SOY wax is my new coconut oil.

If you’re into your beauty regimes and healthy eating you’ll be sick to read/hear about the health benefits of coconut oil or butter.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not denying that it is a great ingredient for many many things, but it’s good to get over the coconut craze and see what else is out there.

I recently bought a silly quantity of soy wax because I am making candles for friends and family this Christmas and I wanted to make them using something vegan and natural.

Beeswax isn’t vegan, of course, and I wanted to explore alternatives and see how they worked.

My experience of soy wax has been great so far.

I used lots of old cups, glasses, jars and bought a couple more from charity shops to make the candles.

It was really easy to make them, although I must admit I underestimated the amount of scent needed when making my first batch.

Soy wax burns slowly and cleanly and is biodegradable.

There is an argument for soy wax not being the most sustainable of options and that is linked to the soybean industry, which tends to use pesticides and fertilisers.

But just like with any product, check where it comes from and make sure it is sourced sustainably.

The issue with conventional candles is that most are made using stearin (animal or vegetable fats) or paraffin (petroleum waste), and there is no need to tell you that paraffin isn’t great for you nor the environment.

Once I bought my huge bag of soy wax I was curious to find out what else I could do with it.

I’m really into trying to find ways of ditching single-use plastic or single-use anything for that matter.

A friend bought me a wax wrap to use instead of cling film or kitchen foil to cover food and I absolutely love it.

It turns out it is so easy to make your own, I really don’t know why I haven’t done this before.

I’ve recently started sewing as a way of reusing fabric from old clothes and bedding.

This means that I often end up with scrap bits, which of course I can sometimes use for a patchwork projects, but they are also great for making wax wraps of different sizes for different types of food.

I also used the soy wax for making my very own lip balm.

Many lip balms use petroleum jelly, a by-product of the oil industry and I’d much rather not use it.

The lip balm was so easy to make: I mixed a spoon of soy wax, a spoon of coconut oil (the magic ingredient!) and essential oils.

All you do is melt the wax and the oil, mix the essential oil in and pour it in a reusable container and let it set.

I gave one to my colleague Jenny for her birthday and she absolutely loves it – and so do I.

There are many other types of wax out there to play with and I can’t wait to try more and pick which one is my favourite!

HOW TO MAKE A SOY WAX WRAP

To make a soy wax wrap you’ll need:

  • a piece of scrap fabric (washed and dried);
  • soy wax;
  • greaseproof paper;
  • an iron and ironing board.

Simply place a sheet of greaseproof paper on your ironing board and place your fabric on top.

Evenly sprinkle the soy wax on the fabric and place another sheet of greaseproof paper on the top.

With the iron on a low setting, iron over the greaseproof paper until the wax melts on the fabric.

Carefully remove the top layer of greaseproof paper and hang your wax wrap to dry.