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Here is a question I was emailed recently about scent throw in soy wax melts. She has been trying to make good tarts since last October but hasn’t been able to figure out what’s wrong. We emailed back and forth and I was finally able to give her a solution after ruling out some possibilities as to why her soy melts/tarts were not giving any scent throw.
Question:
I use soy golden blend 444- I ordered a lot so I am trying to make it work for me-I add FO at 185 – started out using 1 oz then 1 1/2 oz. then 2 oz FO. I have allot of different FO scents that I try-some come from Natures Garden-Peak-LoneStar. Anyway I am not getting much scent throw-I make Melts not candles and I have tried everything I have read about..
I want this to work for me but I am thinking about giving up-It has been over a year now trying different things-I even have added paraffin to it, etc..I use a double boiler to melt my wax and I get the temp. correct..What could I be doing wrong? Any suggestions as to what I should do differently? I have spent allot of money and need to get some return if possible-I want a good product to sell and want people to want it for the scent throw, I can’t sell something I don’t feel is really great myself…
Anyway wanted to ask you what Could be the problem with the scent throw..I need to stand right over it to smell it..Oh and I use electric plug ins as a melter along with a ceramic burner that uses a tealight candle as a source of heat to melt the melts, So by using two different things to melt them in for testing I feel as if I have that covered ..I am in hopes you read this and say you know exactly what I need to do to fix this. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated..Thank you..
So we emailed back and forth, me asking what fragrances she was using in order to determine if the fragrances might be the problem since some fragrances just don’t give off much hot scent throw, and some don’t do well in soy wax. Although, with melts this is not usually as much as a problem as with wick candles because the melts or tarts melt down all the way releasing the fragrance more freely. So from what she told me, she was heating the wax and cooling it just fine, pouring at the right temp, stirring completely and all that.
At first I was a little stumped because a couple of the fragrances she mentioned were ones that I have had great scent throw with, but I did not buy mine from the same fragrance suppliers that she had listed above. In fact the only one of those suppliers I’ve bought fragrance oils from is Natures Garden and I think I only have 2 fragrances from them. So after much thought and then finding that I did have one fragrance oil on hand that she had listed, I made my own test batch of soy wax melts using votive wax and also another using container wax. I tested the Muscadine Grape and after letting them sit for 24 hours, I test melted one in two different burners. Sure enough, no scent throw!
I have never really had a problem with scent throw in my soy wax melts, so I couldn’t figure out what was wrong until I tested that fragrance. Then I thought it had to be the scents that she had bought. Fragrance oils can vary greatly from one company to the next, so it’s good to buy from companies that have oils specifically for use in soy. Also, like I said above, some fragrances just aren’t very strong and aren’t going to throw well no matter what you do.
So anyway, I decided to send her a 2oz sample of my Crushed Strawberry and Rhubarb from Candle Cocoon since that one has a very strong throw and you just can’t go wrong with it!
So this is the email I got back from her after she received her sample and made some tarts with it:
Hey, Well I sent a package to my daughter-n-law to try..Smells up her whole house! I was looking at the place where you buy from, It is like 30.00 for 16 oz..But It would be worth it to get a good scent throw..You have made me very happy, I can make a melt that smells good, I was ready to give up, now I am excited thanks to you…..Anyway wanted to update you, I am So thankful you did this for me, Thank you…
I was so happy to be able to help her out with this! It made my day! This is why I started this website, because I love helping people. If you have a question or problem with your soy candles, please don’t hesitate to ask. I am here to help, or at least try. I’ve made successful soy candles for several years and I remember what it was like when I first started out and had to dig and dig for answers.
I’m sorry if I’m not extremely specific I just barely and I mean barely got into candle making, I know basically NOTHING.
I bought Milliard Natural Soy Wax 415 off of amazon because it did have good reviews and since I didn’t realize there were so many different types of wax I thought it was a good deal.
I for the life of me cannot get a scent throw to safe my life!
