Lots of people have ask us how much scent we use in our candles. We when using our candle scent we recommended the amount for making candles is 3% per lb of wax. That is 1/2 oz of scent by weight for every lb of wax. If you don’t have a digital set of scales, then we recommend 1/2 cup of scent for every 10 lbs of wax. If you don’t have a scale and are not using 10 lbs of wax then I recommend 1 to 2 Tablespoons of scent oil for 1 lb of wax. This is solid wax, not melted wax. Wax weighs different when melted. We are only talking about solid wax weights here. In accordance with the formulation you can be use or oils in potpourri, air freshener/room sprays, incense, simmering oil burners, light bulb rings, sachets, car diffusers, etc.
We continually search for new fragrances from many manufacturers and only choose what we feel is the best. Our oils are made right here in the United States and have never been tested on animals.
Fragrance Oils are packaged by actual weight, not measured by liquid volume. This means the fill level on bottles will be different for different fragrances. Different ingredients for different scents just don’t weigh the same. Mulberries tend to be lighter, as caramel tend to be heaver. Remember scents have flash points just the same as wax does. Keep all your wax at 150 degrees and you will never have a problem with a flash fire. Storing your oils in a cool, dark place is best. Sunlight and heat will have a negative effect on the quality and strength of the oil, and will shorten it’s shelf life. The average shelf life of fragrance oils is about 6 months to a year, as long as you keep it in a cool, dark location. Direct contact with full strength oils may irritate skin or eyes. Wash with soap and water for irritated skin and flush well with water if you get the scent in your eyes.
Working with as much scent as we have, we have found that cinnamon is the worst offender for skin irritations and eye burning. Always use in a well ventilated area, remember these are chemicals and not natural scents. You wouldn’t close yourself up in a small room with no ventilation when using Lysol or Clorox, why do it with candle scents. Common sense need apply here. We try and give the best customer service around. Service like you would have received 50 years ago. We answer the phone, you won’t get an answering machine unless we are not here! We don’t avoid talking to you. We never keep the same fragrance long, so you get fresh scent every time you order. Now, fragrance oils rangein color from clear to brown. Some oils will give your finished product a slightly different color.
Now that you know about our scents, lets talk about making the candles. Sometimes a newbie makes a scented candle that doesn’t smell when you burn it. Lots of people ask, “What do I do to make my candle throw more scent?” A candle that doesn’t throw scent….
This is usually cause by some common combination of errors. Some people go to local craft shops and purchase solid candle scent that is sold in little blocks. This is a hobby grade and will never give you a scent that you can actually smell when it burns.
I don’t even know why the craft shop waste it’s time selling these little solid blocks of scent. They are definitively not for the professional candle maker and can turn people off making candles forever! They are a joke!
Don’t waste your money…that is my opinion! Use a top good grade liquid scent to begin with and you will get a good throw. Don’t use cheap wax either, make sure your wax has all the additives it needs to “hold” the scent in.
Testing the scent throw…you may need a neighbor for this one! Fragrances desensitize the nose and you won’t be able to smell anything if you have been making candles today. It will take about a week away from the scents to see if your candle smells when burning. If you have purchased good scent to begin with you won’t have to be concerned. But if you are, have a neighbor or friend come over…someone who has not been “in” the scent all day and smell your finished product.
Don’t leave your wax and scent sit on the stove either. This will burn your scent off! Melt the wax, add the scent and pour it all then.
For instance, when we are making pre-scented waxes, we are adding so much scent that some time the wax won’t even hold it all and if we were to make a candle right then….the candle would smoke bad…but by you re-melting the wax, you are burning off just enough scent that your finished product will be perfect.
This, however, is great for waxing dipped bears. They are going to be burning so you don’t have to worry about a candle smoking.
Our wax has all the additives in it to “hold” the scent molecules to the wax molecules, so you never have to worry about the scent retention in the wax.
Now, your scent throw of a candle is based on the principal of evaporation. For this to work properly a large deep pool of melted wax is needed. The size of this melted pool of wax is determined by the size of the wick, the number of wick used and the grade of the wick. Don’t buy cheap wick, know what diameter circle you wick burns, and make sure you have the right size wick for your candle or container.