beesweet

Didn't work well for me in paraffin so I didn't try the sample in parasoy.

I'm torn between 2 and 3. I like the balance of 2 and think the pinecone/pine would act to separate the logo from other text on the label. With 3, the line would accomplish that, but I'm not so keen on the wild look of the pine and that it sticks out so far.

Oh, my gosh, faerieglow's is soooo cute! You guys are all so good! I can't wait to see who gets picked!

Sherl, I'm assuming by .25 oz. of ewax that your total original batch was 20 oz., correct? 2.5 oz = 12.5% Oils .25 oz = 1.25% Glycerin .5 oz = 2.5% Stearic .25 oz = 1.25% Ewax 16.25 oz = 81.25% Water .25 oz = 1.25% Fragrance ________________________ 20 oz. = 100% I weighed 2 tsp of ewax several times and came up with .18-.20 oz. so let's assume you added .2 oz. Plus, we need to account for your preservative which I'm basing on 1%. So at this point, we have (I took the decimals out to equal to 100): 2.5 oz = 12.255% Oils .25 oz = 1.225% Glycerin .5 oz = 2.45% Stearic .45 oz = 2.205% Ewax 16.25 oz = 79.66% Water .25 oz = 1.225% Fragrance .2 oz = .98% Preservative ________________________ 20.4 oz. = 100% As you can see, every time you add more ingredients, your other percentages are shifting. Yes, keep track of everything you've added to the total amount then divide the amount used by the final total weight to arrive at your new percentages. If I were to begin from scratch based on your beginning recipe, I would start with something like this: 12.5% Oils 3% Ewax 3% Stearic 79% Water 1.5% Fragrance 1% Preservative Just a guess, bit this would might still be thinner than you'd like. I think the stearic amount it basically your preference but too much can leave you with a waxy feel.

I just noticed that you already added additional ewax. Is it holding together now? If so, do you know how much you added by weight to the total? Stearic is a thickener and I personally use it anywhere from 3-5%. Adding additional preservative would likely exceed the manufacturer's maximum usage as you would only need a tiny bit to cover the additional ewax/stearic. What preservative did you use? Some can handle a bit more heat than others. Reheat gently and add melted ewax and/or stearic then mix as usual. If you take meticulous notes and find the point at which the emulsification holds, you can recalculate your final batch total to include the additions and that will give you the new ingredient percentages to try. However, I would not trust this as fact and would start over with a fresh batch so that you can actually see that the emulsification holds from the start, especially since you are new with lotions. I would never ever sell or share a batch that has had to be reheated after adding preservative or a usual formula that "fails" and needs tweaking to hold together. Not only could it be potentially unsafe, but also makes your product inconsistent from batch to batch.

Your oil isn't mixing because there isn't enough ewax to emulsify it properly. That would also be your problem with the thickness and you might try increasing the stearic to 3%. I can't remember the exact recommended ratio for ewax to oils, but I'm sure someone will come along with a suggestion. The least I've ever been able to use is 4% and I believe that was with 15% oils. You might be able to heat it and add additional ewax to make it suitable for personal use but you will NOT get a true sense of the formula and should start over with a brand new batch once you have your percentages corrected. Also, reheating will compromise your preservative, which I hope you are using even though it isn't listed in your recipe.

Ditto

Mine is somewhere between ivory and butterscotch.

Same here...it's VERY hit or miss. One scent might blow the doors off in paraffin and nothing in my parasoy blend and the next scent is strong in parasoy and nothing in paraffin. Some do get much better after a long cure, but I don't have time to wait. The longest I will allow for any supplier scent is 4 days and that is only if I feel a scent is extra special and sells well enough to keep stock poured. The rest are 2 days max.

Thanks for posting the update since I didn't see the newsletter. My opinion of them just went up several notches! Ahhh...just found the newsletter in my spam filter. I'm really glad you posted or I wouldn't have known! Thanks again!

Can someone give me a suggested starting point to wick a bail-lid jar with a ezsoy/one pour paraffin blend? It is 4" at the widest point and holds 16 oz. of wax. I have a variety of sizes of lx's, cd's, and htp's. I may also have some rrd's left in a sample pack, but since this a refill for a customer and not a stock jar, I'd prefer to test what I have if possible. Thanks!

That doesn't look half bad compared to the 2 I poured this weekend! I had a bit of EzSoy left over that wouldn't fit in the buckets I store it in and thought I'd give it a whirl since paraffin is getting so expensive. First, I think I poured too hot and had a cracked flaky top. Then I hit them with the heat gun to try to smooth it out. Worked ok except for a couple of lumps and an air bubble. BUT, I looked at them several hours later and now have fragrance oil swimming all over the top. The WHOLE top of one is covered in FO. I used .8 oz. in 12 oz. of wax. I think I'll just keep the ezsoy for blending!

The fuel surcharge is from the supplier who uses USPS to ship what seems like the majority of packages. USPS doesn't charge a fuel surcharge and even UPS doesn't charge over $2/pkg for a fuel surcharge...right now the surcharge for UPS is 4.75% or approximately $.48 per $10 base shipping charge. This is the note I saw posted: After much consideration, all orders placed on & after August 2, 2006 - we will begin implementing a fuel surcharge of $2.35 per order. We truly regret having to do this, but with the rising cost in fuel we are forced to implement this charge.