I bought over 20 different candle scents and they all smell wonderful when they are solid but when I light the wick they don’t smell at all.
At first instead of burning evenly it burned a small hole and went out, I read about different wick sizes so I bought bigger wicks which has fixed the problem of burning all the way around.
But the scents just are not coming through, I add the oil when the wax is 145 degrees, that’s what someone I told me because its a soy wax and it melts for me at around 155.
The containers I’m using are 8 ounces, if that helps I don’t know.
But I’m not sure how much oil I’m suppose to be using, i used 3 TABLE spoons of a cinnamon oil scent to one and its been lit now for over 2 hours has a good pool of hot wax and yet no scent in the room.
If there is any advice you can give or tips I would be forever grateful, I’m at a complete loss and can’t seem to find a solution.
If it does help i bought most of my scents from Eternal Essence Oils off amazon.
Also because it had such great reviews, and again they smell insanely amazing and strong when the candle isn’t lit but basically zero scent throw when lit.
I bought a couple more from different people but I haven’t used them yet.
So I finally took a look at the fragrance oils you are using. They do have great reviews, but skimming through the reviews on a few of them I didn’t see anyone that used them in soy wax? So I’m not too sure that these oils are really made for candle making. Have you had any success with them yet? If not, I would really try some different oils that are specifically for candles. Check out this post about best fragrance oils for soy candle making. I am not sure about the wax yet. I am hoping soon I can buy several different waxes and do a comparison post. Also, it would be a good idea if you can to get a digital scale to weigh your wax and amount of oil. Generally you want to use around 1oz of oil per lb of wax and no more than 1.6oz per lb of wax. That is by weight though, so you would need a scale to get an accurate measurement. One kind of fragrance oil can weigh more than another also. Seems to me that 3 tablespoons of oil in an 8oz candle might be too much which can actually hinder the scent throw when it’s burning, but I’d have to weigh it to know for sure.
I don’t have time at the moment to check out the Milliard soy wax, but you might first try heating the wax to 180 degrees and then adding the oil. If you add it at too low of a temp it may not be binding with the wax well enough. Also make sure to stir several times just before you pour (at 90-100 degrees). You should be using a maximum of 10% oil per lb of wax (so max. 1.6oz oil per lb of wax), (depends on the wax too) but I usually use 1oz per lb (by weight). So it would be good to get a scale to weigh on because some fragrance oils are lighter or heavier than others.
If you have any other questions, feel free to ask, but I won’t be available all week this week,so I probably won’t be able to get back to you until Saturday or next Sunday. Hope this helps!
My candles have great heat throw on a heat surface but not when I light the wick. All I smell is the zinc in the wick.
Thats your problem fragrance should be added between 175-185 to make sure it binds to the wax and poured between 137-140
So, I came across this article… and I am confused, maybe I am making mine wrong? I am using EcoSoya Pillar Blend for the wax melts. I heat my wax to about 165-170. Then I add in liquid dye, take the pour pot out of the pan with water, and let it cool to just about 155. Stir in my fragrance, since they said it was best to add right before pouring. And then Im down to 145-150, so then I pour the wax into the clamshells. (which recommended max temp is 150).
I bought 5 scents from Lonestar, and received 2 smaller ones in a kit. I have yet to try one small one, but blueberry cobbler worked excellent. Great hot and cold throw. As did French Vanilla, Cinnamon Bun, Christmas Cookie, and Hot Baked Apple Pie… then I went to test the Banana Nut Bread… pretty much had to put my nose right over the warmer to smell it (using a warmer with a tealight under it). It had a pretty good cold throw. I poured another 1 lb tonight using 1.5oz FO, instead of 1oz, to see if that helps at all. Could it just be maybe this fragrance needs the wax to be a higher temp when added possibly?
Also, if you could clarify, I’ve been seeing so many different time frames. Someone said to let the melts sit 2 weeks for the FO to completely meld with the wax, others I have seen that as soon as it dries you can use it. I melted one after about 20ish hours and could see what was probably the FO evaporated out. (My husband asked why my melt was smoking, since is had no wick lol).
