Some might think “I can do that” when it comes to candle making, and thats true, anyone can make a good candle if you’re given all the correct supplies and instructions! When I first started this business, I was given all the right supplies to making my first successful candle. I bought a DIY soy candle making kit off Amazon by CandleWic. It had specific instructions, that when followed exactly, make great candles! They just dont share what wax, wick size or any of the other juicy details to candle making. When I decided that’s what I wanted to do, I went ahead and bought a few candle business books and started my research! Little did I know that there is so much into making a good quality candle! And of course no one shares their exact candle recipes so I pretty much started at square one. I made lots of bad candles before I got it right. There’s definitely an art to candle making. Understanding (at a minimum) basic chemistry, helps a lot! So what makes a good candle??
Well, the number one reason anyone buys a candle is for scent. A good smelling candle is the biggest selling point. I’m sure everyone has bought a candle that smelled amazing off the shelf but as soon as you get it home, you light it and it only smells good for a short time, or not at all. Some turn into full liquid, flames flicker all over, no scent throw (or just smells like wax), or the wax tunnels so its not burning to the edge of the container. These are characteristics of a poorly made candle. An ideal candle will have a good cold and hot scent throw, burn to the edge of the container but only have a half inch deep burn pool, and the flame will not flicker, snub out or have too tall a flame. With soy wax, crystallizing does happen but this can be prevented by pouring slow and at the right temperature. Same for air bubbles. Thats why it is so important to test, test and test some more. I have definitely made my share of bad candles but after lots of research, testing, and evaluating all the data, I’ve finally got it figured out! I have made sure that each candle I make for inventory meets all of the good quality check points! Sooooo many components go into making a quality candle… container size, wax used, fragrance (each fragrance has its own flash point!) wick size (how hot it burns), pouring temperature, how slow you pour, how much you stir the wax while it melts, at what temp you add the fragrance, the temperature of the room your working in and so much more! It’s important to record all of that data during your candle making process.
So let’s go over some of these characteristics and why they’re important.
- Why does a candle turn to full liquid? The wick is too big. It burns too hot and turns the entire candle into liquid. A quality candle will have a burn pool no more than 1/2″ deep burn pool.
- What causes tunneling? Tunneling is when the wax on the edge of a candle container doesnt burn so you’ll have 1/4″ or more candle caked to the side of the container. This happens because the wick is too small for the size of the container. Resulting in wasted, unburned wax.
- Why does my candle smell like wax? This is caused from the wick burning too hot (hotter than the fragrances’ flash point) burning off the fragrance so theres no scent left.
- Why does the flame flicker uncontrollably? The wick needs to be trimmed. The wick should always be trimmed to 1/4″ long. If you dont keep it trimmed, the wick will flicker and result in mushrooming.
- Why does my candle have air bubbles? This typically means that the wax was stirred too much during the melting process, or the candle cooled too quickly resulting in air bubbles getting trapped. This will not affect the way your candle burns.
- Why does my candle look crystalized? This is typically because it was poured too quickly or at too hot a temperature. It can also be from cooling too quickly.
Now what to do with all this new knowledge?? Next time you buy a candle, be sure to pay attention to see if you got yourself a good quality candle. Stay tuned for a post on How To Get The Most Out Of Your Candle!
