Any candle makers?
I saw an article in a magazine about making your own wax melts. And next thing you know I've got a new hobby. I'm using soy wax and essential oils and following the directions in the article. Up close they smell great but they are not scenting the space at all. Any ideas where I may have gone wrong?
Comments
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I'm sorry I have no advice. My husband and I thought we would try our hands at candle making but it was not successful haha. I hope you get it figured out and have great success!
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There is a member of my community who does soy candles. She doesn't use EOs but uses fragrance oils. They are created in a lab from EOs and other aromatic compounds. Her candles have quite a strong scent when burning.
This is a link to a company (Canadian) that sells fragrance oils for use in candle making.
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@torey thanks for the link and the explanation of what fragrance oils are. I was never sure if they were all natural or not.
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This article talks about that. If you follow the links there is other good info, like what fragrances with what type of oils, etc. I want to start making candles, but I want to learn the old fashion homesteaders way. If you figure it out with the fragrance, let us know because I'll need to figure that out also.
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This link had a few other things they found when helping other vendors figure out the same problem.
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@Brindy that article was really helpful. Even though I was following the directions in the article, I was not following any of the tips in the list. And I was using way less than 10%. I'll have to order some fragrance oils but will let you know once I have success. Other than the scent issue it was an easy and fun project :)
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Candle making and all its variations might be a good subject for a tutorial or maybe a course added to TGN's Academy. Soy vs paraffin vs beeswax vs bayberry. Poured or dipped or rolled. Scents & colours & embedded items (plant material, crystals, shells, etc.) I have made poured candles and rolled candles in the past using beeswax. Never made dipped ones. I have experimented with colours but not scents. Anyone out there who is an expert? What do you think @Marjory Wildcraft?
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@torey I second the motion! I've made dipped candles for use and demonstration at living history events in the past with whatever was available that might work, but I am certainly no expert. Candle-making is a fun and useful hobby, and if there was a class that pulled it all together--materials, methods, add-ins and such--I'd certainly take it and likely recruit some friends to join me!
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@torey great idea!
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I have made beeswax candles in the past. Poured, rolled and dipped. Have not messed with all the colors and fragrances.
But I would by no way call myself and expert.
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I make candles but its more for fun and I have not added fragrance. It guess that should be my next step.
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@torey I second your idea. I would love to follow a tutorial on candle making. I play with paraffin and colours. I am not a fan of soy wax, but, since I have bees, I want to start with candle making out of beeswax. I do not bother about fragrances, unless they are really natural and not too intensive.
@annbeck62 what a good topic you chose for a dicussion!
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@monica197 that makes sense and may explain why mine had a scent up close but it did not carry into the space. Fragrance oil may be a better option for me given the cost of essential oils.
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@annbeck62 I've talked with candlemakers at craft shows around my area over the years. Because I'm wanting to add a line of citronella candles to my business.
What I learned is what @torey and @monica197 have said about EOs and fragrance oils. It would cost an exorbitant amount of money to get the fragrance strong enough with EOs. So quality fragrance oils are used for the most part, sometimes with a little EOs, all depending on the candlemaker and their preference.
Another thing I learned is that the different waxes hold/absorb the fragrance of the oils you use differently. Almost all of the candlemakers I've talked to while doing research, use soy wax exclusively. But I found out that the fumes coming off those candles and possibly the wicks, when used indoors can be quite unhealthy. And if you're using candles inside you should use beeswax. I learned much about this from the Toxic Mold Summit I watched a couple of years ago.
I'd prefer to use beeswax, but my candles will be outside, so I'll have to see which will work better soy or beeswax.
@torey I'd love to see them add a candle making class with all that you described above. That would be wonderful!😊
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@JennyT I had no idea soy wax was bad for indoor use. That is good to know.
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I did paraffin wax candles a lot as a teenager and into my early 20's. It was a lot of fun. Did use colors a lot, but mainly crayons for colors. Never tried fragrances, but did do a lot of different add ins. Using ice and whipping the wax up for a root beer float candle. Made candles using burned out light bulbs as the molds. Etc.
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@torey, I think that would be a great topic. Especially if we could have part of it touch on using stuff you would use on the homestead, such as tallow and beeswax. Even a short part on rendering the tallow, maybe. Also, other types of candles too.
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I decorated my candles with dried pressed flowers one year. It was a pretty look.
Maybe we need to have a natural crafting seminar. For use to use and items we could possibly sell to make income from home.
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I used to make sand candles when I was young and they are so fun for kids.
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@Lisa K I forgot about those. They were fun and so easy
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@torey thanks for the link to the Voyageur website, it looks like a great resource for all kinds of things!
Also it now explains what they were using in an old episode of Home Town where they made candles with rosemary & orange scent which were in larger bottles than essential oils. They also added freshly cut rosemary to the candles before pouring in the wax which I thought was a neat idea.
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I love making candles. It's been a while though. I did mainly beeswax- they burn long and I love the natural fragrance! I put them in various cups and containers. Maybe I'll whip up another set soon! Thanks for the inspiration:)
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If you add a drop of essential oil to the top of the candle (not the wick, the wax) while it's burning, you will be able to smell it quite well. I've done this with cardamom, rose and lavender and the scent has lasted until the candle is blown out. Citrus is not likely to work that well but I haven't tried it. I just noticed that citrus tends to need a lot of drops in a diffuser.
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@Sharie thanks for the tip! I will try that.
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@Sharie That is a really good idea! That way the candle can be whatever scent you want without having to use another candle.
I also think a course on candle making would be cool!
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