If you could help, that would be great! 🙂 I bought your book, and am loving it, but haven’t had much time to get through it all yet. 🙂
Hi I’m from Australia, I also have a problem with my hot scent throw. My customers are coming back saying there is no scent when burning. My melts I have not had an issue with scent throw at all. I’m using fusion para/soy blend for container candles and melts it allows me to use up to 18% Fragrance load I have used a lower FO too and find it still doesn’t work. I melt my wax to 85 degrees add my FO at 80 degrees. I stir thoroughly and pour at 70 degrees as recommended. I have also tried adding my FO at a lower temp of 75 degrees and also at a higher temp of 85. And still no results. I use CDN wicks and manage to get a very good pool size. I have run out of ideas expect maybe change to a different wax.
Hi Tania,
I am also about to start using Fusion/Para soy blend for my candles, but I have a concern that the scent throw is just not strong enough, (as you have said your customers also commented). I was just wondering if you resolved your issues with the Fusion blend, or if you switched waxes?
I just bought FO from candlescience. I haven’t had a chance to try them, but I’m curious of your experience with hot and cold throw using this brand.
Do soy candles lose their scent over time? I made some candles 6 months ago and find they usually smell best after 2-4 weeks. I have tried a few I had for 6 months and they seem weaker. I guess this makes sense and I shouldn’t make them too far ahead. I use a lot of the wonderful Candle Cocoon scents and Peak scents which I love.
Hi Nancy, that’s interesting because usually, in my experience, and others have said this as well, they tend to smell better over time. I have several candles left from 3 or 4 years ago now that I have burned and they still smell great. Now, I don’t think they smell any stronger after that long, but they don’t smell any weaker to me either. Are they jar candles and do you keep a lid on them?
Hi I’m using soy wax but for some reason my melts do not completely melt? Any idea what im doing wrong? Thanks
Hello!
i want to start my own candle making business.
Can i use essential oils to make soy wax candles?
I am based in India and do not have much access to fragrances used in candle making.
Hi Saniya,
You can use essential oils, but what I’ve heard over and over from other candle makers is that they don’t give off much of a scent when burning. The only essential oil I have tried was Lemongrass. It did pretty well, but it is a pretty strong fragrance out of the bottle. Essential oils are also pretty expensive to use for candles.
I have lost a lot of money trying to sell candle..customers come back complaining which is bad…I need help!!! I need answers have tried different scents from different vendors…still no scent when lit but smells nice when cold…I use cb 134 soy wax..
Hello, i keep getting a hole and streaks in the top of my candles once they settle, i am pouring fragrance at 185 and pouring into jar at 100 and using 444 golden foods soy wax. Not sure why i am not getting a smooth top, please help 🙁 thank you
Suggestions from best companies to buy oil and wax from… I’ve bought from soylutions and lonestar candles and they have great cold throw but no warm through. I hate that I keep buying more scents and then waste them!
Hi. I am new to candle making and really enjoy the whole experience but, I’m having issues with hot scent throw. I’m making soy wax candles and get all my supplies from Candle Science. I’m using their Golden Brand 464 wax and I make sure to pick out the proper fragrance oils, one’s the perfom best in soy wax. I watched the candle making videos they provide and followed it exactly. When I make my candles the cold scenr throw is off the carts but once lit; absolutely no scent at all. I’ve made candles at the recommended 6% fragrance load and added the fragrance at 185° and poured at 135°. I thought I wasn’t adding enough FO so I added to it at 10%,same result. I tried changing the temp that I add the FO from 185° to 150°, still nothing. I don’t what to do. I want to make a business out of this but I my candles to be at their best before I start selling them. I’m thinking about changing my wax but I want to stick with soy wax. If you have any suggestions please let me know. I will be eternally grateful!
I’m going through the exact same thing with the same wax from Candlscience, my candles/pours are looking great and burning evenly but there is no hot throw! What fragrances are you using? I’ve tried Leather, Whisky and Vanilla Cedarwood.
