up melting your container and leaking the wax. And you do not want that to happen.

Conclusion

Now that we’ve arrived at the end of the article, I’m sure you know at what temperature you add color to soy wax. It’s a simple process but might lead to severe consequences if not followed properly.

But once you manage to get done with it, you’ll find yourself with beautiful colored candles. Thanks for giving this article a read. Good luck and have a great day!

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