EricofAZ

er.. typo... quality

So I realize the EO forum has come around from the old days of just part of the FO forum. EO has its own forum and that is great!!! Most of us here use EO's for candle making or soap making. I'm kinda getting into herbology and ayurvedic cooking and nutrition. The question I have is what sources do you think are pure decent EO's. Not stuff that is cut with carrier oil and FO's and whatnot. There is Young Living, expensive but they have farmland. There is de Terra, the CEO and others from YL that broke off and outsource the EO's. I have bought from Herbco.com (affordable) and some is very potent like the Oregano that raised a water blister on my hand and some not so potent like their frankincense. Prices of EO's like chamomile range from $20/oz to $120/oz. I have learned that price does not = quality.. Thoughts? Advice? Thanks everyone. Eric

sowwy. i'll send you some brain bleach.

George Castanza would call it shrinkage. Top it and it will be flat.

These issues are very highly specific to the wax, the additive and the FO and wick. There are over 800 wicks on the market now. So to really help you, we need to know these things. I realize nobody wants to give out their "secret" but the real deal is that folks here have already branded themselves and figured out their style and are pretty cordial about helping others. Eric

I have a huge container of raw wicks. So, um, IF, I prime them, they are primed in something with a much higher meltpoint than the wax they are intended for. Micro wax is good. I get it good and hot (over 200 F) and let a few feet of wick to stay in long enough to get rid of the bubbles that come out. Then drape it and let it cool. I have used unprimed too. So here is how I decide.... If the wax I am using has a low MP, meaning that the wax pool will be deep and bowl shaped in the container with the deepest part around the wick, then I prime the wick so that it will stand up and not wilt over. If the wax is higher MP and I know the pool will be more even rather bowl shaped, then, well, I might just twist the wick and use it raw. It primes itself well enough during the cooling process and will stand up because it is not in a bowl of hot fluid. Eric Edit: Oh, and if you like to twist the wicks, twist the primed ones before they dry. And I rarely use braided but when I do, they are unprimed because about the only wax I use braided in is palm and that is hot enough that the wicks soak up the wax during priming. Be careful using palm in glass containers with braided wicks Glass temp can get pretty high.

The soy/paraffin debate has gone on forever. What I have not seen yet is how GMO soy affects us when it is burned.

By the way, there are palm specific additives. I would not use the regular stuff that is for soy or paraffin. Palm burns hot, very hot, and the wrong additive can change the crystal pattern. I just use palm plane and right out of the bag. Eric

I have used palm. Vybar is something that I use for parafin to increase the amount of FO that I can add,... but only if the wax is not already blended. Some of the IGI is so strongly formulated that Vybar does nothing. If your mold has very slick pure sides, one of the tricks is to let it cool overnight then put it in the freezer for about 30 minutes, then take it out. The wax will cool more and at room temp, the mold will expand faster than the wax and you will get your candle out. If the sides on your mold are scored or have marks from a scrub brush, well, um, toss it and buy a new mold.

Terry, no particular reason other than I am lazy and used only one presto pot so the first bit in the mold was without dye. Then a little added for the next, then a little different for the next, and on to a bit more. Eventually it gets dark. I suppose if you wanted to have multiple presto pots, you could mix it up a bit. It was just easier for me to start out white and add for each pour. Edit: and just put the mold on an angle and let it cool for a minute, then move it to another angle and cool, then add, rotate, angle, cool.... rinse repeat. That's how you get the waves of the ocean. - Eric

Only time I use EO's is in candles and I list each EO with the common name and the plant name. So folks can figure out what I use, but the ratios are private. I do list most in quantity first.

Anyone into computer graphics for a hobby? Modeling, rendering, etc? Programs like DAZ Studio, Softimage XSI, Maya, Vue, Poser, Blender, 3dsMax, Terragen etc? I very much enjoy making 3D models and sometimes enjoy setting up a good landscape scene from time to time.

Those were palm wax, so a bit harsh. Paraffin and soy can respond better in the method I mentioned above.

Here's an old pic.

Fascinating post. Well, Berts is out of business but she did have some awesome forrest scents. And they did go well with higher than normal FO to wax ratios. If anyone can figure out what she did, please, let us all know. I'm guessing that forrest scents would work. As for color, think upside down. I can't find a video so I'll try to describe how to make it..... If you want a 3 inch wide by 4 1/2 inch tall piller (or any similar shape)... Use the right mold, load your wick and seal it on the closed end, use a wick holder on the open end. Make your wax with whatever additives you want and whatever piller wax you choose... Add your FO. Stir. Pour a half inch into the mould. Let it cool just a bit. Add some light blue dye to yer pot. Not much, keep it light. Pour a little more. Take your mold and tilt it one in all four directions. DOn't swirl it, just tilt it to you, away from you, to the right, to the left. Go have a piece of salami and relax for 2 minutes and repeat. THen darken the blue. Pour a bit more. Rotate the mold just a bit and tilt towards and away and right and left. THen add some darker color, green, Add more mix and repeat. Then darker color, brown, Repeat Then maybe get it really dark and repeat. If you do it right, it will be black or very dark brown on the bottom and white on top.