Ratio for aroma beads

[Lainie23]

I’ve read that the ratio used is 1/4 fragrance to 3 cups of beads. I did this and it seemed very wet! So I added more beads until it didn’t look so bad. Or is this how it’s supposed to be until they dry up? 

[runner14jc]

I haven't tried making aroma beads yet but Candles and Supplies has a good tutorial on their website: http://www.candlesandsupplies.net/How-To-Make-Aroma-Beads?sc=9&category=267845. They also did a FaceBook video a few months back so you might want to check their page there as well. 

[grama]

It depends on the oil how quick they dry, some almost overnight and some a week or so.  Spice like cranberry marmalade seems to dry almost overnight while florals can take much longer.

[pcbrook]

I use BCN's beads and use a 4:1 ratio.  2 ounces of beads and 1/2 ounce FO.  Or 1 ounce of beads to  1/4 ounce FO, etc.  I am not sure about the 3 cups thing.  I go by weight.  

 

Sometimes it takes a while for the FO to soak in.  Some of them might take a couple days to a week.  

Edited April 8, 2018 by pcbrook

[Belinda]

I start out with a 4 to 1 ratio except for leather and leather blends. Leather seems to take forever to soak up and it's my biggest seller. Even at a smaller ratio I sometimes have to add a few more beads after a week to 10 days if they're still very wet. It also depends on where you get your beads. Aztec, NG and Cajun's beads all take longer to soak up most fragrances in my opinion. They're also bigger beads. The smaller ones from BCN or Aroma Beads online seem to soak up faster.

[Lainie23]

What exactly is the 4/1 ratio? I’ve read different things and all it has done is confused me. I have used beads from aroma online and they soaked up fast but scent was very strong nor did it last long. This time I got my beads from ng 

[pcbrook]

4 parts aroma beads to 1 part FO.  I go by weight.  So for example: 2 ounces beads with 1/2 ounce FO.  2 divided by 4 is 1/2.

[kandlekrazy]

Little buggers can be frustrating!  The more you shake them, the quicker they absorb but like everyone said, some scents are just difficult. Keep the jar somewhere that you pass several times a day and shake.  I do same as Belinda and add more bead if after a week they are still wet.  I could be imagining this but it seems if I add dye they take less time to absorb, may just be the scents I used with dye??

[Belinda]

On 4/14/2018 at 11:54 PM, Lainie23 said:

This time I got my beads from ng 

Do you think the ones from NG soak up as fast as aroma beads online? Theirs seem to take longer because they are the bigger beads in my opinion. I'm having trouble getting leather to last in my beads right now. I don't know what's going on. Aroma beads changed their beads recently so I'm not sure if it's that or the leather FO isn't any good that I've been using. Other scents seem to be fine though. 

[katmeltswax]

On 4/16/2018 at 8:36 PM, Belinda said:

Do you think the ones from NG soak up as fast as aroma beads online? Theirs seem to take longer because they are the bigger beads in my opinion. I'm having trouble getting leather to last in my beads right now. I don't know what's going on. Aroma beads changed their beads recently so I'm not sure if it's that or the leather FO isn't any good that I've been using. Other scents seem to be fine though. 

Belinda , I recently watched a video on you tube about aroma beads with the Soap Queen lady ,think this her name . Gosh I will have to go back & check . It  is not the bramble berry lady .She recommended aroma beads from Sentimental Gifts .She spoke very highly about the quality of these beads . I was interested in making car ornies ,so started watching videos & found this information. I thought maybe she is correct about the quality ,since reading poor reviews on so many other beads not performing so well. I have no knowledge of this company & was looking at their site today ,just thought I would let you know. I priced the uscented beads at 5lbs for $17.99 . They do offer different weights & prices on the beads . I am willing to pay a bit more for great quality . Oh this company also has fragrance oils lol... Sorry to enable on oils ,wanted to pass on the info I received about the beads to you. I may grab 5 lbs & give it a try . I also see this company has already scented beads as well. I did see a leather oil ,along with many more interesting fragrance oils. These run $2.75 an oz . I may have to order a few samples to check out the quality of their oils also. I think maybe this company may be worth a try on the beads ....Lol & may find some good fragrance oils .I may place an order to find out kwim

[Lainie23]

On 4/14/2018 at 4:00 PM, Belinda said:

I start out with a 4 to 1 ratio except for leather and leather blends. Leather seems to take forever to soak up and it's my biggest seller. Even at a smaller ratio I sometimes have to add a few more beads after a week to 10 days if they're still very wet. It also depends on where you get your beads. Aztec, NG and Cajun's beads all take longer to soak up most fragrances in my opinion. They're also bigger beads. The smaller ones from BCN or Aroma Beads online seem to soak up faster.

So if I’m understanding this right. It would be 4 oz of beads to 1 oz of

oil? 

[Belinda]

7 hours ago, Lainie23 said:

So if I’m understanding this right. It would be 4 oz of beads to 1 oz of

oil? 

Yes, that's correct.

