We love our planet. That is why we chose to make Melanie Grace candles with biodegradable vegetable soybean wax, a renewable agricultural source blended with smaller amounts of palm and beeswax to create a smooth consistency.. Unlike paraffin candles made from petroleum that comes from crude oil, soy is a vegetable wax made from the oil of American grown soybeans. After harvesting, the soybeans are cleaned, cracked, de-hulled and rolled into flakes. The oil is then extracted from the flakes and hydrogenated. The hydrogenation process converts some of the unsaturated fatty acids in the oil to saturated. This process dramatically alters the melting point of the oil, making it a solid at room temperature. The leftover bean husks are commonly used as animal feed. The U.S. grows the vast majority of the world's soybeans, primarily in Illinois, Iowa and Indiana.

Candles made from our proprietary natural wax are biodegradable, non-toxic, burn significantly longer than paraffin and emit an incredibly small amount of soot. They do not release chemicals during the burn and therefore do not increase the C02 level in the atmosphere. Our candles also burn cooler than paraffin, therefore increasing your burn time.

To preserve the natural integrity of a Melanie Grace candle, dyes are not used. Instead, candles are kept in their pure state of creamy and opaque wax. We think the natural off-white color is beautiful, and will complement any color scheme and décor. Each Melanie Grace candle is made with an all cotton wick and a generous amount of high quality fragrance oil before being hand poured.

A unique quality of a natural soy based wax is that sometimes there may be some wet looking spots where the wax has adhered to the glass. These are caused by temperature variations and are due to the expansion and contraction of the wax. These change as the candle is burned or when the room conditions change. They do not affect the quality of the candle. Soy candles are sensitive to temperature and light, so keep them away from direct sunlight and other sources of heat.

Burning Directions:

Because our soy wax is much softer than paraffin, they need to be poured into a container. When you light our candle for the first time, it remembers how far across the surface is melted. Thus, for the first burn it is important to allow the surface of candle to completely liquefy before extinguishing it. This will result in a longer lasting soy candle and prevent tunneling down the center. Your candle will also burn cleaner by keeping the candle wick trimmed to ¼ inch. Improper wick trimming can create a high flame and excessive soot. Although Melanie Grace candles are made using heat-safe glass, it cannot withstand the high temperature of a deep melt pool and high flame, which may crack the glass.

You can burn your candle too long. The maximum recommended burn time is 4 hours per burn. What do you do if you want to continue burning a candle after 4 hours? Light up another Melanie Grace candle!

Recycle!

Once a candle has burned completely down, remove as much excess wax as possible and soak the jar in very warm water for few minutes. This will soften but not liquefy the wax, and will loosen the metal portion of the wick which is usually held down with a sticky tab. Drain the water. Remove the wick tab and any softened wax residue with a paper towel. Wash out the jar with warm water and soap or place in the dishwasher as you would any glass jar. Although soy wax cleans up easily with soap and warm water, it is still a wax and should not be poured down the drain. Your jar is now ready to be re-used as a pencil holder, a vase or candy jar.