candlesinflorida

I do think that part of a jar often gets really hot. If you are really sure that jute can withstand temps up to 700 degrees (?) then I guess it is ok. But if that jute is spray covered w anything or isn’t real jute or if the 700 degrees thing is wrong, then it is not so great!

i think there is a reason that we don’t see fabric wrapped up high on candle jars.  

Just a general question...why do most high-end candle manufacturers use paraffin? Is it because it holds more fragrance or is it more stable for delivery/shelf life? And do paraffin candles generally have better scent throw?

Not a good sign. I think it means the wax didn't cool properly, and I don't think it will burn properly all the way through. It might not matter for the first hour...but eventually it will. 

I would NOT tie something like that at the top of the jar, so close to the flame. Imagine what would happen if that hemp touched (and quickly became saturated with) oily wax? Plus, that part of a jar can become very hot to the touch. It is just not a good place for a flammable material. I get the "look" you are going for, but maybe use it in a different way. You could even use a longer piece hemp to wrap up the whole thing, with a knotted bow on top. That way, the customer would be forced to untie and discard the ribbon before lighting. 

6 hours ago, kandlekrazy said:

IDK for sure but I know this company came up on another forum or possibly on Facebook and it was stated that they are distributors for Ecosoya.  That doesn't mean they don't make their own wax as well.  I'd shoot them an email or phone call.

Thanks!

On 4/7/2019 at 12:29 PM, kandlekrazy said:

I always thought they just distributed Ecosoya waxes????

Really?? Could kerax actually just be Ecosoya wax?

Does anyone know where to purchase Kerax in the US? I ordered some from the UK and love it-but can’t seem to find a distributor here in the US

Any leads would be much appreciated!

Thanks!

So sorry it took FOUR months to get bavk to this! I just received my sweet cakes order thos evening (late UPS delivery!) and i think you are right about the quality being high! The Jo Malone dupe of orange blossom is amazing! No fuel smells or cheap headachey scents! Thank you so much for suggesting!!!

On 8/12/2018 at 7:14 PM, Scented said:

I'm not familiar with the video but there are times when a heat gun is good to use to cause swirls in the wax, blend two colors etc., but those are special techniques for various kinds of candles. I think one was to provide a motion/blur look. I will use it to bleed colors or release air bubbles if I suspect a certain press technique squished out the bubbles. Easier to show than explain I suppose. 

I wouldn't use a kitchenmaid for jack with wax. Too much money goes into that apparatus, doesn't it? A regular hand mixer would suffice just fine if I wanted to whip wax. Otherwise, I have no need to incorporate air. Bubbles are fine etc. for a rustic look, but not everything should be rustic. 

Adding FO to heated wax should be good enough, however, in the winter and, in some cases year around, there are fragrances that will be difficult to incorporate. Those might require a little extra heating or some stirring to incorporate. 

What I've noticed about heat and FO is that heat helps the scent to blossom, but you don't have to do anything special to make that happen. 

I use a fry daddy as my vat for melted wax and the fragrance goes in there when everything else is melted (wax and additives). I pull out by cupfuls and color that portion, pour and repeat as often as needed, but then I don't make many solid colored candles. The fry daddy remains on through the entire series of pours, which frankly is at a low temp. There are times when I'll use the heat gun to knock down any splashes in my mold and times when I'll use it because I forgot to make splashes. I don't use it, though, to swirl my wax and fragrance together. 

 

It does make the scent blossom, right?

The mixer is expensive, but I already had it and never used it for cooking! It can still be used for cooking with a different bowl/attachment.  It takes over some of the labor, with continuous slow stirring, and doesn't bring in air. 

On 8/13/2018 at 12:19 PM, Sunday said:

I'm not sure if they can be shipped by air..or only ground transport (boat in your case Candlesinflorida) because of flashpoint.....just a thought

Have you given sweetcakes a shot ...looks like they carry a selection of high end perfume dupes...worth a try and  I'm sure ...although expensive I expect it will not be more than a shipment from France....you might also give lebermuth a try...this is just my humble opinion

Thank you! I actually have ordered from London and Australia before, and it was no problem. I can't remember if I tried sweet cakes, but I will check and I will also check out Lebermuth. Do you think those two have more highly concentrated oils, or higher quality ingredients?

On 1/7/2018 at 7:02 PM, pughaus said:

Hi Shicks and CinFL!  

 

My wholesale experience is with a multi-line urban sales agency that covers many states and has several huge showrooms. So as reps go, we're pretty big and that means we're really too big to be a launching point into wholesale for a small, new line.  Why?  

