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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!
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Soy Candle Making Supplies

Knowing where to buy good soy candle making supplies and what supplies you'll need, is half the battle. You'll find info here on different types of soy wax, wicks, fragrance oils and more. I'll point you to some candle making suppliers that I've had great experience with and I'll do reviews of different supply companies, waxes and oils so you can get a good idea of what works and what might not. Feel free to let me know if there is anything you'd like to see here or if you have any questions!




Woodwick Candles Testing with Natures Garden Woodwicks

February 22, 2014 by SoyCandleMakingTime 12 Comments

Some of you may have already seen the process of my woodwick candles` test on my facebook page. Sometimes it is easier for me to post my pictures and notes to the facebook page and then compile it into one post for the website here afterwards.

I have been fascinated with wood candle wicks since I first found out about them a couple years ago, but I had  never ordered any to try until now. I had heard good things about them and how people love the crackling sound that they make. They have a rustic feel that I personally enjoy.

There are different kinds of wood wicks, so I decided to try my first ones from Natures Garden Candle and Soap Making Supplies.  I bought the Medium and Large wood wicks to test out in my 8oz square mason jars. This way I could test both in case the medium wick didn’t burn hot enough to get a good melt pool and fragrance throw.

How I Test My Candles

First, if I’m testing two different wicks in the same size jar, I make sure to make the candles exactly the same, except for the wick. So for these wood wick candles, this is what I used:

  • 8oz square mason jars
  • 1/2oz in each of Christmas Cabin fragrance oil from Natures Garden Candle & Soap Supplies
  • 8oz of Enchanted Lites 100% soy container wax from Candlesoylutions.com
  • No dye or coloring

Then I like to test each one separately so I can be sure of the fragrance throw.  I try to burn in blocks of 4-5 hours and then after each burn, take down some notes about the flame, melt pool, fragrance throw, any abnormalities.

So here is the first candle using the Medium woodwick:

Wood wick soy candle using medium wickI love the look of these woodwicks and that they stay up nice and straight, unlike regular wicks. I just used a wick sticker to stick the metal wick stand to the bottom of the jar and then you just slide the woodwick right in.

I will warn you that these woodwicks are hard to trim with just scissors so you should get an actual wick trimmer(Amazon.com link) for these. A wick trimmer works great!

 

First test burn of medium wood wickSo here is the medium wood wick shortly after lighting it for the first time.

You can see that I have my paper with my first notes on it. I love that it smells like wood burning (of course) when first lit. I did neglect to put the type and amount of fragrance oil and dye, if any and type and size of jar. I usually include that and you should too so you can keep your notes and look back at them later if need be.

I entered my start time, which was 3pm and then after burning for around 4-5 hours I record the time when I extinguish the candle. I then let the candle cool completely so the wax is hardened before lighting it up again for another burn session and do it this way until the candle is burned out.

I like to take notes during each burn session if there are any significant things to note, like if the wick mushroomed, if there was any smoking, if the melt pool was good or not so good, fragrance throw, etc…….

 

Medium wood wick candle first burn  Medium wood wick soy candle test

The first picture above is probably a couple minutes after lighting. I like the charred look on these woodwicks and I think they go really well with the rustic looking square Mason jars.

The second picture was taken about an hour into the first burn.  The flame is a bit lower than I would like and I’m wondering if it will end up going out. But I do like that the melt pool is almost to the edge. At this point I was thinking I may need to go up to a large wood wick, but it was still too early to tell for sure.

And, I had thought that maybe I could get away with not trimming these woodwicks, but apparently they burn much nicer if you trim them. The flame was higher on the 3rd burn session when I finally decided to trim the wick.

medium-wood-wick-test-2medium-wood-wick-test-last-2medium-wood-wick-test-last

So, in the pictures above, the first picture is the medium wood wick candle after the first 5 hours of burn time. It did end up burning all the way to the edge. The melt pool didn’t get to 1/4″ all the way around, but that’s ok because it’ll burn hotter as it gets deeper in the jar. A cool thing I noticed is that when I blew it out, there wasn’t near as much smoke and smell as a regular wick. We’ll see how the next burns do, but so far this looks very promising.

