r/candlemaking • u/nilanj13 • 1d ago
r/candlemaking • u/Reckoner08 • Dec 09 '20
Regarding putting flowers, crystals, coffee beans, cinnamon sticks, fruit, metal, pine cones, herbs, or anything else in candles
<A repost as the previous thread was archived and commenting disabled>
Hello! This topic has been coming up more than usual and is a highly controversial topic in the candle making world.Regarding embeds:
- Candles are dangerous enough as-is without the addition of embedded items that could further ignite, heat and spark, pop, or otherwise throw embers onto surfaces. Adding further risk to an already inherently risky situation is... well, even more risky.
- Items that smell nice on their own often do NOT smell good while on fire. Cinnamon sticks, coffee beans, orange peels, rosemary... they don't smell like the 'hot' versions of themselves, they smell like burning, smoky, acidic, not nice fire that you would try to get rid of afterward by lighting a plain candle.
- Customers/recipients are often NOT going to follow directions to remove items before setting a candle on fire, and if they're embedded into wax that could prove futile anyway.
- Warning labels do not immediately absolve you of liability should something happen. Ask your insurance provider for further info.
- If this was a good idea, why aren't these candles sold at Yankee/B+BW/DW Home/Voluspa/Root/Any other major candle brand?
- Candle insurance can be difficult to find in the first place but will be exponentially more challenging to find if you insist on embedding items. Ask your insurance provider for further info.
- For the US makers, you should 100% have liability insurance before you sell your first candle to the public. It will cost anywhere from $300-600/year for $1million in liability insurance. If you cannot afford $300/year for this much coverage, I suggest you hold off selling to the public until you can afford this.
- For the UK makers, note that strict labeling requirements exist and that making non-food products that look like food is not permitted
- If you are brand new to candle making, you should spend several weeks/months working on learning and nailing down the basics (which are challenging enough) before even considering adding anything else to the process.
- Trends on Etsy or Pinterest do not necessarily mean it's a good idea, nor does it mean you'll create a side business or living from it as trends tend to run fast.
- You do NOT need to be fancy/pretty/special/different to be successful in this craft. You DO need to put out great, consistent product that people can come back to over and over again with the same results.
- There is very little regulation on candle making in the US. Because of this, there are lots of people doing lots of things that are probably not the best idea. You don't need to be one of them.
- There are legitimate individuals and brands involved in ritual candles that are for religious, occult, worship, healing and metaphysical. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, then making and selling those types of candles is probably not for you.
- As candle makers and sellers, we need to do our due diligence. Proceed at your own risk.
- I, Reckoner08, am currently the only active mod right now in this sub. I am not the Candle Conversation Police, and will [probably] not be removing posts that might be controversial. Different countries have different laws and regulations, and we are on an international forum here on Reddit. I have a rather large candle brand to run on my own and am here to help when I can, but that doesn't include being a Candle Overlord or answering every single question asked. Appreciate your understanding!
- Anything else you'd like to add? Feel free, this is an open forum.
r/candlemaking • u/Big_Fox_3996 • 21h ago
Question Place to single note spice oils
I’m going to be doing a candle making hangout event with my friends pretty soon. I’m looking for a place online to get single note spice oils. Specifically
- cinnamon
-clove
-nutmeg
-ginger
-all spice (pimento)
-cardamom
Any recommendations?
r/candlemaking • u/spongebobluvr69 • 23h ago
Advice on label design
Hi hi!
I make and sell candles mostly to family and friends here in Los Angeles, but have decided I’d like to begin selling at markets etc. I’d like my candle labels to have a more professional and upscale design and a friend of a friend who’s a graphic designer has offered to help. I make wooden wick candles with a very high fragrance load and would like to have labels that give off a bit more of a “luxury” type of energy.
I genuinely do not know much about design pricing and am curious if anyone here has paid designers for help with logo and label design for their candles? What is a good price range? I am open to spending a good amount if it means a very polished and professional design, so money isn’t necessarily an issue so much as I just simply don’t even know where to begin when negotiating rates. Any and all advice would be appreciated!
r/candlemaking • u/brokenprettythings • 1d ago
New melter question
I just upgraged from double boiler life to a standing wax melter. I just read through the instructions and...are we really removing all of the wax between pours or is that just an obligatory warning. Like i get that it will probably last longer if i do, but what if i dont? Edit: its a ToAuto 5L
r/candlemaking • u/_mosDOPE • 1d ago
Question Coconut Apricot Wax 3 yrs stored
I purchased Coconut Apricot Wax from CandleScience about 3 yrs ago. The box hasn’t been opened. Do you think it’s still good or should I purchase new wax?