 

A. it's expensive just to on-board with established rep groups: there are "showroom fees" and technology fees that off the bat will cost you thousands a year.  These are recurring fees.  

B.  We expect professional, color catalogs (hundreds of them) and photography to market your line.  Catalogs need to be sent to every rep and to  every showroom.  

C. Every 6 months, you'll have to freshly sample all showrooms- and send enough product to make a statement. Most candle lines will send at least 4-8 pcs of every candle they offer.  You'll have to write those  samples off.  You'll also need to sample every road rep with an assortment of complete candles and fragrance samples. Did I mention we have 30 reps?

D. Then, there's commission on every order written in our territory. 15% is the industry standard. 

 

All of the above can crush a small line that doesn't yet have significant working capital, strong cash flow and the staff and operations in place to turn orders around quickly and without drama.  

 

I think a rep group is great when your wholesale business has grown to the point where you can no longer manage it internally, you are ready for a more national presence and it makes $ sense for you to continue the growth by outsourcing the sales end to rep groups rather hiring an in- house sales team.  We do an excellent job but we're not "line incubators"- in general, we sell lines that already sell well and are ready to take their sales to the next level and continue to grow.  

 

Our group is not unique in any of what I've described.  The rep end of the gift industry has consolidated significantly since the recession.  Many smaller rep groups went out of business and many local trade shows and showroom buildings closed down. The big rep groups that survived got... bigger.   In many ways, I think etsy, all the "maker craft shows" like Renegade, Unique LA, Artisinal LA etc. and more recently indigo fair, have taken the place of reps when it comes to introducing smaller/ start up lines to retailers. 

 

That said, there may be independent reps working alone out there that will take on a smaller, newer line. They will have a limited geographic area and limited customer base.  Personally, I don't know any reps that aren't associated with a rep group.  The few I did know have long since retired or moved in to a rep group.  However,  there are some reps with a group like mine that also take on some side lines independently.   Before going down that path, it is worth considering what other lines they are repping and how many.  A rep has to make the most of their appt time with a buyer.  If that rep also sells illume and paddywax candles and 15 other asstd. big $ lines for example,  your line will not be the first one shown at their 2 hr appt.; or even make it out of their bag at all.  

 

The last thing I'd want is to have only a handful of wholesale accounts where I was making just 2X my cost and on top of that  paying a rep 15% of every order.  That would be a recipe for misery for me! 

So, if I was ready to branch into wholesale, before I went down the rep route, I'd start by selling my line myself.  That way I can personally target retailers that I feel will be the best fit and that I want to grow with, and I won't have to pay a rep commission while I'm building the customer base up.  More importantly, I can get direct feedback from the retail buyers.   I'd also build a website, establish a strong, branded social media presence, consider indigo fair (jury is still out on that site), etsy, and I'd work every major handmade/makers show in my area that I could.  It is very likely, if my line is desirable, that a number of retailers will approach me via any of these venues.  If not, I know I still have work to do on the line.  Only when I'd maxed out the potential in those directions and had enough success, would I either invest in getting my own booth in a major wholesale trade show and/or begin looking for a rep group.

 

Wow that was long!   I hope at least some of it makes sense! 

Made perfect sense. Thank you for taking the time to post this.

On 12/22/2017 at 5:40 AM, Fictionwicks said:

Hey there,

 

I sell my candles mostly through the use of social media, I've found that using popular # really helps, And particularly with the crowd I sell too there are trends that get really popular so I always follow them with candle picture while they last.

 

Instagram I find is the easiest way to promote them becuase you can show people what they look like simply just by taking an image.

That is very helpful! Do you take the photos yourself? Do you have anyone helping you? 

But the shipping costs aren’t always that big a deal, it depends on the supplier. Some US sellers have ridiculous shipping costs too.

Makes sense.

On 8/5/2018 at 12:26 AM, Pam W said:

Well, I'm a little confused by the added work involved with the kitchenmaide mixer & adding FO to heated wax.  Personally, I heat my wax in a presto pot, dip out what I want to work with into a 2 or 4 lb pour pot....set that in a pan of hot water and bring it to the appropriate temp for adding my FO...stir and swirl for a couple of minutes and go from there in adding color and then pouring.

You mention that you heat your wax to 140*,,,,,,,,,,can you tell us what type of wax you are using.

 

I have also seen a video made by candle cocoon and they use a HEAT GUN while swirling the wax/FO in mixing containers. They hold the heat gun beneath the container, as they swirl the container around and make a little whirlpool of the mixture inside.

