March 27th, 2020 by Sarah Miles

Our cars are often our pride and joy and something that non-petrolheads may not appreciate is that the process of cleaning, polishing, and buffing our cars is not a bind; it’s part of that joy. If you love your car, whether it’s a performance elite car or just your beloved jalopy, you’ll want to use the best products you can to get a high-end finish.

There are two elements to this: an aesthetic one, creating a mirror gloss finish; and a functional one, protecting the paintwork. Applying wax is one of the most important car paint protection procedures you can do (following polishing) and it will also help create a beautiful finish.

So what are the different types of car wax?

Well, despite the bewildering array of car wax products on the market, waxes broadly fall into 2 main types – natural and synthetic. Here’s an overview of the 2 variations and the pros and cons of each.

Natural Carnauba Wax

As the name suggests, carnauba wax is a natural substance derived from palm tree leaves. It is then combined with another substance such as beeswax or turpentine. It comes in 2 main colours – yellow and white; the more yellow it is, the higher the content of carnauba (and therefore the more expensive it is).

Pros of Carnauba Wax

Carnauba wax’s greatest quality is the beautiful deep shine that it gives to paintwork, particularly on darker coloured cars. This is why it’s favoured by car dealerships. It offers very good protection from contaminants (including the sun) and great water beading.

It also makes your car's paintwork really pop, giving it a deep, vibrant colour that makes it look better than ever. If you want your paintwork to look its very best for a car show (or just for a post-wash Instagram post!), carnauba is the way to go.

Synthetic Wax

Synthetic wax is made of polymers that can actually bond with car paint. It is also known as a paint sealant.

Pros of Synthetic Wax

The greatest advantage that synthetic waxes have is their durability. They offer the same protections as carnauba waxes but will last much longer, for around 12 months. They also tend to be easier to apply, so if you're just after a quick wax and polish you'll be better off with a synthetic poiymer wax. Synthetic waxes are also usually cheaper than natural ones!

Which wax is better?

This question is purely a matter of personal preference and priorities. The level of protection is more or less the same so the differentiating factors boil down to finish and price. If the depth of the shine is the most important aspect to you, and you don’t mind waxing more regularly and paying a bit more (remember that not only are they more expensive, you’ll be buying them more regularly) then choose natural. If long-lasting protection and saving money are more important then choose synthetic