Have Questions?  We have answers!

For most people who visit our site for the first time are left with many questions.  Some of the most frequently asked questions, or FAQ's are listed below such as what is palm wax to tips on how to get the most out of burning one of our candles.  If you have a question and the answer isn't found below.  Click here to contact us and we'll be happy to personally answer your question(s)

What is palm wax?

Palm wax is an organic, sustainable resource which comes from palm oil trees.  These trees bare several large fruit bunches weighing about 20-55 pounds each.  Each bunch has 1,000 - 3,000 fruitlets and within each fruitlet consists a hard kernel or seed.  The kernel part of the fruit is where palm wax is obtained.

Photo is from paleohacks.com

Why haven't I heard of palm wax before?

Palm wax has been around for centuries and well known in the world market as being popular in items such as chocolate bars, potato chips,  cooking oils, cosmetics, cleaners, etc.  It wasn't until 1985 that palm oil had garnered only 2% share of the American market, which has been dominated by soybean oil (which garners over 70% of the market share - source: www.americanpalmoil.com ).  As more info about palm oil is leaked into the media like that by Dr. Oz. in a January 2013 t.v. episode, it is only a matter of time before all Americans will be using it in every day applications. 

Nutella contains palm oil

How does palm wax compare to soy, beeswax, and paraffin?

Visually, palm wax candles are distinct in that they have a frost like or feather like appearance as well as come in a rainbow of colors.  Palm wax candles have a big reputation for having a strong scent throw.  They are VERY Eco-friendly.  Palm wax is considered a vegetable base, sustainable, organic wax in that the palm oil trees live for 25 years or more, insecticide is rarely - if ever necessary in growing the palm trees, items such as palm fronds and empty fruit bunches are used as natural fertilizers and only steam is needed to mill the fruit verses harsh chemicals which are known to be used in other types of waxes such as soy.  Lastly, palm wax candles really do burn very clean. 

Here's a few additional links to articles regarding why you may want to re-think soy:

What Chemicals are in Your Soy Candles:
http://www.alohabay.com/people/What-Chemicals-Are-in-Your-Soy-Candles.html

Behind the Bean:  The Heroes and Charlatan of the Natural and Organic Soy Foods Industry
http://www.cornucopia.org/soysurvey/OrganicSoyReport/behindthebean_color_final.pdf

Left: name brand with lots of soot Right: By the Bay Botanicals palm wax candle

I hear palm oil causes deforestation and kills orangutans.  Is that true?

No.  There are rumors and there are facts.  Many articles talk about how palm oil hurts endangered animals, but rarely is any state the source from where those allegations come from.   Here are the facts and info showing the real truth. (according to palm oil resources/websites sited below with links to said sources)

1.     The Malaysian palm oil industry is a highly regulated industry where the industry is required to follow more than 15 laws and regulations with respect to land acquisition act, environmental quality act, and the Protection of Wildlife Act to name a few (Source: www.mpoc.org).   The expansion of oil palm areas in Malaysia has mainly occurred through conversion of existing tree crops planted areas.  Since 1990, 1.39 mil hectares of rubber, cocoa and coconut areas have been converted to oil palms (Source:  www.mpoc.org).  Currently there are no statistics supporting the claim (brought on by NGO that support soybean, rapeseed and sunflower oil companies) that rain forests are being cleared in Malaysia as a result of expanding  palm oil plantations. 
2.      One of the initiatives demonstrated by the Malaysian government is the formation of The Malaysian Palm Oil Council Wildlife Fund which provides grants from both government and industry to orangutan rehabilitation centers and the financing of wildlife preserves and conservation zones (source: www.theoilpalm.org/get-the-facts). 
3.      In May 2010, the palm oil industry and the Sabah State government announced the establishment of a mega-wildlife sanctuary consisting of 100,000 hectares of rain forest within a 300,000 hectare contiguous forest zone.  The sanctuary serves to protect primary forest and orangutans (Source:  www.theoilpalm.org/get-the-facts.)

What else is By the Bay Botanicals doing to Go Green?

We're apart of the Wild Acres Program where our property is certified as a wild habitat which offers components needed by wildlife, promote conservation and restoration of wildlife habitat and preserve and enhance wild diversity of Maryland Habitats.

By the Bay Botanicals is a proud partner of Chesapeake Bay Trust, an organization which is a nonprofit, grant-making organization that supports environmental education, demonstration-based restoration, and community engagement activities with the help of grants, special initiative and partnerships. 

We've adopted a lot of Eco-friendly practices.  We use Green packaging such as environmentally friendly shipping filler and shopping bags, compost and the fertilizer in our gardens, our glass candle jars are not only recyclable, but reusable and reduce waste through recycling more.  Another Green option we are doing is going paperless as much as possible, sending E-mails verses mailing letter correspondences and emailing credit card receipts at art and craft fairs and online/phone orders.  Lastly, we use a lot of organics in our products such as lavender and mint that we grow is used in our bath teas and use 100% sustainable palm wax in our candles.   We firmly believe that it is important to do our part, as a business and as individuals, to help make the world a better place for generations to come.

Photo is of our resident juvenile Red Tail Hawk on our car looking for prey.

Candle Tips

1. Keep wicks trimmed after each time you burn them.  This prevents smoking and helps the candle burn more evenly.
2. Read warning labels.  Warning labels are put on candles as there is a high potential for them to cause a fire.  The warning labels also tell how to properly care for candles too.
3. Don't leave candles unattended.  It only takes a split second for a candle flame to flare up on its own and start a fire.  This is the number 1 reason why house fires start and do thousands of dollars of damage. 
   
4. Don't let candles burn less than 1/4 of an inch from the bottom.  Wax is a fuel to help a candle wick burn, when the wax is nearly gone the heat from the candle can make glass burst like a little explosion.  Accidents like this often happen when candles are not monitored closely. 
   
5. Try not to burn candles for more than 4 hours at a time.  Doing so can make for a hot jar which can be too hot to touch.  Touching a jar when hot can cause spills and ultimately fires.  If you want to burn a candle for more than 4 hours simply extinguish it and let it cool for a few moments until the wax gets hard.  While it is cool, trim the wick then relight it and you'll be good to go.
6. Here's a fun tip....  Create your own new scents by burning two similar candles at one time.   Some great scents to try may include  cinnamon, fruity scents, vanilla, and lavender, however experimenting on your own is half the fun.
7. Re-use candle jars!  When jar candles are burned down yet a little wax is left, simply warm it up in an oven at about 15 minutes at about 150-60 degrees, depending on the type of wax you use.  Then, carefully use a hot pad and empty the melted was from the jar into your trash.  Wipe it out the best you can with a paper towel and then put in your dishwasher.  Once clean you can use the jar for coins, store pens, for q-tips or tooth picks, or use as a votive or tea light holder!
8. Be leery of burning candles that were made out of "recycled" antique jars/containers as fires can be a major risk in doing so.  Old jars and antique glass can have lead in them and other toxic chemicals (especially those that are colored) and others are made from materials that are not good for the hot flame of a candle.  Also each antique jar comes in different sizes and will just be different from one to the next - this will require a different size type wick to allow the candle wax to burn all the way to the edge and some amateur candle makers are unaware of this.  
9. Need help removing candle wax from furniture or carpet, check out this link, www.doityourself.com/stry/candlewax , to a great website that has an easy step by step process to remove wax from all kinds of surfaces.