People need light to see in the dark and for millennia people have come up with various ways to light up the dark places of the world. Even though we live in the modern era where electricity allows us to illuminate our entire world with the flick of a switch, there are still times that we have to get back to the traditional candle and flame. But candles have become more than just lights to see by. The market on scented and other special candles is quite large and people are buying them for their beauty and other values. A fairly recent development is the appearance of candles made of soy in contrast to candles made from the usual petroleum wax that we are used to.

Candles have been made by people for millennia and though the methods have changed little the materials have not changed all that much. One of the main components of most candles is wax. It does not burn and slowly allows the candle's wick to burn away over a period of time rather than in a few seconds. For a long time one of the best sources of wax were bees. These days there are still candles made from beeswax but the process of collecting and processing this kind of wax has made it a less attractive than other types of wax. The most prevalent type of wax is petroleum based waxes that are easy to produce and work with. But ever since various groups have indicated the dangers of these waxes, there has been a move towards candles made of soy.

While it may sound a little strange there are actually candles made of soy available in various stores. Humanity's ingenuity has found a way to make candles, especially scented candles but any candle for the most part, from soy. They are considered superior to the standard candles that we are used to and are not even more expensive than the candles that are already on the shelves. There are various things that make soy candles more superior to standard candles. Some of the characteristics include that they burn for up to 50% longer than normal candles, they are water soluble making them easy to clean up, and they are also fully and more easily biodegradable. Perhaps one of the other important aspects is that, like beeswax candles, candles made of soy come from a renewable source whereas petroleum candles do not.

Scented candles, normal candles, or novelty candles are likely to be around with humanity for quite some time. Even the best laid power grids sometimes fail and when the lights go out we reach for a candle. With candles made from a soy and a resurgence of beeswax candles our little sources of light are also becoming more healthy and environmentally friendly. The next time you go looking for candles ask or soy candles and see for yourself the advantage of this rather strange approach to candle making.