What is carnauba wax?
Carnauba wax comes straight from the northeast of Brazil. A verdant region where a palm known as Copernicia Prunifera grows.
The leaves of this palm produce and are covered with a protective wax.
You guessed it, we call it carnauba wax.
This natural protection creates a real barrier for the leaves of this palm tree against external aggressions.
In particular bird droppings, air pollution and acid rain.
It has other properties such as shine or hydrophobicity that allows water to flow. These are aspects that we like for the protection of a vehicle.
This carnauba wax is produced after drying the palm leaves, from which we extract the oils from this dried wax. We collect shavings which are then put in the form of a compact paste. Of course, other substances are added to form the wax that is used as protection!
The use of carnauba wax in detailing?
Now that you know where carnauba wax comes from and how it is produced, you understand why it is used in the car detailing world. The different properties related to this natural substance are perfect for protecting a car body.
As a reminder, carnauba forms a protective barrier against external aggressions, produces a very high shine and provides a hydrophobic property.
In detailing, carnauba wax has two aspects. Either it is packaged in the form of liquid wax, very easy to apply, or in the form of a greasy paste.
In a professional setting, carnauba wax is used to enhance the shine of paintwork. Especially for showcars, motor shows or other presentation events.
Why is it used this way? Because carnauba offers a very different visual rendering from synthetic products. You will have a warmer result, a deeper color, and therefore more natural.
But make no mistake, this protective wax can be used on your everyday or weekend car. The duration of protection and its effects in general is rather short. Count on its effectiveness for a period of 3 to 6 months depending on the quality of the product used.
This is opposed to synthetic protections which can last more than 6 months.
Which carnauba wax should you choose for your car?
As we said before, there are many references of carnauba wax for cars. We have prepared for you the best carnauba waxes either in paste or liquid
How do I apply carnauba wax to a vehicle?
Preparation of the vehicle to apply a carnauba wax!
The preparation of the substrate and the paint is a crucial step in the building, just like in the detailing! Yes, having a bodywork prepared for the installation of protection maximizes its effects and its effectiveness in the long term.
The preparation will also save you some inconvenience for the installation and for the result.
We are therefore going to give you our advice to have a surface predisposed to receive a carnauba-based protection!
Here are some crucial rules to follow:
Work sheltered from bad weather and the sun
A clean, dry and degreased vehicle
Respect the pause and drying times, and adapt them according to the temperatures
Work in small areas
When buffing, be sure to remove any excess wax
Do not press with the pad
Make small circular movements
Working on cold bodywork
To properly prepare your vehicle, we advise you to carry out a pre-wash. This makes it possible to remove 80% of the dirt without being in mechanical contact with the bodywork.
The use of a foam cannon is strongly recommended to achieve this key step and to make your task easier.
Then, you continue with a complete wash of the vehicle, taking the time to dry the paint well. This is really very important for the application of a wax! This is not always true for the application of a hybrid sealant and wax! By using a car karcher, you will benefit from the pressure of the water to remove the excess dirt present.
The decontamination step is not essential if it was done a few months ago. On the contrary, to maximize the results of carnauba wax, you can perform ferrous decontamination to remove the last particles embedded in the varnish.
Now on to the application of your protection!
How to put carnauba wax on a car?
Once the preparation steps have been completed, you can put the carnauba on your car. For the material, we recommend that you have an applicator pad available (often supplied with the wax), microfibers intended for buffing, as well as good lighting.
What is buffing?
This is when excess dried wax is removed. Below you have the “final” result of your work.
Applying carnauba wax to paintwork is very simple. To begin, you will load your applicator pad with the wax. Do a few turns with the latter in the pot in order to dry out the surface and warm it up.
You can then move on to applying directly to the bodywork. Select a panel, which you are going to cut in half for example, and make small circular movements to spread the dough. Go through the entire area, while recharging your applicator when necessary.
Allow to dry for around 5 to 10 minutes.
It is time to move on to wiping the paint (buffing), when the excess wax begins to dry on the surface. This moment is detectable to the eye, since the surface becomes whitish. When it takes on this appearance, it's time to give it a good coat of microfibers to remove the excess.
You will discover the result, with a brilliant and deep color that carnauba wax gives.
If you are not satisfied with the result obtained, or if you are looking for more durability, shine or depth in the paint, you can apply other coats. However, it is necessary to wait a little before proceeding.
Otherwise, we advise you to wait a few hours (2 to 3) before applying a second layer of protection.
The pros and cons of carnauba wax!
Shine
Paint Depth
Hydrophobic
Easy to apply
Easy to maintain
