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Hot Wax Play and It's Dangers
So! You have your submissive all tied up, you pick up a burning candle, and you're ready to play! WRONG!!!!!The first and most apparent danger with Hot Wax Play is burns. As a matter of fact, that is probably THE danger with hot wax play. Burns can be nasty, they get easily infected, they often hurt worse than a cut. Burns are NOT a nice thing to get accidentally. They aren't even fun to get on purpose, in my opinion. Your mileage may vary which is okay.
The first thing to consider to avoid burning your SO is the TYPE of candle. Don't use beeswax, ever. The melting point is much higher than human skin can comfortably deal with. Paraffin is the best type of wax, the kind that your grandmother used to seal jelly jars. Unless you make your own candles, however, you probably won't be able to get pure old paraffin wax, though there is a hot wax technique involving the use of hot wax melted and applied with a paintbrush or three. But here, we're just going to get into the typical scene where the dom(me) uses hot wax on a submissive straight out of a candle. Then what kind of candles ARE safe to use? Folklore insists that dyes make the melting temperature higher. Having once made and sold candles, I can testify that a lot of dyes do contain hardening chemicals, though the amount may be minor. But why take chances? The plain white emergency candles sold for home emergency kits are probably the most trustworthy. They are usually relatively pure, cheap and utilitarian. They usually don't have the hardeners which make the melting temperature shoot up. These are the ones I tend to play with. Any other plain white table candle is a reasonable alternative as long as you take precautions and test the temperature. Any candle may be full of hardeners or covered with acrylic wax to give it a shine. This is dangerous. So, I want you to be very clear on one thing: NEVER USE HOT WAX ON A SUBMISSIVE THAT YOU HAVEN'T TESTED THE TEMPERATURE ON YOUR OWN BODY FIRST. You owe your submissive protection and as much protection from bonehead errors as possible. So you try not to hurt them accidentally. I usually test a few drops on the inside of my left arm (I'm right handed) and then raise the candle another foot before I pour. Just to be safe. You may want to use another body part, but make sure it is a body part where temperature is going to feel similar to your target area. Also note that a sub who is naked, bound, blindfolded, etc is going to experience the temperature as being higher than you will. This is good. You get more mileage from lower temperature being perceived as being higher than it is. And if you combine wax play with ice play, you can give them the feeling that their skin is being burned off without getting them more than pink. Mind games are the best games.
Hot wax play had some other minor considerations. I would suggest that you NOT use it on the head and face. Both because of the chances of burning, and because getting it in the hair of your sub can be a pain in more than a pleasurable way to remove. If you are into making your submissive very uncomfortable and feel that they need something to do with their free time, use it on pubic hair, chest hair, or other body hair. Getting it out is going to be a chore. Usually male subs who are very hairy make bad candidates for wax play unless they are willing to be shaved, or have a lot of time to pick the wax out. Keep this in mind when you decide to play.
One recent discovery by Elizabeth at Differences was that Renuzit (CANDLES not the gels) and other jar and container candles are often soft wax and are a fun way to color code your sub. I sometimes buy the cheap glass jar candles sold in ethnic groceries and use them. Those saint's pictures can add an interesting tone to the scene, especially if you're wearing a nun's habit. One problem is removal as it IS soft and sticky, and isn't easy to remove. A hot shower will take care of the worst of it. We've also found that a hairbrush is an interesting way to get it off body hair and skin.