Candleman, I had more of the soap supplier type in mind. Kudos to the candle fragrance suppliers who are keeping costs steady! I haven't seen any of them raising prices or charging extra. Donna, I wish I had never tried any of them for that reason, but some of them are so nice! Chris, maybe I'm doing something wrong, but I rarely find a scent I feel comfortable using at less than 1 oz/lb. Or maybe I just have candle nose even though I build in test times and won't pour for several days prior. I've tested a few from Scent Works and Sweetcakes that could possibly. That's a good point about unique scents...I guess that's what we're really paying for. Would you share what type of wax you use? If not, that's ok. I'm using ezsoy mixed with a one-pour and looking for a change so I'd love some recommendations. Seafoam, that's what I thought, too. :undecided I know UPS charges for pick up but I thought USPS would pick up for free the next day? I'd wait an extra day to save a couple of bucks.

What is the deal with them these days, especially newer ones? I was finally through testing and getting my list ready to order from one certain supplier only to see that they are adding a "fuel surcharge" to every order on top of the shipping. The shipping for my sample order plus a pre-buy pound a few months ago was already over $8, closer to $9, I believe. That would put shipping at $11 minimum! Combined with their high FO prices, I might as well order from WSP and you all KNOW how I feel about them. When I started a few years ago, the average fragrance price was $20/lb including shipping, with the exception of Sweetcakes, naturally. Now, the average price is hitting closer to $30/lb and up with shipping! The Scent Works is one of them, but at least they have the occasional good sale that helps the price and shipping a little. The others, I won't name since I have nothing positive to say other than the scents are great. Just don't feel they're worth the price, long turn-around, etc. So that got me to thinking, how are those who use them dealing with the cost difference? Do you charge more for products with these scents? Base your price on a average of different fragrance costs? Would you say you sell more by using these fragrances?

Hmmm...imagine the "extra" profits these suppliers are getting off every order. For every l5 lbs they sell, they get a whole extra container's worth or more. Oh, it was NG with my scent issue, too, but as I said, at least the bottles were full so they tried. Just wish I'd known it wasn't 16 oz. weighed for cost and product planning.

I've received some bottles that appear extremely short but always weigh out correctly, but none at half a bottle, more like 3/4. I'm much more aggravated by very light scents that wind up short. I just finished a fundraiser with a scent that wound up 9 oz. short by weight (ordered 3 1 lb. bottles) and had to order and pay shipping for a pound to be able to finish, not to mention the cost per oz. difference between $.93 and $1.15. I should have had an extra 7 oz. upon completion and wound up losing $16 in profit. I think suppliers should have some sort of disclosure on their site in these cases since we work with weight versus volume for our products and costing. At least these were full bottles...a fixed oil from WSP was over an ounce short with room in the bottle! Grrrrr! I complain about them at every opportunity so I should have known better...

I still love the black, but think I love the 3rd one just a tiny bit more!

The black stripe has my vote! I also like the suggestion of using the light stripe for limited edition/holiday items, too. They are both great!

Maybe it's just those jars...if I'm seeing correctly that they are the jars that have fruit on the sides? I have a few I use for scent testing and often have the same sort of hang-up on the sides, but the same scent/wax/wick combo in a smooth jelly works fine.

Not to hijack too badly since the thread is about paraffin wax increases, but someone mentioned glass, FO, etc. The costs of those supplies are rising, too, not just from the higher shipping costs, but the actual purchase prices. Some suppliers have been kind enough to give notice, but others have raised prices significantly. Granted most of the increases have been from suppliers that lean more toward soapmaking, so those who use candle suppliers only may not be affected at this point. With my last glass purchase a couple of months ago, most prices had gone up 50% and some containers are nearly double what they were a year ago and that was AFTER my sales rep helped me out on pricing. I nearly fell out of my chair with the first quote! Right now, the cost increase overall (for wax, glass and a few higher fragrances) has only been .30 to .40 per 8 oz. jar but considering that that translates to .60/.80 more on the wholesale price and $1.20/$1.60 for the retail price, I'm just sick. Like everyone else, I have to pass it on or hope bath products take over in sales!

Smoky, all you'd have to do is look at my face for your reflection. Crazy!

uh-huh

Nor have I, but they "seem" a bit better for orders other than wax. They get you with their "small handling charge per box, packing charge, and credit card processing fees" statement. Apparently, that amounts to $3-5 per box for a moderate $100 order of plastic lids, 100 wicks and a couple of pounds worth of ingredients/extras that make up my usual order. Darn, those are some mighty hefty cc fees and a pricey handful of peanuts. ETA: BC doesn't show hundredweight shipping in their cart. I usually email them at night and have the answer by the time I settle down with coffee to check mail in the morning.

Don't forget, you need heat to facilitate the chemical reaction to form a stable emulsion. Not to mention, it's best to heat and hold all ingredients to make sure everything is "bug-free". Who knows what kind of hands have been in those butters/ewax/stearic!