From Apricot Pit to Candle Glow: How Your Wax Is Made.

POP QUIZ!! where does apricot wax come from?

If you said "apricots," you're partly right! But the wax doesn't come from the juicy fruit you'd slice onto your toast. It starts in the pit. Tucked inside every apricot stone is a little kernel, and pressed out of that kernel is a pale, gentle oil that gets turned into the creamy wax in your favorite candle.

Grab something warm to sip, because we're taking the scenic route from orchard to glow.

 

Here's some candle wax 101!

Every candle is really just two things doing a slow, pretty dance: a wick and a fuel. That fuel is wax, and it shapes how your candle looks, smells and burns.

Most candle waxes fall into three families:

• Petroleum-based, like paraffin, made from a by-product of refining oil.
• Plant-based, like soy, coconut and apricot blends, made from the oils of plants.
• Animal-based, like beeswax, made by honeybees.

No family is "the bad guy." They're just different ingredients with different personalities. We chose to make ours with plants. Every candle enjoyer should know the differences of each wax, and shop according to what best suits their home environment. 

The Humble Apricot

It all begins in an orchard. When apricots are picked and processed for eating, the pits are left behind, and instead of going to waste they get a second life. That's what makes apricot wax a bit of an upcycling story: the fruit feeds us, and the pit goes on to become something that makes our homes glow.

Crack open one of those pits and you'll find a small kernel inside. Pressing it releases a pale, gentle oil, and gentler cold-pressed methods keep that oil light in color. Before it goes anywhere near a candle, the oil is refined and purified, leaving a clean, mild base to work with.

Then comes the part with the fancy name: hydrogenation. The kernel oil is liquid at room temperature, but a candle needs a wax that's solid. In hydrogenation, hydrogen is added to the oil, which changes its structure and makes it firmer. Think of the difference between olive oil and butter: same kind of ingredient, totally different texture. The result is a creamy, stable wax that holds its shape in your jar.

Finally, apricot wax rarely works alone. It's blended with coconut wax so the two can play to each other's strengths, giving you a smooth, creamy wax that's incredible at holding fragrance.

Each one of our candles is hand-poured with carefully blended Coconut and Apricot wax for a smooth creamy burn and memorable scent throw, and over the years of testing unique blends we can say for sure, this is our favorite. 

 

Let's Meet Some Other Waxes

Candles have been around for a very long time, and for most of that time their job was simple: keep the dark away. The ancient Romans dipped rolled papyrus into melted tallow or beeswax to make some of the first wicked candles, and they used them to light their homes, guide travelers at night and mark religious ceremonies. Tallow, which is rendered animal fat, became the everyday choice, but it burned smoky and smelled, well, not great.

Then came beeswax. In the Middle Ages, beeswax candles arrived in Europe and were a real upgrade: they burned cleanly, with no smoky flame, and gave off a soft, sweet scent. They were also expensive, so mostly churches lit them, and few people other than the wealthy could afford them at home. Beeswax itself is made by honeybees to build their combs. Once harvested, it's melted and filtered until it's clean and golden, and it burns slowly with a warm glow. It's still a beloved wax today.

The centuries that followed brought lots of inventions, including candles made from whale oil and purified animal fats, and eventually machines that made candles cheap enough for everyone. In the 1850s came paraffin, made from petroleum, and it became the go-to wax for well over a hundred years.

Somewhere along the way, candles also changed jobs. Once electric light took over, candles stopped being something we needed and became something we wanted. From the mid-1980s, people began choosing candles for decoration, mood and scent, and in the 1990s the popularity of candles surged. For the first time in over a century, brand-new candle waxes appeared.

That's when plant waxes stepped into the spotlight. In the U.S., soy wax was developed as a softer, slower-burning alternative to paraffin. To make it, soybeans are cleaned, cracked, de-hulled and rolled into flakes. The oil is then extracted from the flakes and hydrogenated, the same trick that turns apricot oil into wax, so it can hold its shape in a jar. Soy caught on quickly, and it has been a favorite for container candles ever since. Coconut wax followed, made from the hydrogenated oil of coconut meat. It's creamy, it looks gorgeous, and it's a bit more of a splurge. Today, blends like our coconut apricot are part of that same story, a fresh generation of waxes born from plants.

It's a fun twist when you think about it. Long ago, people reached for the natural things around them, like fat, bees and plants, to make light. Our world looks nothing like the Roman one, but the idea holds: when we're looking for something better, nature has still got alternatives to offer.

 

So, What's in Our Candles?

We think you should know exactly what you're lighting. Here's the whole lineup:

• The wax: A coconut apricot blend with 0% paraffin. It melts into a smooth, creamy pool and carries fragrance beautifully.
  
• The wick: 100% cotton. Simple, classic and no heavy metals released when burned.
  
  
• The vessel: Glass made right here in the USA.
  
  
• The fragrance: Premium fragrance oils from US suppliers, made without phthalates and held to IFRA safety standards, then quality tested before they ever go into your candle. Making sure your candle is an experience, not a migraine.  

Every one of these supplies comes from US manufacturers, and assembled right here in Arizona.  Knowing where your candle comes from is part of feeling good about lighting it.

 

But What Actually Makes a Candle Burn Clean?

Here's a little secret: the wax is only one part of the story. A great burn comes from the whole candle working together: the wax, the wick, the fragrance and the vessel. And you get a say, too! A few easy habits keep any candle burning its best:

• Trim the wick to about ¼ inch before each burn. It's the single best trick for less flickering and less soot.
  
  
• Keep it out of drafts. A steady flame is a clean flame, and keeps soot from building up on the side of your glass, and keeps things burning evenely.
  
  
• Give the first burn some time so the wax melts evenly across the top, typically it takes anywhere from 1-2 Hours before a candle really starts to fill your space. 
  
  
• Take breaks. Don't burn for many hours in one stretch. You should never burn a candle longer than 5-6Hours, the sweet spot is about 4 Hours. Otherwise your wick could begin to bloom or curl, causing a larger and hotter flame. Not only a potential fire hazard, but it begins to burn your candle too fast, reducing the hours you get out of it.
  
  
• Let fresh air in. A little ventilation makes any room feel better, and when your satisfied with your experience, open a window and let your space slowly return to a neutral tone. (only if you want to!)

Ready to Light Up?

Now you know the whole journey: a humble apricot pit, a bit of kitchen-chemistry magic, and a candle that's ready to make your evening feel a little cozier. Curious about anything else in our candles? Ask us. We love talking wax.