Headnote: This article is outdated, for more up-to-date information on using certain waxes and to find out which ones are best; look out for my "Wax-Off" posts. (Posted: 14th October 2019)
Hello fellow sandboarders!
Now, sandboarding wax is a great way to pick up some speed and make your ride more adventurous on the dunes but nothing is free in this world so I will be hoping to find the best and most effective 'do-it-yourself' or replacement waxes.
Now, sandboarding wax is beneficial to a good ride; However, it can cost a fortune over time (depending on how often you go down the dunes) and it is NOT universal for every complex you ride on. For example: sand, gradient, moisture and friction can all contribute to how good your ride can be.
I've done research on alternatives to waxes which you could use at home and on the dunes!
Vaseline
Since sandboarding wax which is sold on markets is a paraffin based wax, it's created from petroleum so your first potential answer could be Vaseline.
Vaseline is cheap, good quality and durable. It is slippery when it is applied to a board (wood or plastic) and is a lubricant so can prevent against moisture if it somehow hits your board. Vaseline is also good for minor cuts so if you hit yourself on that rock or cut on that bit of wood, you'll be covered!
Crayon Wax
Sandboarding Nation likes to be creative, so this is where I'd introduce Crayon Wax because, it has a low melting point, since some crayons are made of charcoal, oil and chalk; the chalk could be used as a sort-of 'brake' on slippery sand as the chalk will cause surface tension on the sand. Buying crayons may get you some weird looks at the checkout but most crayons are greasy and can be slippery in moments!
Another advantage of crayons, you can choose the colour of your wax (possibly scent too!) Talking of scent...
Edam Cheese
You won't get a cheesy scent from this method but the red casing of wax on a piece of Edam Cheese (when cut) can be used as a good method to make your ride a bit more fast! I'll say that this kind of wax is very difficult to melt and not that greasy at all but in your own home, if you add a little bit of something which might help (I don't know I'm not an alchemist) preferably something a bit like Vegetable Oil, you could get the best ride of your life!
Maybe not vegetable oil on the board along with Edam Cheese wax but maybe another cooking oil could do? Right?
Cooking Oils/Fats
Cooking Oils such as Olive, Sunflower, Rapeseed, Corn, etc... can be very difficult to use mainly because they're not a solid at room temperature. You can imagine that these very slippery oils could potentially be resistant to the sand particles and create no friction (or maybe reduce friction to a minimum) Could that happen?Final Thoughts
Maybe I'm wrong. In this post, there's not meant to be right or wrong answers! I'm giving potential suggestions to things that you should really buy! I'd like to class myself as a regular sandboarder but in all my 8 to 9 years of sandboarding, I have only used wax once and that was car wax. It made a slight difference but could that be down to the altitude? weather? acceleration? etc... I'm not the expert on waxes, I got a science qualification from school but that's about it.
If you want to know more about sandboarding wax from people who know what they're on about, try and have a look at Doctor Dune's Sandboarding Waxes, it gives good advice and tips if you're doing ANYTHING on the dunes! Take a look at: http://www.sandboard.com/drdune/ask/ask5.htm
My conclusion from this post is that you could make your own, but it might not work, might cost more money instead of save but most of all, it doesn't give credit to the people who make sandboarding waxes for us. I'd take the safe bet and buy sandboarding wax from a local, professional or online dealer who knows what they're talking about.
Also, if you've tried to make your own waxes and if you know which ones work and which ones don't. Drop me a line at the Sandboarding Nation Twitter and Facebook pages, I'd like to read your findings!
My next post shall be published on the 20th November and it will concern the Top 10 countries for 2015 (a bit like last year's Top 10 countries for 2014) I hope to see you then!
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