I’m having same issue as well! No not throw… so frustrating. I’m also using Soy 464 from Candlescience and scents from candlescience and Lonestar. I’m hoping it’s a curing issue? I have noticed that after a few days my mango scent from Lonestar is coming through more strongly. I won’t test it until they’ve been sitting for a week… lets see if it makes a difference.
Hi, I am using IGI 4625 for my clamshell tarts. I had ordered a few fragrances from Fragrancebuddy. I am having no cold throw with their Apple Cinnamon, and Banana Nut Bread….I normally order from Candlescience…thought I would try someplace new, because they had some fragrances that Candlescience didn’t have. I heat my wax to 180-165 add my fragrance at 180. Stir for approx. 2 minutes. Is it the fragrance company or am I doing something wrong. I have not tried Candle Cocoon.
Hi!
I’ve reventy been making soy candles and melts with some success. The only thing is, I’d like them to smell a little stronger.
When I heard about the new Q210 soya wax I was super excited to try it as I heard it can take a fragrance load of up to 18% (I usually use 7%)
So I got the wax, fragranced at 12%, added at 190 degrees (I did a lot of research and this came out as a good temp to add fragrance, although with my usual wax I always added and poured at 165)
So I made some candles and melts. Cold throw non existent, I started to panic! Let cure for 48 hours (as per instructions) sniffing them approx a million times per hour to check the cold throw! Anyway, so in the end the cold throw was pretty much ok.
When I burnt the first candle, it took a while for the scent to come through (about 30 minutes) but when it did….oh my Lord! It was amazing, super strong, fantastic!!!
So then I came to try the melts. (All from the same batch as the candles)
Barely any scent at all!!! Huh?!! How can this be??! Do melts need a longer cure? I don’t get it AT ALL! The candles smell phenomenal but the melts are just barely there at all!
What’s going on? What am I missing?
Hope you can help!
Bianca 🙂
just came across this website and would love some incite on making my soy candles stronger in scent/ right now i use gb464 soy wax/ with eco 10 double wicked in a 12oz square or status jar/ i usually use a 10% fragrance load / so i use 10oz of wax and 1oz of fragrance scent/ so far its ok / i just cant get the right formula for a perfect smelling candle/ aslo i use candlescience and natures garden / just wondered in there is a different wax and wick combonitation that works wonders together for a stronger scent throw
Hey there! So I started making wax melts with beeswax and coconut oil and fragrance. Both the fragrance and the beeswax with coconut oil are made by countrylane. I have made several batches and I cannot for the life of me get them to smell. I made sure the wax was at the right temp and that I added the right amount of wax with fragrance and it still does not smell. Please help
I am literally in the same boat but have tried scents from every single supplier it seems. Especially with 444, it just isn’t performing well at all. I suspect it may be age. Older than I thought upon purchase maybe. Anyhow, I went with a pure container soy from a local supplier that requires no additives. Same thing. Yet my container candles are performing Perfectly. A lot of shrinkage with my tarts too which is odd with the 444. Parasaoy, my own recipe is giving amazing hot and cold throw but what about those who want pure soy or have allergies? Maybe pillar soy wax for tarts/melts?
If I buy wax from Hobby lobby will it give off a good hot throw? I started making my own candles and am having a hard time with the hot throw. I am using soy wax from hobby lobby and I’ve been getting my FO from candle science which shows which scent will be great in what wax type, so I make sure I get the one for soy candles! This site is cheaper so that’s why I started out there! I didn’t know if the wax I was using from hobby lobby may be the reason for the lack of a hot throw?
Thank you! 🙂
Hi,
I am new to soy candle making. I’ve read many articles and saw youtube videos with different opinions about when to add the fragrance oils. Do I add them at a lower temperature or a high one? What temperature do I add fragrant oils and color? Also, I didn’t add enough oil, so have to remelt them all and start all over. I don’t want to waste jars. How long should they cure before I give them away? Thanks in advance for all your help.