The second and third picture above are the medium wick right at the end of the final burn session for a total burn time of 60hrs 30min. .
I took these pictures at 11pm and it had been burning for 12 hours straight that day! I had forgot about it and didn’t think it would burn that long because it was so close to the metal wick holder earlier in the day, but it kept burning and burning. So anyway, as you can see, the medium wick kind of petered out on burning all the way to the edge toward the bottom of the jar and left quite a bit of wax on the sides. It did burn down a lot farther than I thought it would, so that was good. I thought that the metal wick holder might be a bit tall and keep it from burning down far enough.  I think the Large wood wick is probably right for this size jar though.

So, speaking of the large woodwick candle………

So next I tested the large woodwick candle. I started this one part way into my test of the medium woodwick and rotated burning them. When one was done with a burn session, then I’d light up the other one.

Here is the large wood wick at the beginning of the first test burn:

Large wood wick soy candle test One thing I noticed different with the large woodwick is that I could hear the crackling sound more, which I’ve heard is one of the things people like about the woodwicks.  There were also a few sparks the first time I lit it, but it didn’t spark any more after that first time.

 

Large wood wick candle test burn 1Above is the large wood wick after almost 3 hours on the first burn. Seems to be burning too hot already. Flame is a bit high and I thought that it might be too large for this size container.

 

Large wood wick candle melt poolAnd this is the large wick on the second burn session at 4 hours. I went ahead and put it out because it was burning too hot at this time, so I didn’t burn it the full 5 hours. But, on the next burn sessions, it actually burned really nicely as it got deeper into the jar.

 

 Large wood wick end of burn Large wood wick soy candle side of jar

Ok, and here is the final results for the Large woodwick candle. You can see that it burned more of the wax off the sides of the jar than the medium wood wick. It also ended up burning longer as well! About 63.5 hours is what the final accumulated burn time was. So the large woodwick wins for these 8oz square mason jars!

 But how much more do woodwicks cost?

Well, these particular wicks are $.44 each if you buy the pack of 10. You do get a bit of a discount for buying more than 30 packs of 10. As comparison, regular fiber wicks are around $.07-$.09 a piece if you buy the 100 pack, depending on where you buy them from. So the woodwicks are more expensive, but if you are selling your soy candles, you can definitely up the price since it would be more of a specialty candle.

I hope being able to see these wicks tested helps you in picking the right wicks for your soy candles, and also helps you see how to start testing your candles. I will be buying more woodwicks from other companies to test, as well as regular wicks.

Again, these woodwicks are from Natures Garden Candle and Soap Making Supplies.

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Filed Under: Candle Wick Reviews, Soy Candle Making Supplies Tagged With: Testing

What Soy Candle Making Supplies Do I Need And Where to Buy Them?

July 24, 2013 by SoyCandleMakingTime 10 Comments

Soy candle making supplies list

I thought I should post a complete candle making supplies list and where you can get them. If you only want to make jar candles, then of course skip any supplies that have to do with just votives or tarts/melts and vice versa. This list shows everything you need to start making soy candles in jars, tarts, votives and tealights.

I have listed Amazon as one place to buy some of the supplies. You’ll want to compare prices, but if you have Amazon Prime it could be more economical for you since you can get free shipping on prime items.
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Soy Wax

Enchanted Lites 100% Soy wax (Container candles) No longer in business

American Soy Organics has taken over the EL soy wax

Find this wax at American Soy Organics Soy Wax

Enchanted Lites Soy Votive wax

American Soy Organics P-100 soy wax votive/pillar blend
American Soy Organics was not able to obtain the EL votive blend, but they were able to come up with their own blend, and I have to say, it is excellent! American Soy Organics Soy Votive/Pillar Blend or buy from Candlesoylutions

Pour Pots

1lb or 4lb Metal Pour Pot
Candlesoylutions, Amazon.com

Dye

Candle Making dye (Optional)
Wholesale Candle Making Suppliers or Amazon.com(I have not tested candle dyes from Amazon except for the Candlescience Reddig-Glo ones pictured below.)

 

Wick Stabilizers

Long chip clips(recommended), clothesline clips or wick bars
Ikea(chip clips), Fred Meyer, Target, Walmart,Amazon.com



Fragrance Oils For Soy Candles Making

(start with 1oz samples at first)Candlesoylutions, Candle Cocoon are ones I recommend.

