Carnauba and the Basics

I like rainforests. Does taking wax off the trees damage them?
We like rainforests, too. Without them there'd be no carnauba wax. So, no, we're glad to say that harvesting the carnauba wax from the leaves of the Carnauba palm (Copernicia Prunifera) is harmless to the local and global environment - a point that a concerned Mr Johnson (of Johnson's Wax) clarified in 1936. He's more famous than us, so we'll go with him on that.

Why is carnauba so good as a car wax?
Carnauba wax is the hardest wax in the world, harder than concrete in its pure form. It is secreted by the rainforest palms to protect their leaves when exposed to aggressive levels of sun and rain - so your car is in good hands. Carnauba wax is also highly glossy, giving your car a stunning 'wet look' shine. In fact, carnauba is so shiny and so harmless that it is used by the food industry as a coating - if you've eaten a polished apple you've probably feasted on some carnauba wax already.

Why is carnauba wax mixed with other ingredients?
Carnauba wax is as hard as concrete in its pure form, and could never be applied without having been softened or dissolved (to form a paste or solution) first. That's why all those '100% Carnauba' claims have to be taken with a pinch of dodo poo. It's also important to realise that carnauba is just one part of a good car wax. The quantity and quality of other ingredients, like beeswax, lubricating oils and drying oils, are also critical.

OK, so how much carnauba is actually in Dodo Juice?
It depends on the individual wax, but Dodo Juice waxes generally have between 25%-35% carnauba content when measured without any jiggery-pokery. In our experience, the highest concentration of carnauba in a car wax that can be applied straight from a tin at room temperature is around 40%. If a manufacturer is claiming a lot more, then it is likely they are simply *calculating* a lot more. You can get Carol Vorderman to take the true percentage, divide by the number of days in the year and then multiply by the square root of your hamster's age to come up with a pleasing figure. Or you can measure carnauba by dry volume (instead of the more usual wet volume), by solids content, by overall wax content or by residual content. Basically any way you want. But it doesn't necessarily mean the wax is better. There's only one way of finding that out, and that's by slapping it on some paintwork. Needless to say, we don't state carnauba percentages on our products because they are too confusing and generally mislead the public. We'll take our chances without relying on any dubious marketing techniques. You can see an experiment we did with carnauba measurement here.

Some products contain 'white' carnauba, is this better?
In a word, no. Carnauba is browny-yellow in its natural state and all our products use the best light yellow T1 grade. White carnauba refers to either micronised (finely powdered) yellow carnauba (this reflects light better so appears white), heavily refined yellow carnauba or bleached yellow carnauba. The techniques used to whiten carnauba are largely for the benefit of the food and drug industries, where carnauba's natural colour would be unappealing. We have seen no performance benefit, or independent evidence of a performance benefit, when it comes to its use within car wax. Sure, we sometimes use micronised 'white' carnauba ourselves. But we don't bang on about it.

I have heard that carnauba has good beading properties. What is beading?
Beading is when water droplets try to turn themselves back into globes of water on a hydrophobic (water hating) surface. The more 'upright' the bead, the more water repellent the surface. Some synthetic waxes sheet water instead of beading it, because they are hydrophilic and love water so much they spread it across the surface instead of allowing it to form into beads. Both types of surface can have paintwork protection benefits, but we think beading looks better when it rains.

What is the difference between a polish and a wax? Are they the same thing?
No, we refer to a polish as being a product that solely creates a shine, usually through abrasion (removal of the paint surface). Waxes are protectants. They leave behind a coating that adds to the original surface and can make it seem glossier and deeper. This coating protects your paint as a sacrificial layer. A pure polish just prepares the surface, it doesn't protect it. Remember, polishes prepare, waxes protect.

What is a sealant and how does it differ from a wax?
A sealant is the name given to a synthetic acrylic, or polymer, wax-type product. These are man made, like nylon (compared to something natural, like cotton). Carnauba and beeswax are great natural products, but human beings love to fiddle and these synthetic waxes have a more regimented molecular structure giving them the potential to be stronger and more durable. The irony is that a decent carnauba wax can often outlast a poor sealant, and some people think their shine is a little cold or clinical compared to the warmth of a carnauba wax. But the technology is interesting and they are good products. Like waxes, there are good ones and bad ones. Some take longer to cure and are a bit fussy in terms of prep, expecially compared to more natural waxes. And remember, there is really no point in having a product that lasts over 6 months, because cars generally benefit from a good claying and decontamination every quarter (if used every day and left outside in a built-up area). Washing can only keep a coating somewhat clean. It's the equivalent of changing your underpants once a week instead of once a day.

You make or sell other products, apart from wax. Where can I find info about these?
Yes, we have been busy on Dodo Island, and created shampoos, polishes and gifts for tourists. More info is found on the main product pages, including specific hints and tips for most of the products.

My car's paint is swirly. Is there any way I can remove the swirls before I begin the Dodo waxing regime?
Swirls are almost unavoidable and every car suffers from them to a greater or lesser extent. Keeping a car swirl free takes discipline and a clinical car care regime, using the right products, the right way. To remove them, you really need a machine polisher as attempting to remove them by hand takes too long and is not very consistent. You can buy a machine polisher (a cheap rotary costs about 30 GBP but you then need pads and compounds) or get a professional detailer to do the work for you. But remember that you can damage the paint if you are not careful - removing swirls means removing a thin layer of paint. Take off too much and it's respray time. Oops.