Learn How To Make Soy Candles at Home
How to make soy candles at home. Simple instructions for amazing results. It's Candle Making Time!
Learn how to make incredible soy candles at home. Simple instructions for amazing results. It's Candle Making Time!Soy wax is a softer wax and doesn’t take as much heat to melt. Therefore soy candles generally need a cooler burning wick depending on how much fragrance oil and dye is used, the more used, the hotter the wick most likely that you’ll need.
So soy candles burn longer because the wick is not burning as hot and therefore the wax is not burning off as fast as regular paraffin candles. This is why soy candles burn twice as long as regular candles! Isn’t that awesome?
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.
So you have some soy candle recipes and now it’s time to purchase soy wax, wicks, jars, fragrance oils and dye.
I will tell you, if you can do without the dye and just go with the natural creamy color of the soy wax, it will save you a good deal of time and hassle trying to get the right colors for each fragrance. Besides that, candles with more dye in them may need a hotter wick, so you’ll have to do thorough testing. I know of a couple popular soy candle companies that don’t use color.
But colors are nice, just something to think about.
This can vary. Because shipping is high for wax, I have always used the supplier closest to me, Candlesoylutions, thankfully only 45min. away so I can go pick my supplies up if the gas is going to be less than the shipping charges. The wax I use is called Enchanted Lites and I highly recommend it. I have tried one other brand, Ecosoya Xcel, but it just didn’t do it for me for my container candles. I had all sorts of problems with the way it cooled and separated from the jar, so since then, I’ve just stuck with Enchanted Lites soy wax for my votive wax and container wax.
Soy wax quality and performance will vary from company to company, so I suggest getting samples of different types before settling on one. If you have a candle supply company close to you though, you may want to just get used to working with whatever brand they carry unless it just does not perform well. Sometimes it just takes time to get used to working with the wax. I’ve read many great reviews about the Ecosoya Xcel, so obviously it works well for others.
Next you need to find some wicks for testing. This is the hardest part of soy candle making, but the most important! You don’t want a customer, family and friends, or yourself, burning an unsafe candle. You also want to be sure you are making the best for them (and you).
Finding the right size wick depends on the size of jar you are using, type of fragrance oil and amount of fragrance oil and dye. I can’t tell you exactly what size wick to use for different sizes of jars or containers, but I can give you a good starting point from my own testing. Climate and elevation can also affect how your candles burn, so what works for me here in the Willamette Valley in Oregon, may not work for you. So you must test!
Here are some wick sizes to start you out. You should buy some a bit smaller and some a bit larger also to test with for each size.
I used to use the HTP wicks which seemed to work best out of all the other wicks I had tried, but still could not keep them from mushrooming and I knew there had to be a wick out there that didn’t mushroom much. Then I found the CD wicks! I fell in love. So I really suggest you start with the CD wicks and see how they work for you. Bitter Creek Candle Supply has a pack where you get 5 of each of all 12 sizes for $9.00.
Fragrance oils will also vary from company to company. Fragrance oils are the most expensive part of the soy candle, usually costing around $1.00 per oz give or take, if you buy by the pound, and more per oz if you buy in smaller amounts. You’ll most likely use from 1 to 1.5 oz per lb of wax. So it’s important to make sure you start with quality oils that will throw well. There’s nothing more disappointing than buying a bunch of oils and then finding out they don’t throw well!
So the first thing is to find a good supplier that is known for oils that throw well in soy and are not diluted. I will list a few fragrance oil suppliers below that I’ve had good experiences with their candle fragrance oils, you can also click here to view a list of fragrances I personally liked from each supplier:
Now I suggest buying just a few sample size oils to start with for your testing. Maybe just start with 2-4 fragrances.
Choose which size container you want to start testing. For this example I will use an 8oz square Mason jar. So I would make 2 candles which would use 1lb of wax. See How To Make Soy Jar Candles for the recipe. Then just choose 2 different sizes of wicks to test. Once your candles are cool, make sure to wait at least 2 days before you test them, but it is advised that waiting a week or two is best. Some fragrances need the longer cure time to give off the best fragrance throw. I know it’s hard, but you want to make sure they are cured enough so you’ll get accurate results.
Make sure you label both candles so you know what size wick is in each as well as the type of wax and fragrance. Remember, if one size wick doesn’t burn well right off the bat, you can stop testing that one and remelt the wax and try a different wick.
So, now you’re ready to start testing! I always enjoyed testing the candles, especially if I was testing a new fragrance.
Test one candle at a time so you can gauge the scent throw while it’s burning.
Take out a note pad and write down the 2 candles you are testing, fragrance and wick size. Under each, write amount of fragrance used, amount of dye and what time you started burning them and then the end time for that session. Remember, you should only burn for 5 hours straight at the most or else the wick will get too long. You may even need to stop at around 4 hours.
Next you want to write down the size of the melt pool before you stop the burn session. So write down how deep the melt pool is and if it went all the way to the edge at the end of the burn time.
Then you’ll want to write down how strong or weak the candle smelled. Maybe on a scale from 1-5.
After each session is done, put out the candle, let it cool completely before trimming the wick and starting another testing session.