Also check out my article “Best Fragrance Oils For Soy Candles”

 

Wicks

CD-16 or 18 or Eco 10 to 14  for 8-16oz jars  (Make sure to test different sizes in case one burns too hot or not hot enough), tealight wicks, votive wicks

CD Wicks: http://www.lonestarcandlesupply.com/candlewicks/wickclipassemblies/cdwicks.html

Sampler Eco Wick Pack: http://www.lonestarcandlesupply.com/products/candlewicks_wick-sampler-kit—eco-series-%286-inch%29.html

Wick stickers   Wholesale Candle Making Suppliers or Amazon.com  hot glue gun or glue dots can be found in most stores locally.

Warning labels

Wholesale Candle Making Suppliers or Amazon.com

 

Candle Jars and Containers

Glass Mason jars or other canning type jar Candlesoylutions  Buy the lids separately on their website.

 

Votive Molds

w/ wick pins Wholesale Candle Making Suppliers

 

Tart/Wax Melt Molds

Most candle making suppliers will have these, but you can find them at Candlesoylutions or Amazon.com or check out the Wholesale Candle Making Suppliers list.

You can also use chocolate molds like these:

 

Plastic Tealight Cups

Wholesale Candle Making Suppliers, most suppliers will carry these.

 

Timer

Walmart, Fred Meyer, etc… or Amazon.com

 

Scale

Digital scale or other kitchen scaleCandlesoylutions, Walmart, Fred Meyer, etc… or Amazon.com

 

Cooking pot (not non-stick)

Goodwill,Walmart, Fred Meyer, etc… Amazon.com

 

Rubber Spatula

Heat resistant Pampered Chef, Walmart, Goodwill, etc…. Amazon.com You can use a plastic spoon as well. I like the rubber spatula for scraping out as much wax as I can from the pour pot into the candle jars.

 

The next step would be to buy what you need in order to make a few candles to test and then follow the instructions on my website and in my videos.

If you don’t know where to begin, Go Here

What I would also do is, if you have never tried the Enchanted Lites American Soy Organics soy wax, see if you can get a 1lb sample each of the 100% container wax, millenium blend and votive wax so you can try out each one.  With the fragrance oils, buy a few 1oz samples first and then only go with the ones that really stand out after testing.

Of course you can buy many of these candle making supplies at other candle making supply shops (you can also check out my list of trusted suppliers)

Got your supplies already? Then lets make some soy candles!

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Filed Under: Soy Candle Making Supplies

Wholesale Soy Candle Making Supplies

May 10, 2013 by SoyCandleMakingTime 29 Comments

You want to make soy candles, but where to buy the supplies? Here I’ll guide you to some of the wholesale soy candle making supply companies that I’ve bought my wholesale candle supplies from. I’ve had great experiences with the ones that I have at the top of the list.

It helps so much if you have a soy candle making supplier nearby to save on shipping. That was a huge advantage for me as I have a wholesale supplier that I get my wax and most of my other supplies from only about 45min. away from me. So if it was going to cost more in shipping charges than gas to drive there, then I’d just go pick up my candle supplies in person.

Live in Australia?

I’ve had many people  visiting this site from Australia and asking questions, so I have included a list of Australian candle supply companies below as well. I personally do not have any experience with those companies.

 


 

 


 

So here’s the list of where to buy wholesale soy candle making supplies in the United States:

CandleSoylutions Soy Candle Supplies– Excellent wholesale soy candle wax supplier in Eugene, Oregon, and they have great prices on their soy wax, as well as lots of fragrance oils, jars, wicks and other supplies. Pretty much everything you need to start making soy candles. They are also very friendly and always try to accommodate their customers as much as possible. I will continue to buy from them for making my personal soy candles.

Candlescience

Candlescience  is a very popular candle making supplier. I have ordered from them and can highly recommend them.

Brambleberry Candle and Soap Making Supplies– Another excellent company. They have soy candle wax too, but I love their fragrance oils and essential oils. I have also bought some soap to try out soap making, but never got around to it….lol But they have excellent customer service as well and are located in Washington.

Wholesale Supplies Plus Candle and Soap Making Supplies– I’ve bought a few things from them and had a good experience with them but they no longer sell candle making supplies.