There is absolutely no reason to go to this extent if you put your wax in the pour pot and set in a pan of water and heat to the desired temp.....kinda like heating a baby bottle,,,,,kwim.  there is no reason a heat gun should be involved in heating candle wax....IMHO

There are sooooo many videos on the internet on how to make candles and many of them involve so much unneeded extra work and so many of them really don't know what they are doing to begin with.

Hang out with use and we can make your venture into candle making a much better experience with out all the added work and confusion.

 

 

I am usually using Northwood soy wax or GB 464.

I hear the wax to about 190, but then I put it in the heated mixer and let it cool to 155  before adding FO. I set the mixer to 140.

yea, it could be wasted energy, for sure!

Thank you everyone, for the replies!

On 6/9/2017 at 12:58 PM, ladysj said:

Does anyone use their - SOY CANDLE WAX FLAKES - CONTAINER BLEND the $9.95.  The website gives rave reviews from everyone that has posted there.  if any one has any input I would appreciate any help/suggestions you may have.  Thank you

Yes! I use it! It’s my favorite wax.

I think it’s a lot like GB 464 and I have found that it’s easy to use and has great scent throw. I’ve tried a ton of waxes and this one just seems the one without any weirdness or issues!

I have been ordering from them for a couple years; love their soy wax blend and their coconut wax. I have found them to be very professional and responsive and the packaging is always nice and clean.

21 minutes ago, TallTayl said:

Not necessarily. They are a compounding lab and a retail seller. Last I knew they had pretty high minimums for ordering. Plus,The smallest unit is by the pound so sampling is challenging. 

It looked like they had a 10-sample order?

I also see that they are having a sale -but I agree, one pound is a (small) commitment.

Has anyone tried leaving the wax on a low heat source while mixing in the fragrance oil? I am wondering if it helps the FO to fully blend with the wax, and I have been experimenting with using a kitchenmaid mixer and a heated electric bowl at about 140 degrees. It seems like candles made this way have a better cold throw, but I am curious to see if others have tried this?

I have also seen a video made by candle cocoon and they use a HEAT GUN while swirling the wax/FO in mixing containers. They hold the heat gun beneath the container, as they swirl the container around and make a little whirlpool of the mixture inside.

Apparently, it helps the FO blend with the wax and creates stronger fragrance throw.

On 2/7/2018 at 11:20 AM, Darbla said:

There's a post stating Bulk Apothecary's FOs come from Lebermuth, so we'd be better off ordering from Lebermuth.

 

Do any of you know where Essentials by Catalina, Nurture Soaps, Rustic Escentuals and Lone Star get their FOs?  Or any other supplier really. 

 

I know Agilex and French something or other are two of the biiiiiig suppliers and manufacturers; ones who only sell large volumes so I won't ever be ordering from them.  There are others than those two though.

This is exactly what I was wondering about.

I have bought from one company (I forget the name!) that appeared to be a seller to smaller companies, and they would only sell HUGE quantities. I bought a gas can full of one fragrance-lol! But it seems that it is well-worth the research to find out who are the actual manufacturers, and try to purchase direct from them.

Do you think that the product gets diluted along the way, from manufacturer to smaller seller?

23 hours ago, TallTayl said:

Personally I do not believe so. I have a couple of Liebermuth FO’s and also BA of the same name. They behaved completely different in soap and candles. Colors vividly different, smells noticeably different.

I had never heard of Lebermuth, until I saw it mentioned in this thread. If BA sells Lebermuth FO, wouldn't it be less expensive to buy direct from Lebermuth? Or did I misunderstand?

I have ordered FO from about 15 different companies, there are slight differences of course but some smell especially “one-note” or very artificial and cloying. I am wondering if there are suppliers I’m missing, perhaps more “perfume oriented” or high end Fragrance companies that aren’t the usual ones we discuss.

For example, has anyone tried ordering FO from European companies? Perhaps from the Grasse area of France, where they make perfumes? (In Grasse, I’ve read that they use both essential oils AND fragrance oils...so I’m wondering if it’s worth finding a FO company housed there?)

It’s kind of like a food recipe; you can get the ingredients like milk and vegetables from the local convienece store, or from a gourmet market. Presumably, the gourmet market will have the highest quality ingredients. 

I know this can be argued either way! I just want to know thoughts about trying

6 minutes ago, Jcandleattic said:

Oh, my bad. I just thought it meant you were looking for E super. LOL

 

Yea, I am ISO someone who has used it; it sure would be Super if that happens!

10 minutes ago, Jcandleattic said:

ISO means "In search of" - I've never heard of E super. 

In this case, ISO apparently stands for Isocyclemone and the fragrance product is called "ISO E Super".