Like I said before, if a candle is not doing well right off the bat(smoking, mushrooming way too much, no scent throw at all after an hour) make sure to make note of it, and then you can stop testing and remelt the wax so you can try another wick. If the melt pool is not deep enough (1/4 inch-1/2inch) or hasn’t melted to the edge after a couple test sessions, then you can also melt it down and try a bigger wick.
If you do melt a candle back down to try again, you do not need to heat it much. Just heat it until it is melted enough to pour into another jar.
If the melt pool is too deep, the wick is smoking or mushrooming too much, then you need to try a smaller wick (provided the smoking isn’t due to being in a drafty area).
That’s it! Hopefully you will have great success in testing your soy candles, and as always, if you have any questions, please feel free to post a comment or contact me by email!
So in part 1 of learning how to price soy candles I covered how to find your base cost for each candle and the option to find out approx. how long it takes you to make the candles so you can figure out how much you want to earn per hour. Once you figure out approx. how long it takes you to make one candle (or a batch of candles, depending on how you want to do it), then take your chosen hourly rate…let’s say $8 per hour. So if it takes 20 min. to make 1 8oz candle (counting in the heating and cooling time before pouring) then divide $8 by 3 and it would be $2.66 per candle. Now of course if you can do batches of say, 6 candles in 30 min. then that would only be $.63 per candle, so much better to do batches if you can.
Ok so now to find out what to charge for retail sales of your soy candles. The general rule is “Your cost” x 3 or 4= retail price. Plus if you want to factor in your hourly rate, just use the formula above and add it to the retail price per candle.
So here’s a formula for the retail price of an 8oz soy jar candle:
Base cost: $2.50
Hourly rate per candle $2.66 (making one candle at a time) or $.63 (making batches of 6 at a time)
$2.50 x 3 = $7.50 + $.63= $8.13 (we’ll round it to $8.15 )
or
$2.50 x 3 = $7.50 + $2.66 = $10.16 (we’ll round this to $10.15 or maybe even just $10 even)
So there’s a nice formula for you to use, but you will need to figure out your own base cost since costs for candle supplies will vary depending on where you purchase your supplies.
Well, I think that’s about it! You’re on your way now to getting your soy candle business up and running! It is exciting, but remember, it is also a lot of hard work.
Please feel free to post your questions in the comments section and I’ll do my best to answer them! Or you can contact me by email.
So what’s next? Click below….
Hello there everyone! I’m back.
I know it’s been awhile since I’ve posted, but you know, life get’s busy, especially as a work at home mom of 3 crazy boys! So
I had this question posed to me as I was thinking about what to write about next on here. There are so many topics to cover and questions to answer when you’re talking about making soy candles, or starting a candle business that it’s hard to know what to address next. So here we go!
Pricing your soy candles isn’t too difficult if you know the general formula, but it can take some time and math to figure up exactly how much each candle is costing you in order to determine how much to sell them for so that you can make a profit and ensure that your time and effort in making them, is being paid for.
Many times, and myself included, we think that we need to compete with other soy candle companies and in order to do that , we reason, is to make sure our price is lower than theirs. Well, I’m here to tell ya, that’s not a good way to do business in reality. I know from experience, that it takes time and money to make soy candles and I tried pricing my candles at what I thought was a “reasonable price” and It didn’t end up paying for my time and effort that I put into making the candles and preparing them for packaging and shipping and all the work that goes into it.
They will! Believe it or not, and that is why you see some of the bigger name soy candle companies out there still in business and seemingly doing well! I know, I know, I’ve looked at the competition and my jaw dropped at some of the prices, but once I really dug into the business of soy candle making, I understood why they charge so much. Your business has to be able to pay you, or you won’t stick with it. You’ll get discouraged and give up because at the end of the day (or year) you find that you only made enough to cover your cost and some expenses including the extra on the electric bill that comes with using the stove so much……(didn’t think about that one did you? 😉
So you have to realize that there is a reason these other companies are able to grow their customer base while having seemingly high prices (if compared to regular candles anyway). It’s because people LOVE their candles and keep coming back for more. It’s worth it to those people. And it is. I mean don’t you have certain candle fragrances that you just LOVE and maybe only one or two companies carry that fragrance? Candles are addictive, and if you have a quality product and maybe a few unique fragrances, people will buy them even if you think you’re charging too much….which you aren’t when you consider all the costs of soy candle making.
We are going to use a soy jar candle for this example and I’m going to list each and every item used in making soy jar candles so you know what you need to figure out how much each candle is costing you.
8oz Soy Jar Candle Breakdown:
So that’s your cost per candle as far as supplies go.
Now you need to figure out how long it takes you to make a batch of candles so you can decide how much it’s going to cost you per hour (how much you’d like to get paid!). Now obviously it will be much better for you to be able to make larger batches of candles at one time than to only make candles to order. So you have to decide, are you willing to take the extra time to many times only make one candle at a time because someone only ordered one candle or 6 candles, each a different fragrance? Or would you rather make batches at a time and have them already stocked in order to save you time and money? (remember that electric bill?) It’s something to seriously consider before you jump into business.
So I’m going to stop there for tonight, but I’ll try and finish up part 2 tomorrow.
I really hope this helps you out, and as always, please ask any questions you may have and I’ll try to answer them as best I can!
How to Price Soy Candles Part 2