Candle Cocoon Candle Making Supplies, Fragrance Oils and Dyes– Oh, their fragrance oils are more expensive, but they…..are….Awesome! They are also more concentrated so you don’t use as much and they have lots of unique fragrances. If it wasn’t for trying to save on shipping by using the supplier closest to me (Candle Cocoon shipping costs are very reasonable though), I probably would have bought my fragrance oils from Candle Cocoon on a more regular basis. You must try them out!

LoneStar Candle Supply

Another respectable company that I have bought CD wicks from. I’ve heard good things about Lonestar Candle Supply from other candle makers on different forums as well.

Natures Garden Wholesale Candle and Soap Supplies

Natures Garden is very popular and they are very active and engaged with their customers on their Facebook page and Blog. I have bought a few fragrance oils from them which I was very happy with. Two of the oils are ones I had a hard time finding elsewhere, New Leather and Fresh Cut Grass. I love them both!

Northstar Candle Company

I ordered from Northstar for the first time in 2014. I had a good experience with them. Shipping was quick. The oils I received all had a pretty good throw in the candles I made. I especially love the Midsummer Night (Smells just like the Yankee Candle version!) and Christmas Song. Here is a post I posted on my FB page after receiving my order from them:

Ok, I got my package from Northstar Country Candle Co. today! Looks great. Everything was packaged nicely. And not their…

Posted by Homemade Candle Creations on Monday, May 12, 2014

 

 

 Australian Candle Making Supplies

I’ve noticed that soy candle making seems to be very popular in Australia, so I am also listing wholesale candle supply companies from there as well. If you know of any others that I’ve missed, feel free to let me know!

Aussie Candle Supplies  This is one that a lot of Australian candle makers use, from the feedback I’ve received when the question was asked on my facebook page.

Natural Candle Supply

Candle Supply

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Filed Under: Soy Candle Making Supplies

Fragrance Oil vs Essential Oil-What Are Essential Oils?

May 8, 2013 by SoyCandleMakingTime 13 Comments

What is the difference between essential oils and fragrance oils? Is there a difference? Here I will answer that question for you.

First, what are essential oils?

Essential oils are concentrated oils extracted from different kinds of plants. The “essence ” of the plants fragrance. Essential oils have been used throughout history for medicinal purposes. Some common essential oils used for aromatherapy in candles are:

  • Lavender- Calming
  • Lemongrass-Refreshing, rejuvenating and balancing
  • Eucalyptus-Helps with colds, soothes nasal passages
  • Citrus-Energizing and uplifting
  • Patchouli Oil – Tranquility, and helps promote clear breathing
  • Rosemary Oil – Calms apprehension
  • Ylang Ylang – Relaxes the mind and seduces the senses
  • Bergamot Oil- Energizing oil that balances the mind

These are just a few essential oils for aromatherapy that can be used in candle making. I’ll be honest, I never really got into using essential oils in my soy candle business, but I did use Lemongrass and I definitely didn’t need to use much of it to achieve a strong scent throw! Plus Lemongrass is one of the lower cost essential oils. I may try some different essential oils in the future though.

Use essential oils for your soy candles with no dye for a truly natural soy candle!

What are fragrance oils?

Fragrance oils are oils that are manufactured and artificially created to mimic natural fragrances. There are countless kinds of fragrance oils to choose from and fragrance oils tend to be much less expensive than many essential oils. In my experience even though essential oils tend to be more expensive, you usually use less so for some essential oils, it can actually cost less using essential oils rather than fragrance oils, but you definitely need to test, test, test, to make sure you’re getting the fragrance throw that you’re looking for.

Fragrance oils do not have the aromatherapy benefits of essential oils, so if you are wanting to make aromatherapy candles, you will need to use essential oils.

There are also different grades of fragrance oils by concentration. Usually very cheap fragrance oils are probably more diluted than more expensive kinds and you’ll need to use more to get a good amount of fragrance throw from your soy candles.

So that’s the difference between essential oils and fragrance oils. One is all natural, directly from the plant, and the other is artificially manufactured.

If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment or contact me!

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Filed Under: Candle Fragrance, Frequently Asked Question, Soy Candle Making Supplies

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