Floral Waxes
I’ve heard of beeswax but never of floral waxes until now. Floral wax is not beeswax, it is the solid, fragrant, creamy wax derived from flower petals.
Snowdrift Farms describes the process of obtaining floral wax by freshly picking and selecting flower heads which are then mixed with a solvent to produce a concrete. When mixed with high proof alcohol and then chilled, the concrete separates into a fragrant liquid and a waxy solid.
Jasmine floral wax photo from Natural Sourcing
Floral waxes are usually produced from delicate flowers such as jasmine, lotus and tuberose. Photo of this pretty and highly fragrant tuberose from from flickr.
Floral waxes are used to add color to creams, solid perfumes, lotions, soaps, and candles. It lends thickness and a beautiful aroma to your end product. These waxes hold many of the benefits of the botanical including the moisturizing phospholipids. Recommended use rate is up to 10%.
Nature’s Gift Aromatherapy advises that adding to cold process soap yields a slightly harder bar. The deeply colored waxes will also add a hint of color to your soap base. Of course fragrance too.
The retail for about $10 to $20 per ounce. That sounds pricey to me, but I think a little goes a long way. And they are considered less expensive than absolutes.
As for measuring, Nature’s Gift also suggest you need just a few grams for a recipe. Just shave off a few curls with a potato peeler, add to your warming carrier oils. That sounds simple enough.
I look forward to making sold perfumes, CP soaps, and candles with these floral waxes. Jasmine sounds the best since tuberose is much too fragrant for me.
3:54 pm on June 19th, 2009
Reading this makes me feel like setting up a distillation apparatus to make some rosemary and lemon grass oil, which I have plenty from my garden. Sounds like a fun chemistry activity to do with my young nephew. Have you ever made any yourself?
7:22 pm on June 20th, 2009
No, I don’t think I have that kind of set up to distill anything. But it does sound like fun.
In my part of the states, just buying LYE to make soap is carefully monitored by (law). And you have to be careful of disposing any failed batch. Luckily I haven’t failed yet!
11:50 pm on August 13th, 2009
[...] extract ( it’s more of an absolutes) are mainly used to promote good sleep and feelings of happy well being. The small white flowers [...]
9:58 am on April 4th, 2013
I have made soap with it, I do NOT like to do it, but I love the end product, and here is my story: http://theteatreehouse.com/jasmine-sambac-floral-wax-in-cold-process-soap/
11:37 pm on April 4th, 2013
Hi Liz,
I am pretty sensitive to most strong floral perfume so this may not work for me.
Thanks for the link to your post. It’s so funny how you described the smell… yet your mom loved it