Himalayan salt & candle wax

[Tamtam]

Ok i really need some help i want to make candles but i want to have himalayan pink salt dissolved in the wax ive tried but just cant get it to work... is there anyway at all that i can get the salt to dissolve? Please theres got to be away... thank you for ur time...

 

[anorlunda]

Not many Himalayan salt experts here , but I'll take a stab.

First dissolve the salt in water, mix the water into melted wax, then keep the wax hot, as the water evaporates. The salt may return to crystals, but the crystals should be well dispersed in the wax.

 

[Bystander]

mix the water into melted wax

... in a blender ....

 

[anorlunda]

... in a blender ....

That's right. I should have said homogenized rather than just mix.

 

[Fervent Freyja]

It isn't dissolving because himalayan salts usually come packaged in larger grains than other salts. Simply, crush the salt further and add into the wax while it is melted. Stir thoroughly. I knew a woman that added regular table salt to her candles while still warm to make the candle last longer- I don't know if that is an old wives tale or if it's actually true though!

Caution: Adding water to hot wax is dangerous!

 

[anorlunda]

Caution: Adding water to hot wax is dangerous!

Ay! We try to never give dangerous advice on PF. My mistake. Thanks for the caution.

 

[Bystander]

Hmmm ..... Don't think I'd try anything cooked over an open flame for more than a minute.

 

[Tamtam]

It isn't dissolving because himalayan salts usually come packaged in larger grains than other salts. Simply, crush the salt further and add into the wax while it is melted. Stir thoroughly. I knew a woman that added regular table salt to her candles while still warm to make the candle last longer- I don't know if that is an old wives tale or if it's actually true though!

Caution: Adding water to hot wax is dangerous!

I have tried 3 different sized grains even the very smallest size, ive tried it with water but doesn't work with wax ive tried trying to melt it in the fragrance but dosent work, so im at a loss..

 

[Tamtam]

Not many Himalayan salt experts here , but I'll take a stab.

First dissolve the salt in water, mix the water into melted wax, then keep the wax hot, as the water evaporates. The salt may return to crystals, but the crystals should be well dispersed in the wax.

Thank u for ur reply but ive tried having in the pot while the wax is melting but still nothing i have tried dissolving it in water before adding it to the wax but water & wax wont mix...

 

[Fervent Freyja]

Are you using a double-boiler? How high is the temperature of the wax reaching before you add the salt?

 

[Tamtam]

Are you using a double-boiler? How high is the temperature of the wax reaching before you add the salt?

I have tried double temp not to sure my thermometer wont sit in it so i end up burning my self lol, ive tried adding the salt at the start so theres time for it to dissolve bug nothing

 

[Tamtam]

I have tried double temp not to sure my thermometer wont sit in it so i end up burning my self lol, ive tried adding the salt at the start so theres time for it to dissolve bug nothing

Its soy wax btw so it can burn easily

 

[Fervent Freyja]

Its soy wax btw so it can burn easily

Have you tried any additives to lower the melting point of the soy wax that would give the salt more time to dissolve?

 

[256bits]

Thank u for ur reply but ive tried having in the pot while the wax is melting but still nothing i have tried dissolving it in water before adding it to the wax but water & wax wont mix...

Well you are experiencing a chemical fact - Salt does not dissolve in wax.
The best you can do having the salt crystals dispersed within the wax.
Grind the salt to the fine-ness that you desire ie ranging from powdery to larger crystals.

 

[Tamtam]

Have you tried any additives to lower the melting point of the soy wax that would give the salt more time to dissolve?

Probably not, not sure what u mean.. as in using what?

 

[Fervent Freyja]

I've tried experimenting with adding natural elements into candles like herbs, leaves, twigs, etc. and found it was more difficult to embed larger objects into candle wax, they end up floating on the top. Same thing with soap making. Maybe you need it to cool more quickly in order to maintain the even disbursement of salts throughout the mix?

 

[Tamtam]

Well you are experiencing a chemical fact - Salt does not dissolve in wax.
The best you can do having the salt crystals dispersed within the wax.
Grind the salt to the fine-ness that you desire ie ranging from powdery to larger crystals.

I can try & grind the finest grain i have & try that.. thank u

 

[Tamtam]

I've tried experimenting with adding natural elements into candles like herbs, leaves, twigs, etc. and found it was more difficult to embed larger objects into candle wax, they end up floating on the top. Same thing with soap making. Maybe you need it to cool more quickly in order to maintain the even disbursement of salts throughout the mix?

But wont i need it more hotter in order to dissolve the wax? Sorry i know nothing about physics & science stuff..i know things burn melt cook basic stuff lol

 

[Fervent Freyja]

Stearic powder will lower the melting point of the wax. A lower melting point will allow for more fragrance options, as the flash points of many prevent them from being used. It should cool more quickly too. There are also other additives on this list. https://makeasoycandle.wordpress.com/2010/01/16/soy-candle-additives/

 

[Fervent Freyja]

But wont i need it more hotter in order to dissolve the wax? Sorry i know nothing about physics & science stuff..i know things burn melt cook basic stuff lol

No, lowering the melting point means that the wax needs less heat in order to melt. It's also less likely to burn that way!

