Waxes

thumb|right|Cetyl palmitate, a typical [[wax ester]] thumb|Commercial honeycomb foundation, made by pressing beeswax between patterned metal rollers

thumb|right|Bee hive wax complex thumb|right|Beeswax cake thumb|Commercial honeycomb foundation, made by pressing beeswax between patterned metal rollers

Earwax, also known by the medical term cerumen, is a waxy substance secreted in the ear canal of humans and other mammals. Earwax can be many colors, including brown, orange, red, yellowish, and gray. Earwax protects the skin of the human ear canal, assists in cleaning and lubrication, and provides protection against bacteria, fungi, particulate matter, and water.

waxy mixture of higher alkanes

right|thumb|upright=1.4|Some of the many different colors of shellac thumb|right|Shellac in alcohol

Jojoba (; botanical name: Simmondsia chinensis)also commonly called goat nut, deer nut, pignut, wild hazel, quinine nut, coffeeberry, and gray box bushis an evergreen, dioecious shrub native to the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Simmondsia chinensis is the sole species of the family Simmondsiaceae, placed in the order Caryophyllales.

thumb|Wool fat tin (adeps lanae), at the Centre touristique de la Laine et de la Mode in Verviers, Belgium

thumb|Left to right: A sample of solid raw spermaceti, a spermaceti wax candle and a bottle of sperm oil. Spermaceti , one of the fractions of sperm oil, is a waxy substance found in the head cavities of the sperm whale (and, in smaller quantities, in the oils of other whales). Spermaceti is created in the spermaceti organ inside the whale's head. This organ may contain as much as of spermaceti. It has been extracted by whalers since the 17th century for human use in cosmetics, textiles, and candles.

natural plant wax

chemical compound

thumb thumb|right|Ozokerite, Wasatch County, Utah Ozokerite or ozocerite, archaically referred to as earthwax or earth wax, is a naturally occurring odoriferous mineral wax or paraffin found in many localities. Lacking a definite composition and crystalline structure, it is not considered a mineral but only a mineraloid. The name was coined from Greek elements Όζω ozο, to stink, and κηρός keros, wax.

oil produced from the seeds of jojoba

material applied to the bottom of snow runners, including skis, snowboards, and toboggans, to improve their coefficient of friction performance under varying snow conditions

thumb|Waxed paper

chemical compound

hairstyling product

chemical compound

Substance obtained from insect wax

chemical compound

wax derived from certain types of coal

Carromancy (from Greek κηρός, 'wax', and μαντεία, 'divination'), otherwise known as ceromancy, is a form of divination involving wax. One of the most common methods of carromancy is to heat wax until molten, then to pour it directly into cold water. The shapes and movements of the wax as it cools and solidifies can then allegedly be read to forecast auguries of the future. Another method more commonly practiced in the contemporary era is studying the burning of an ordinary candle. The movements and erratic actions of the flame are then said to predict the future.

type of wax produced from castor oil

type of wax with fine crystals

greasy or waxy substance used to hold the hairs of a mustache in place