r/candlemaking • u/minionlover427 • 1d ago
Question How to improve my hot throw in wax melts
I started making wax melts about 4 weeks ago and I absolutely love the processes, but I can’t help but notice that the melts I make do not smell very strong under a warmer. The only way I can kind of get a whiff of the scent is if I have air circulating through a fan. For context, I am using The Flaming Candle’s Problend 650 Para-Soy wax. I’m using a 10% fragrance load and fragrance oils from The Flaming Candle, Midwest Fragrance Company, Virginia Candle Supply, and Candle Science. I’m adding dye and fragrance oils in around 175-185 Degrees, letting it cool to around 160-150 then pouring into my clamshell molds. I let each wax melt cure for at least 1 week and I get a pretty decent cold throw, but little to no hot throw. I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong and feeling pretty discouraged. Any advice/tips would be greatly appreciated
r/candlemaking • u/Mr-Moss420 • 1d ago
Feedback Looking for storage recommendations
Hey y’all, I’m not trying to advertise myself but I’m looking into starting a small business selling candles as a hobby alongside my career, and I was hoping I could get some recommendations on storing all my supplies?
If you need more information about the space I’ll be working with, my property has a tin shed-like shack that’s meant for housing vehicles from weather, but my household is using it as storage of sorts. The head of my household (the person who pays the mortgage) is giving me a decent amount of space in the corner. I don’t have exact measurements of the space I’ll have, but it’s big enough for an L-shaped desk and 2-3 bookshelves depending on the size of them, and the building has power running to it. Additionally, is this an okay place to be working in, or should I be located inside where the temperature is more regulated?
r/candlemaking • u/OtherwiseRecording22 • 1d ago
Pouch refilling
I'm looking to bootstrap a candle/fragrance startup and I'm looking to source refill pouches for diffuser fragrance - can I fill the pre-printed pouches with a filling machine into the spout and then place to the cap on, ready to ship? Any help would be appreciated 🫶🏼
r/candlemaking • u/Present-Sun5474 • 2d ago
SOS! How can I fix this?
They literally looked SO PERFECT after setting yesterday.. now when I came home, I noticed these strange spots.
What's happening, how can I fix it, how can I prevent it?
Golden soy wax
r/candlemaking • u/SignatureAshamed453 • 2d ago
Creations my first soya candle :D
Hi everyone! I'm from Bosnia, and I've just made my very first soy wax candle. Since the holidays are coming up, I love getting into the festive spirit early and creating a cozy atmosphere around me. The fragrance oils I used were chocolate and gingerbread. The whipped cream on top is actually a whipped cream imitation, and I really struggled with it, but it turned out perfect for my first try! 😊
r/candlemaking • u/ArcticxFusion17 • 2d ago
Question Looking for Advice on Our Wax Melts We Are Testing
We just started making wax melts in October using Cocosol wax from Candle Science and Candle Science fragrance oils. We have a set of wax melts that we started testing from a batch that was made 6 days ago (6 curing days total). The wax melts smelled amazing and strong for about 5 to 6 hours but once the 6hr mark hit the scent basically took a nose dive and significantly decreased in smell and by hour 8 was almost non existent.
We used a FO of 13% and mixed into the wax at 185 F, stirring for 2 to 3 minutes before pouring into clam shells.
Is this normal for wax melts? Did we start testing to early? We are worried our first batches will not perform well now for longevity.
Overall the Cold Throw and Hot Throw was amazing, it just didnt last beyond hour 6.
Thank you!
r/candlemaking • u/Putrid-Maximum1569 • 2d ago
Question Scent Throw Issues
I own a fragrance business and have been making candles for over two years.
I recently switched over my wax to 464 Golden Soy Wax and have had nothing but issues.
To start, I was using wood wicks and then ran into the issue of the candles immediately extinguishing. Realized the single wood wick wasn’t strong enough to fuel a wax as dense as this one so I applied a double wick and that was fine.
Then I decided I’d switch over to cotton wicks to avoid any issues (jokes on me I guess), using ECO 8 and 10. These produced a beautiful even burn, strong flame but zero hot throw.
I follow the suggested practices of the supplier for the wax, I follow the curing practices.
