Q: What are the benefits of choosing soy wax candles? 

 A: Soy candles last up to 50% longer than other candles, so your savings start the minute you light it. Anyone at your home or office suffer from allergies? Soy wax contains no toxic compounds so they are less likely to trigger allergies. They are clean burning, produce very little soot and you can clean up spills with soap and water. Soy is biodegradable, is a renewable resource and is grown in the USA so buying soy supports the farmers!

Q: How are Essential Oils different from other oils?

A: Essential Oils are aromatic essences extracted from plants, flowers, trees, fruits, bark, grasses and seeds. Most of these oils have properties that are used in the field of alternative medicine and aid in the treatment of numerous ailments. To benefit from these oils they must be pure and natural and made from raw materials. Synthetically produced oils do not share the same benefits.   

Q: How safe is my Credit Card online?          

A: Through PayPal, we offer our buyers a secure way to process credit cards . If the buyer's browser supports the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol (currently Netscape, Microsoft Internet Explorer, AOL, and many other browsers do), then credit card information entered on our merchant's Order Form is encrypted before it is sent over the Internet. When your information is received by the secure payment processor the encryption allows it to pass over the Internet, safe from prying eyes and potential thieves. With PayPal, we don't even see the credit card information that our customers are entering as it goes into a separate processor screen. And you don't need to have a PayPal account to use it!

Q: How can Shea Butter help my dry skin?

A: Shea Butter is a natural moisturizer that has been used for centuries to relieve dry, itchy skin. It is also widely used to reduce wrinkles and strech marks. Please see Information for more details on Shea Butter. 

Q: How do I place an order?

A: All orders are placed through our website which is equipped with a "shopping cart" system that allows you to quickly order the items you have selected. The shopping cart calculates and displays the shipping costs for your purchases and a safe and secure payment process. 

Q: What if I want to order a different scent, color or product  than you have listed? 

A: If you haven't been able to find exactly what you're looking for, please email a detailed description of the item you are interested in to customerservice@soynshea.com and every effort will be made to find it for you.

Q: What method of payment can I use when ordering from your site?

A: We offer PayPal (you don't need to have an account with PayPal to use it) and PayPal accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discovery Card.

Q: When can I expect my order to be shipped?

A: Your order will normally be shipped within two - three business days of receipt of payment. However, please remember that the products we are bringing to you are not mass produced and stockpiled. They are created when you order to ensure that they are the freshest and the highest quality products available. Our products are normally shipped within 2 - 3 days after receipt of payment. We suggest you do your Christmas and Mother's Day shopping early to avoid being disappointed.

Q: What is your return policy?

A: If the product you receive is defective, we will replace it. Please contact customerservice@soynshea.com with details of the defect so arrangements for it's return and repacement can be made. If the package is delivered to you damaged, we ask that you identify the damage to your carrier and save the packaging. Please do not use the product, but contact us at customerservice@soynshea  so USPS can be advised. We ask that you repackage the product in it's original packaging for return.  See Shipping and Returns for further information.

Q: How do I know you received my internet order?

 A: After placing an order from our website, you will be sent a confirmation of your order by e-mail. If you do not receive a confirmation within an hour or two of your purchase, please contact us at customerservice@soynshea.com.  

Q: Do I have to pay tax?

A: All taxes, including GST, have been included in the price of the product.

Q: What is a "blended" candle?

A: The majority of the candles we offer are made with pure soy wax and are container candles. Soy wax is a beautiful candle making product but lacks the strength to make a pillar candle. Even some votives which are intended to be placed on a candle plate instead of a votive holder need additional ingredients. Our blended candles are made with 85% soy wax and 15% parafin wax.

Q: Why does my candle not throw scent well?

A: When burning a candle for the first time it is important to give it a "memory burn". You should burn the candles for one hour for each inch of it's diameter. This allows your candle to establish a full melt pool increasing the scent throw. 

Q: Are your soy candles 100% natural?

A: Although our soy candles are made with Pure Soy Wax, when fragrances and colors are added, which amounts to about 7% of the candle, they are no longer 100% natural. The fragrances used are made from botanical oils specially formulated for use in soy wax and the wicks are natural cotton braided wicks.

Q: Why is my candle wick burning itself out?

A: You should keep the wick trimmed to about 1/4 inch long. However, try not to trim the wick too short as the flame can drown when the wax melts around the wick and that can cause a wick to burn itself out.

Q: Why is my candle burning unevenly?

A: Drafts or extreme room temperatures can cause an uneven burn. The wick must always be kept centered. If a wick ever moves to one side while burning extinguish the candle and reposition the wick to the center. Also, make sure the wick is centered each time you extinquish your candle.

Q: What causes black soot?

A: No candle can be 100% soot free but soy wax candles do have less soot, and more importantly there are no toxins in the soot. Black soot is caused by a candle that is smoking which typically results from too long a wick. Make sure that you trim your candle wick to 1/4 inch every time before lighting. Keep your candle out of any drafts. Drafts will cause the flame to flicker and smoke. Do not leave the wick trimmings in the candle wax as this will cause black soot. Do not burn your candle in an enclosed space such as a cubby or bookcase shelf. This reduces the amount of oxygen that gets to the wick of the candle and will cause black soot. 

Q: How long will a soy wax candle burn?

A: Typically, with proper care soy wax candles burn approximately 6.5 to 7.5 hours per ounce of wax. For example, our 16 ounce Apothecary Jar candles burn between 100 - 120 hours.

Q: Do you accept custom orders?

A: If you are interested in a product that we haven't shown on our site, please email the details to customerservice@soynshea.com and we will make every effort to get it for you.

Q: What happens if you are sold out of an item I am interested in?

A: That does not happen with the products we offer as they are made to order. Occasionally the demand for a product is extremely high and outpaces our ability to supply immediately (such as Christmas or Mother's Day). Please order early during the busy seasons to avoid disappointment. If there is going to be a delay in shipping your order we will contact you to let you know.

Q: Do you offer "bulk discounts"?

A: Depending on the volume of the product you wish to order, we may be able to offer a disount. Please email customerservice@soynshea.com with your request and we will investigate and reply.

Q: What are botanicals?

A: Botanicals are preserved plant materials, for example the real oatmeal, the ground mint leaves, ground orange peels or real lavender buds are a few of the botanicals used in our products.

Q: Are all of the products 100% natural?

A: Not every product is purely natural. In the process of making some of them we must add some non natural ingredients, but we are very careful to use the mildest, most nature like ingredients available.

Q: What are the "rag balls" in the Rag Ball Stew Potpourri?

A: A rag ball is just an old fashioned decoration. They were used in bowls on tables to add color when fresh flowers might not have been available. They are balls wrapped in fabric. They used to be done in home spun fabrics,  but now er have unlimited shoices of color and texture in our fabrics so we use a variety. They are various sizes, as well. 

Q: What is "saponification"?

A: The term Saponification is the name given to the chemical reaction that occurs when a vegetable oil or animal fat is mixed with a strong alkali. The products of the reaction are two: soap and glycerin. Water is also present, but it does not tneter into the chemical reaction. The water is only a vehicle for the alkali which is otherwise a dry powder. The name saponification literally means "soap making". For more on saponification, see Information. 

--Richard Hammer