Melts. A few newby questions

[crvella]

Hi all!  I'm kind of new to melts.  I was wondering if someone could direct me on a few subjects.

 

1)  I have a heavy vanilla fragrance that throws HEAPS in a candle.  I use %8 in my melt.  The melt doesn't throw as much as some of the others, but in the candle it's the biggest thrower.  Is it more a case of too much fragrance can hinder the heating and throw, or it is that it's simply different in candles?

 

2)  I am making little 8g squares (.28oz).  How long can one reasonably expect this to last?  I think I"m getting on average about 5hours.

 

3)  Is it unreasonable to expect to be able to make a melt that works both with a tealight burner and one of those electrical ones?

 

Thanks, just never used melts myself so don't know what to expect.  I'm personally very happy with what I have but I'm trying to get an idea on what customers might say/think when I sell them.... and even what questions they may ask!

[Jcandleattic]

I copied and pasted this directly from a recent post from OldGlory. it's got some great advice about melts and scent throw of them. 

 

OldGlory - I hope you don't mind that I did this... 

As she says here, there are a lot of variables and as with candles, we would need to know wax (or blend), where the FO is from, type of melter you are using (because of the variable in those, each melt will throw different in each different melter), etc., 

Melt testing is as intensive as candle testing, the only difference is instead of a wick and flame, you have a melter. 

 

 

There are way too many variables in the making of melts and the warming of melts. Different waxes, different FOs, different types of warmers, different conditions inside the home, etc.

They should last long enough for your customers to be satisfied. If someone told me my melts didn't last long enough, and I had thoroughly tested them  - I wouldn't give it a second thought. There are lots of places for that customer to buy tarts.

Some people will complain just to see your reaction, lol.

 

There is an older thread in this section titled Warmer and melts comprehensive overview which will offer some good insights

[Guest OldGlory]

I don't mind a bit Jcandle. I was going to reference the post in which I tried to get people to give their results - Warmers and melts a comprehensive overview. I think that one thread covers a lot of the variables, and tons of different results. It's anyone's guess what will work, really.

Fragrances? you just have to test to see what works and what doesn't, A melt behaves differently than a candle because it's just melted, not wicked and burned off. There is no shortcut. You have to test for yourself.

[kandlekrazy]

Old Glory, that is such a great response it needs to be permanently posted somewhere so easy for new peeps to

find it. 

 

crvella, I would use the % that your wax mfg recommends for your wax.  Adding extra only create problems.  I'm sure not

everyone will agree with that but there is a reason the mfg has a max fo load and it's usually a safety issue.

[Vernie1]

Yeap, what everyone has already said but in my experience with melts, it depends on the wax and adding a lot of fragrance oils doesn't mean it will smell longer sometimes I think it will hinder it. I personally do not want a melt that last 5 hours. In my personal experience with melts they should last longer than 5 hours. If you experiment some more you can get it to last at least 2 days and longer depending on what you experiment with.

 

When I made them I added a lil coconut oil to mine but I was also using IgI6006 wax. It's a great thrower but like everyone has said you must experiment to see what you like. 

[Vernie1]

Yeap, what everyone has already said but in my experience with melts, it depends on the wax and adding a lot of fragrance oils doesn't mean it will smell longer sometimes I think it will hinder it. I personally do not want a melt that last 5 hours. In my personal experience with melts they should last longer than 5 hours. If you experiment some more you can get it to last at least 2 days and longer depending on what you experiment with.

 

When I made them I added a lil coconut oil to mine but I was also using IgI6006 wax. It's a great thrower but like everyone has said you must experiment to see what you like. 

[Vernie1]

Ooops, I didn't mean to post twice but I don't know how to remove it.

[justajesuschick]

Since my entire wax business is wax melts, I will share what I can. In terms of wax, you will want a wax potentially specific to melts. I know that many view melts as what you do with leftover wax after making candles, but you may need a different blend, or additives for melts. That is where testing will come in. I know that you already understand that, so no need to repeat.

 

Here are your topics and my responses in bold:

 

1)  I have a heavy vanilla fragrance that throws HEAPS in a candle.  I use %8 in my melt.  The melt doesn't throw as much as some of the others, but in the candle it's the biggest thrower.  Is it more a case of too much fragrance can hinder the heating and throw, or it is that it's simply different in candles?

I do not make candles but I can certainly tell you as a user, I get stronger fragrance from a melt than I do from a candle.  I push the limits of my wax with fragrance percentage. It has not been my experience that limits or distorts a scent in a melt. May be true in a candle, though. 

 

2)  I am making little 8g squares (.28oz).  How long can one reasonably expect this to last?  I think I"m getting on average about 5hours.

I would not test the size that you make but rather what people, your customers, will melt. Most people melt between 1-2 ounces. Try that and see what kind of strength and longevity you get. 

 

3)  Is it unreasonable to expect to be able to make a melt that works both with a tealight burner and one of those electrical ones?

No. In fact, it is necessary. You will want to invest in a light bulb warmer, a hot plate warmer and if you wish, also a tea light warmer for testing. My wax performs well in all. My testing is limited to light bulb and hot plate warmers. Your customers may have all styles and should be able to melt your wax regardless the warmer. 

 

Thanks, just never used melts myself so don't know what to expect.  I'm personally very happy with what I have but I'm trying to get an idea on what customers might say/think when I sell them.... and even what questions they may ask!

This depends on where you will sell. I sell nationwide and online. That means that I have a larger target market and have product that appeals to a lot of customers. When I did events (no more as my online sales keep me super busy and I appreciate doing it from home and in my jammies rather than hauling stuff and setting up/tearing down) I got very different questions than I do online. In person customers asked more general questions such as if I had any "spice" scents or even how the melts work. Online customers are super savvy. They want to ask about if the laundry scent has any earthy or floral notes, if my packaging is #5 polypropylene and about cure time. They have wax collections and cabinets dedicated to their wax collections. TOTALLY different. You will disclose, when asked, type of wax (soy, parasoy, paraffin, palm, beeswax, etc., not proprietary detail, of course), how to remove spent wax, packaging, which warmer is best (tea light and hot plate will offer stronger scent sooner but longevity will be less, light bulb lighter scent but longer). Some customers (for me, only locals ask this) ask things like why wax remains but the scent is gone and may expect scent lasts as long as a candle. Online customers have multiple warmers and like to change out scents even a few times a day. Again, totally different. Melts are wildly popular. Good for you to get in on the fun!

[crvella]

Such a great post thank you so much Karen!

 

I've spent most of today getting back to melts and I must say it's a nice change of gear from doing anything with wicks haha!

 

Thank you so much!

[justajesuschick]

Happy to help.

Yes, wax melts are definitely different than candles! No longer an afterthought or a scrap product, many successful businesses are built on wax melts alone.