I put my beads in a polypro zip bag and weigh them and then add FO. If I have a pound of beads I usually try to wind up with 4 ounces of oil but I start out with around 3, especially if it's a leather scent. If I see it's a scent that the beads will hold the full amount then I'll add more.  I almost always have to add more beads when I soak leather. Some beads will soak up FO until they're dry in a short time with no problem but some FO's are just hard for the beads to absorb. 

[Belinda]

On 4/28/2018 at 6:39 PM, katmeltswax said:

Belinda , I recently watched a video on you tube about aroma beads with the Soap Queen lady ,think this her name . Gosh I will have to go back & check . It  is not the bramble berry lady .She recommended aroma beads from Sentimental Gifts .She spoke very highly about the quality of these beads . I was interested in making car ornies ,so started watching videos & found this information. I thought maybe she is correct about the quality ,since reading poor reviews on so many other beads not performing so well. I have no knowledge of this company & was looking at their site today ,just thought I would let you know. I priced the uscented beads at 5lbs for $17.99 . They do offer different weights & prices on the beads . I am willing to pay a bit more for great quality . Oh this company also has fragrance oils lol... Sorry to enable on oils ,wanted to pass on the info I received about the beads to you. I may grab 5 lbs & give it a try . I also see this company has already scented beads as well. I did see a leather oil ,along with many more interesting fragrance oils. These run $2.75 an oz . I may have to order a few samples to check out the quality of their oils also. I think maybe this company may be worth a try on the beads ....Lol & may find some good fragrance oils .I may place an order to find out kwim

Just now seeing this! I appreciate the information. I actually ordered some beads from this company and they are the smaller beads. I'm having issues with my oven I guess because I can't seem to get them to melt right. Some of them are melted on the outside but not in the middle. I may have to turn the temp down and bake longer. I thought I had it down too. I don't know if it's the beads, oil or oven. I'm about to order more beads from aroma beads online though. The smaller beads seem to soak up faster and better. You would think it would be the opposite! 

Thank you again!

[ShelleyF]

I'm new to making aroma beads. Is it a good profitable thing to sell? Or do you have to sell a lot to make money? 4 ounces of fragrance is a lot. How many 1 oz. sachets can you sell in a pound? I haven't ordered any yet but a lady I know told me it pays great profits.

[Belinda]

13 minutes ago, ShelleyF said:

I'm new to making aroma beads. Is it a good profitable thing to sell? Or do you have to sell a lot to make money? 4 ounces of fragrance is a lot. How many 1 oz. sachets can you sell in a pound? I haven't ordered any yet but a lady I know told me it pays great profits.

I sell quite a bit of fresheners and I'm not online yet. They sell well for me here. I had stated in my precious post that I was having problems with my oven or something but I figured out it was the beads. Be careful who you buy yours from. One company I ordered from regularly changed beads and they've given me nothing but trouble and others are having trouble with them too. Have you ordered beads yet?

Also on the ratio. I rarely have a fragrance that the beads will soak up 4 to 1. I usually start with about an ounce and a half to a pound, let that soak for a couple of days and then add another ounce, let them soak and then if I see they're going to be completely dry I might add a little more. Usually fragrances like leather and vanilla based will take longer to soak and you won't need as much.

[ShelleyF]

1 minute ago, Belinda said:

I sell quite a bit of fresheners and I'm not online yet. They sell well for me here. I had stated in my precious post that I was having problems with my oven or something but I figured out it was the beads. Be careful who you buy yours from. One company I ordered from regularly changed beads and they've given me nothing but trouble and others are having trouble with them too. Have you ordered beads yet?

Also on the ratio. I rarely have a fragrance that the beads will soak up 4 to 1. I usually start with about an ounce and a half to a pound, let that soak for a couple of days and then add another ounce, let them soak and then if I see they're going to be completely dry I might add a little more. Usually fragrances like leather and vanilla based will take longer to soak and you won't need as much.

Thank you Belinda. I've been reading all the posts and don't know where to order from. I haven't ordered yet but want to tonight. Is it better to just make strong scents? I'm making organza bags. Can you make a lot of them with a pound? 

[Belinda]

Just now, ShelleyF said:

Thank you Belinda. I've been reading all the posts and don't know where to order from. I haven't ordered yet but want to tonight. Is it better to just make strong scents? I'm making organza bags. Can you make a lot of them with a pound? 

I've never done any in organza bags but I do have some.

For a pound of beads you'll get 8-10 fresheners depending on the size of the cookie cutter. I would order beads from Nature's Gardens or Bitter Creek North. I have some Cajun beads that are doing ok too. They are the bigger beads and need to soak a little longer and bake a little longer but I still like them. Stay away from Aroma Beads Online. Their beads used to be great and at a great price but lately have been horrible. Let me know if there's anything else I can help you with!

[ShelleyF]

3 minutes ago, Belinda said:

I've never done any in organza bags but I do have some.

For a pound of beads you'll get 8-10 fresheners depending on the size of the cookie cutter. I would order beads from Nature's Gardens or Bitter Creek North. I have some Cajun beads that are doing ok too. They are the bigger beads and need to soak a little longer and bake a little longer but I still like them. Stay away from Aroma Beads Online. Their beads used to be great and at a great price but lately have been horrible. Let me know if there's anything else I can help you with!

