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Help with FO and Containers
Hi Everyone! I'm new to the site and pretty new to candle making. So far I haven't had great luck with my hot scent throw. I can smell the candle OK cold, but when it burns I smell nothing.
Another question I have is when I burn one of my container candles, after the wax pool cools, there is a powdery white ring around it? Does anyone know why that is and what I can do about it?
Also, once I get everything right, I am going to try and sell the candles in my gift shop, what is a good variety of containers to use and is it OK to only carry a few scents to start out with? I have thought about using 4 oz jelly jars, 8 oz mason, 10oz apothecary and votives. Any suggestions or opinions will help! Thanks in advance!!
wax?
What kind of wax are you using, how much scent do you use and what kind of wicks are you using? What temp are you heating your wax to and what temp are you pouring at? All of these will factor into the scent throw. So without knowing the specifics I can't be of much help. As for the containers I sell the most of mine in 8 oz jars and 16 oz jars. I don't have votives (yet) but sell tons of tarts and some tealights. Another thing you might look into is making air fresheners ( I sell tons of these as well). I would try to start out with maybe 10-15 diff scents so you have a little variety as everyone's tastes or smells differs. If you'd like I could tell you some of my best sellers.
Wax
Thanks for the response! I have benn using wax I bought at my local craft sotre for a while. I think it is called Wax Wizard 100% Soy Wax. The wicks are also from there. I wanted to test everything out before I bought a huge amount of stuff! But my plan is eventually using GB 464 and simple soy wicks.
I have been heating it to about 180, adding color, mixing, letting it cool to about 160, adding FO, mixing and then pouring. Everywhere I have looked for heating temps gives a different answer. I have been adding 1oz of FO per lb of wax. Do you think the problems are because i'm not using a very high quality wax?
Do you use jelly jars or apothecary? And yes it would be great if you could tell me a few of your popular scents because I really am not sure where to start with that. Thanks again!!
wax etc.
There may be the problem. I will assume since everything else is coming from a craft store that your scent is also coming from there? Those are terribly watered down so you won't get very good scent from those. I don't know anything about that wax (from the craft store) but it could be a combination of the various craft store items. I would get a kit from a reputable supplier and give it a go using quality ingredients and see how they turn out. Candle Science, Peak Candle, Bitter Creek, Alabaster Candle, Millcreek, Ky Candle are all good suppliers that I have used. There are many others of course but these are ones I can honestly say are good as I use them myself. Try looking into suppliers in or around your state that would be in driving distance (saves on shipping).
I also use GB464 and I have recently started using EcoSoya CB Advanced. 464 is great, has great hot and cold throw, container adhesion and is easy to work with. The only downside I have found is the frosting . Some candles do it and some don't. I have found that the lighter shades in color don't as much where the darker shades are more prone to. Which is why I started using the EcoSoya Advanced as it claims to have no frosting. I have made many with it already and not a single one frosted at all. So I use the EcoSoya for my darker colors now and the 464 for the lighter colors.
The scent load willl depend on the wax you use. Most waxes are 1-1.5 oz fo per lb of wax. Which could be a problem in using craft store wax and scent. That wax may require a higher fo load and using the lower quality scents would require more to even smell it.
I use the jelly jars as I have found them to be cheaper than the apothecary.
My best sellers are #1 hands down is Love Spell (victoria's secret), Sweet Pea (Bath and Body Works), Clean Cotton, Endless Love (Victoria's Secret), Cinn Stick, Hot Apple Pie, Vanilla, Mulberry, Hawaiian Tropics, Honeysuckle and Pumpkin Spice. Any of those should do really well for you. If I can be of any more help to you feel free to email me. pleasureridgecandles@yahoo.com as I sometimes go days without getting on this site.
Thanks!!
Thanks so much for all your help! I am for sure going to go ahead and try some of the quality wax and FOs. I didnt know the craft store stuff was watered down, but it makes alot of sense. I have really been wanting to try the love spell, so I am glad to hear it is a good seller. Also glad to hear you have done business with Alabaster and that they have good stuff. They are only about an hour away from me so I hope to buy my supplies from there. Thanks again!!!! Julia
No prob
not a problem, glad I could help. Like I said if you ever need any other help feel free to email me. If you are getting stuff from Alabaster that you will pick up you'll need to get a resale certificate to do business with them. Many of the candle suppliers require this if you are in their state or if you drive out of state to pick it up (as there is no tax on it). It's a easy and painless process and it sure saves on shipping which can get outrageous when you start getting alot of stuff like 50 lbs boxes of wax and hundreds of jars. They used to have a warehouse in KY (alabaster) and it was great not having shipping. Cuts down on your costs alot. But they closed it this year and I have not been too pleased with the AL warehouse. I was used to this one guy who was awesome so I guess all of us in KY got spoiled having him and sorry to say the AL store just can't compete with him and his service. I do still get things from the AL store so don't think I am trying to deter you from using them. I just think I got spoiled with the awesome service from KY and I wish they would bring it back. Once you get going, you really should try making air fresheners. They are simple and I can't keep them stocked. Good luck to you!!