Candle making questions?

Question

I have been trying to make my own candles. But the scents that I buy for them don't seem to smell in the candle at all. They are oil scents for candle making, I purchased them at my local craft store. They do smell nice in the bottle, but after I have poured the candle and it hardens there is no smell at all. Even when the candle burns, nothing! I even tried pouring the whole bottle of scent oil into enough wax to make one votive, which was way beyond the directed amount, but still no smell. I don't understand, if these don't work, then what should I get to scent my candles? Also I was told that if I use to much of the oils, they can cause the candle to explode when lit, is this true?

Answer 1

First and foremost, adding too much scent is dangerous. The wax can only hold and bind to roughly 1 oz or so per pound, the rest will leak out. In the case of container candles this can cause the entire surface of the candle to ignite, much like a can of sterno (and yes, I have actually seen this happen). Take care!

You should only buy high quality scents from reputable suppliers. Scent is the most expensive part of a candle and is truly the most important for your personal enjoyment and, if selling, customer retention. Skimping on the quality of scent is where those big companies make their biggest mistake.

I would recommend that you look at some of the sites I provided links to, take a lesson, or buy an introduction book/video. There is a lot of good and bad information out there, please use caution.

The first site listed is where we buy our scents from:

Sites:

http://www.candlesandsupplies.com (good for kits, supplies, info, videos, etc)

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/candlemaki... (great on-line group)

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/candleques... (great on-line group)

http://candleandsoap.about.com/ (good instructions)

http://www.candlecauldron.com/ (a very informative site)

http://www.gatehousecandles.com/ (my site)

Hope this helps!

Answer 2

If you ever feel that making candles are too overwhelming for you or time consuming? You should really look into starting a home business with highly scented gourmet candles. I do it and I absolutely love it and will never try another home business. Fundraising,Retail,Wholesale,Team building and so much more!!

Good luck,

   Heather Williams

     806-549-7815

www.247candlelove.com

Scented Gourmet Products

Answer 3

Are you using Yaley's scent?  I ask because that's where I started too...and they don't work.  They just plain disappear.  The best scent company I've found by far is http://www.candlecocoon.com/.  They are more expensive than what you find in stores, but that is because they are a high quality oil that you only need to use .5-.6 oz per pound of wax.  Well worth it!  Also, certain additives in your wax can help bind the scent.  I use a combination of Vybar and Stearic Acid.  Too much oil won't make your candle "explode."  However, if it doesn't bind in your wax, it can pool, leak out, or extinguish your flame.  Hope this helps and good luck!