Thank you. I saw that and definitely won't order from Aroma Beads Online. I love Bitter Creek and Nature's Garden so I will try one of those. 

[Skk5233]

On 4/28/2018 at 6:39 PM, katmeltswax said:

Belinda , I recently watched a video on you tube about aroma beads with the Soap Queen lady ,think this her name . Gosh I will have to go back & check . It  is not the bramble berry lady .She recommended aroma beads from Sentimental Gifts .She spoke very highly about the quality of these beads . I was interested in making car ornies ,so started watching videos & found this information. I thought maybe she is correct about the quality ,since reading poor reviews on so many other beads not performing so well. I have no knowledge of this company & was looking at their site today ,just thought I would let you know. I priced the uscented beads at 5lbs for $17.99 . They do offer different weights & prices on the beads . I am willing to pay a bit more for great quality . Oh this company also has fragrance oils lol... Sorry to enable on oils ,wanted to pass on the info I received about the beads to you. I may grab 5 lbs & give it a try . I also see this company has already scented beads as well. I did see a leather oil ,along with many more interesting fragrance oils. These run $2.75 an oz . I may have to order a few samples to check out the quality of their oils also. I think maybe this company may be worth a try on the beads ....Lol & may find some good fragrance oils .I may place an order to find out kwim

Did you ever order from them? If so, how did they work out? 

[Belinda]

On 1/9/2019 at 2:56 PM, Skk5233 said:

Did you ever order from them? If so, how did they work out? 

I think I did order some of their beads once and it seemed from my post above that they were doing the same thing as Aroma Beads online. I've been ordering mine from plasticpellets4fun. Get the premium beads. They're great and free shipping and very affordable. I haven't had any issues. 

[Tyler]

On 4/14/2018 at 4:00 PM, Belinda said:

I start out with a 4 to 1 ratio except for leather and leather blends. Leather seems to take forever to soak up and it's my biggest seller. Even at a smaller ratio I sometimes have to add a few more beads after a week to 10 days if they're still very wet. It also depends on where you get your beads. Aztec, NG and Cajun's beads all take longer to soak up most fragrances in my opinion. They're also bigger beads. The smaller ones from BCN or Aroma Beads online seem to soak up faster.

Does it matter how deep your silicon mold is? What would you suggest the “perfect” depth is? 

[Belinda]

On 4/20/2021 at 10:25 AM, Tyler said:

Does it matter how deep your silicon mold is? What would you suggest the “perfect” depth is? 

At least 3/4 inches deep I would think. I'm sure you can bake them in molds that are not as deep but the beads bake down so that seems like it would be too thin. I use cookie cutters too but am really liking silicone molds the more I use them. 

[the purple pony]

How long do the beads last in a jar after making your colors and fragrances? Say if I want to make several jars at a time the do my baking say a week or so later? 

I bought my beads from "buy it ship it" and the only one that is taking a long time to soak up is a fragrance called Cinnabon by Eternal Essence. I've added beads several times, so I obviously added too much fragrance to this particular batch and now the batch has basically doubled in size. I used a different fragrance from the same company to the same amount of beads and they were ready in about 3 days. I did have to add some beads, but not as many as I have for this Cinnabon oil. 

[pcbrook]

The beads will stay good in the jar for a very long time.  I have let them sit for a couple months sometimes before I get to them and they are still good.

[Belinda]

10 hours ago, the purple pony said:

How long do the beads last in a jar after making your colors and fragrances? Say if I want to make several jars at a time the do my baking say a week or so later? 

I bought my beads from "buy it ship it" and the only one that is taking a long time to soak up is a fragrance called Cinnabon by Eternal Essence. I've added beads several times, so I obviously added too much fragrance to this particular batch and now the batch has basically doubled in size. I used a different fragrance from the same company to the same amount of beads and they were ready in about 3 days. I did have to add some beads, but not as many as I have for this Cinnabon oil. 

I quit using jars and started using plastic jugs from Dollar Tree. Make sure they have a 5 on the bottom. They're much easier to me to use. They're wider in the opening and they are easy to hold on to and shake.

Buy It Ship It have good beads and good prices. Another place I just ordered from is Stay Fresh With Peanut. From what I've read his beads are the small round ones too. They offer free shipping also.

I have been using about 1 1/2  ounces of oil per 8 ounces of beads unless it's leather and then it's an ounce to 8 ounces of beads. You can always add a little more oil if they soak up fast. 

Like pcbrook said they last a long time after they soak.  I have beads in my jugs that I soaked months ago and they are still strong. I might add a little more oil and let it soak up for a couple of days to freshen them up before baking but I don't think I'll have to. They still smell strong out of the jugs.

 

Also, don't color your beads until you're ready to bake them. Pour what you need into the cutter or mold and then you'll know how much you will need to color for that particular mold. I put them in a small bag, put my dye or mica in and shake them until they're all coated and then put them in the cutter or mold. For silicone molds I bake at 300 for 18-20 minutes depending on the size of the mold. After I take them out of the oven I wet a paper towel and push the beads down into the mold to make sure the definition is on the front good. Then I remove them once they cool completely. For cutters I bake at 350 for 9 minutes.