 

[Tamtam]

No, lowering the melting point means that the wax needs less heat in order to melt. It's also less likely to burn that way!

Oh ok well ill try & grind the salt to a powder form & see what happens thank u very much, thank u to every 1 for ur help...

 

[NascentOxygen]

Oh ok well ill try & grind the salt to a powder form & see what happens thank u very much, thank u to every 1 for ur help...

What do you hope will happen to the salt in the wax as the candle burns?

I'm wondering could you soak the wick in very salty water and then hang it to dry thoroughly before incorporating the salt-encrusted wick into the candle? A salted wick may cause your candle to burn for a longer time, too. Experimentation is needed!

 

[sophiecentaur]

What is the purpose of suspending the salt in the wax? It is hoped that the salt will be carried up in the wick and then go into the flame? It strikes me that the most likely thing to happen is that the concentration of salt granules in the molten wax at the top will increase as the wax is burned off.
Perhaps some substance included in the 'pink salt' is soluble in molten wax and perhaps it can be oxidised at the temperature of the flame. None of this sounds very 'Scientific 'to me. Sounds more like a snake oil recipe.

 

[Fervent Freyja]

What is the purpose of suspending the salt in the wax? It is hoped that the salt will be carried up in the wick and then go into the flame? It strikes me that the most likely thing to happen is that the concentration of salt granules in the molten wax at the top will increase as the wax is burned off.
Perhaps some substance included in the 'pink salt' is soluble in molten wax and perhaps it can be oxidised at the temperature of the flame. None of this sounds very 'Scientific 'to me. Sounds more like a snake oil recipe.

It's more a matter of aesthetics. I think it's a very good idea, I have a couple pink Himalayan salt candle holders myself that give off a nice glow to a room. The problem here is that the tealight candle has to be replaced every time I light one and tealights don't usually come scented! If she can get it right, they will be very profitable candles, especially if she's using soy! If she were able to suspend the larger granules homogeneously throughout the candle, then it will give off a beautiful glow (being more transparent than regular wax), will smell nice, and last much longer than the tealights normally used in the salt candle holders. There are lots of talented candle-makers out there, I've seen all sorts of things suspended in them, and you can get them in almost any scent! This would be a very good candle in the market.

 

[BioFM]

I'm trying to do something very similar here. I need to wax a sodium carboxylic salt. Should I melt the wax and add salt or melt the salt (salt has low melting) and add the wax to it? Please advise.

 

[sophiecentaur]

I'm trying to do something very similar here. I need to wax a sodium carboxylic salt. Should I melt the wax and add salt or melt the salt (salt has low melting) and add the wax to it? Please advise.

I would suggest using the ingredient with the lower melting point and add the other. If it's anything like metals, you will get amalgamation at the lower melting point of the two. That's how lead solder works with copper and also how mercury manages to 'dissolve' gold at room temperature.
Operating at as low a temperature as possible should help avoid destroying the subtlety of the scent.

 

[BioFM]

Awesome! I will give this a try and see if it solves my problem.

 

[sophiecentaur]

Awesome! I will give this a try and see if it solves my problem.

If the ‘salt’ you are using is an inorganic mixture there actually won’t be any melting. The wax needs to be as cool as you can get away with for mixing to take place.
a water bath is essential and you should try with small quantities to start with. The wax will probably change with each heating cooling cycle so experiments could waste wax.

Btw , I haven’t used these candles so can you tell me, does the salt that’s left behind just make the puddle of melted wax get a deep layer of colored salt on the bottom?

 

[BioFM]

Quick update on this! I melted the wax first at 210C. Note the high temperature was necessary melt the wax and keep molten. I added the 'salt' which also melted. However, since the molten salt is denser than molten wax, the salt settled at the bottom. Mixing with a glass rod could not provide good homogeneity.
I decided to make another go at it this time adding the salt dissolved in water to the molten wax. Each drop added popped off spluttering the wax out. This looked so dangerous.
My guess is that my chosen vegetable wax maybe a bad fit because of the high temperature required to melt. Should I try paraffin wax instead? Any

 

[sophiecentaur]

Should I try paraffin wax instead?

Why not? People who make candles (the ones I know, at least) use a wax that will melt perfectly well in hot water (Bain Marie). Was there a reason that you wanted to use a different wax?

What is your reasoning behind using water in the mix?

If you are having trouble in avoiding the salt dropping out of suspension then I suggest the wax is too fluid - i.e. too hot. If you have the wax just on the turn then it would be thicker. I just had a thought; many mixtures do not have a well defined melting temperature. A good example is Plumber's Solder which behaves like porridge around its melting temperature, you can push it and spread it in that state and it has very high viscosity. Two suitable waxes would probably behave the same.

But why do you want to do this in a different way from how all they do it in all the links I have found?

If you don't like T lights then make yourself some other candles by regular 'dipping' method and roll each layer of wax in crushed salt. There is no need actually to get a mix and cast it in one go. You can use 'safe' wax and never go above 100C.