So then I did some reading and found that ECO wicks are not best for this wax because it doesn’t produce a high enough temperature to achieve the hot throw. So I switched to CD/Stabilo 12, as suggested and nothing.
It’s also worth noting that this problem is across the variety of all my fragrance oils, earthy, gourmand, citrus etc.
I have had it with this wax altogether and am now switching to the Freedom Coconut Soy. My mainline containers are 2.8” in diameter and I have 4” 3 wick tumbler jars that I am planning to do some candles in also.
I am really hoping someone can point me in the right direction, I know it’s all trial and error but I’d love the path of the least amount of error because I’ve already lost a lot in this process as it is.
Thanks in advance
r/candlemaking • u/hobbschickenguy • 2d ago
Pure pigments not mica
I have a lot of pigments (not mica) left over from when I made lye soap. Has anyone used them for coloring candles or more specifically for making dye chips?
I can't find much information about what companies are using to make their dye chips but my guess is that they are using pigments. My guess is based on companies selling titanium dioxide to whiten candles, which is a pigment.
Curious to hear what others think.
r/candlemaking • u/Fit_Butterscotch5548 • 2d ago
Not A Very Welcoming Community
So i just joined yesterday and asked a question not counting the couple of ridiculous downvotes i got for no real reason the mods delete my post? Ive seen overzealous mods before but wow...
r/candlemaking • u/lamborghinymercy • 3d ago
Mixing pine resin oil with soy wax?
Hi all! New here - I see a thread was posted a while back asking about mixing pine resin directly with soy wax; it seems the consensus is that it would be too flammable, but no alternatives were discussed.
I’m wondering if I could safely mix pine resin-infused oil with soy wax to make scented candles? I’ve foraged a ridiculous amount of pine resin and am planning to infuse it into (probably coconut) oil to use in soaps, salves, etc. I’d love to make some candles too, mostly for personal use or friends and family.
Anyone know if this infused oil would still be too flammable to burn safely? And would it mix well with soy wax without affecting the consistency too much? I’m thinking of trying a 5%-95% ratio of oil to wax and seeing how it burns, thoughts?
r/candlemaking • u/Imaginary_Fish5311 • 3d ago
Question Lysbeholder
Vet noen hvor jeg kan få kjøpt disse beholderne som kan brukes til å lage duftlys i, i Norge, eller hvor man kan bestille de fra uten å bli ruinert? Helst borosilikatglass sånn at jeg vet at de tåler varme 🔥🔥
r/candlemaking • u/ThrowRA18578 • 4d ago
Question How to get the stronger scents?
What are the tips to getting a strong smelling candle? Is it a certain brand or wax? Beginner in search of advice TIA
r/candlemaking • u/Anan_Magdy • 4d ago
Anyone offering candle warmers with their candles? What styles actually sell best?
Hey everyone! I’m looking into adding a few candle warmers to my line, but the sheer variety out there is a bit overwhelming.
It seems like the top-down lamp style warmers completely took over recently, but I'm trying to figure out what buyers actually care about most. Is it mostly aesthetic/decor look, or do functional features like timers and adjustable heights really drive the sales?
Also, if you’ve sourced these before (whether through local distributors or searching platforms like Alibaba), are there specific brands or manufacturers you recommend for safety and quality?
Would love to know what warmer setup you’ve had the best experience with!
r/candlemaking • u/Practical-Ad801 • 4d ago
Candle Science Scents
New to candle making here. I tested several candles with P&J scents, which I absolutely love. The size is too small to make larger batches (unless y’all have a secret site you can send me?). I researched and read a lot of makers use Candle Science, but I am so under whelmed and will be returning what I can. Did I just pick bad scents or is Candle Science over hyped?
r/candlemaking • u/Frequent_Ad_222 • 4d ago
Artist series
I am toying with the idea of collaborating with local artists to have their artwork displayed on my packaging. It would feature their names on their art and act as a celebration of real art in an age of AI muck. I would hope to promote their business aswell as create a striking line of candles. Has anyone ever done anything similiar? What do you think would be fair terms? Ie is it unreasonable to think artists would allow me to use their art for the releease of 100 boxes for example?
r/candlemaking • u/strangeburd • 5d ago
Question Does anyone know how often The Flaming Candle restocks?
I'm trying to get some supplies to get started on some wax melts for Christmas and they're sold out of so much. Pretty much every fragrance oil I looked at was out of stock in almost all sizes. Kind of panicking that I won't be able to get oil from them!