lisabeth13

I have read from other members on here that Red Saffron wasn't very good so I may not try that one.

Thanks, @Candybee ! I use tea tree sometimes in my hand soap but I'm not a huge fan of the smell so I never run that one in my diffuser anyway. I read a list of the ones not safe for cats a long time and I can't recall what was on it but I do remember it wasn't anything I really used in my diffuser. Definitely good to be cautious around pets.

I completely agree! I wish more people would research these companies better. I don't know, maybe they mean well... but I could never buy from either of them.

@moonshine You made a lot of great points, thank you! I have been using EO's for years (even before the YL hype - we learned about them a lot when I was in aesthetician school) in a diffuser and in body butters. I don't buy my EO's from any of those pyramid scheme type companies. I'm definitely very cautious using them around my cat. I only put 4-5 drops in my diffuser at a time and she seems to be okay with that. I 100% agree with you on the ingesting thing. A friend invited me to a DoTerra party once when they were first becoming popular and I was horrified that they were telling everyone to ingest them. They even made everyone snacks that had the oils in them. I couldn't believe they were telling people this was okay when everything I've ever read says not to do that. That makes sense about the phthalates being the cause of cancer. I'll avoid those and use a respirator. Thanks again!

Thank you! @NaughtyNancy and @Pam W !

That definitely makes me feel a little better. I think I'll still try to avoid the FO's that specifically mention "may cause cancer" (not all of them have that listed). I made a batch that was lavender + vanilla several months ago... it gave me the worst headache and vertigo for several hours. Even if the candle was unlit and I was near it... I started to feel sick again, not quite as bad as when I was making it though. I don't normally have issues with either of those scents so I dunno. I didn't use a respirator so maybe that would've helped. Do you use an air purifier too or just try to keep windows open?

I have exhausted myself reading through dozens of topics on here... and I was all ready to hop on the FO wagon when I came across people discussing the health issues (asthma, headaches...etc.) they experienced when breathing in FO's for hours everyday. The solution was to wear a respirator. Now... I'd be willing to do that and possibly get an air purifier down the road if that's what needs to be done... but if EO's can work, then I think I'd rather attempt that just for mine and my family's own sake. I'd be doing these candles in a very small apartment with no real way to vent the air. My husband and I have both developed seasonal allergies the last couple of years and our cat seems to have her own set of allergies as she often has sneezing fits. So, I guess my questions are: Have you had any luck getting EO's to work in candles (I'm wanting to use coconut/beeswax) Would EO's work better in something like tarts?? How well do they work in soaps & bath bombs? I really love some of the scents in FO's... but I'm a lot more weary now after having read through some of the posts on here. I even took it one step further and read through some of the MSDS on some oils... one of them said "may cause cancer". I realize most anything can cause cancer these days it feels like but when you've known people who have had cancer ... it really makes you question things like this. Especially when I'd be surrounded by these oils all day and not just a few hours at a time while burning here and there. I was also a bit concerned about the issues FO's present when they end up in the water system and in the MSDS, it says to keep it out of the drains. So... how do you clean your materials when you're done?? Or do they mostly mean just in large quantities? Anyway... what are your thoughts??

I've never ordered from RE before so I'm just curious if you've tried any of these? Are any of them total duds? Better from another supplier? I've only ordered FO's from Flaming and wasn't too impressed with the turnout. I'm going to be using coconut/beeswax if that makes any difference. Amish Quilt Barbershop 1920's Bonfire Bliss Butterrum Cappuccino Cardamom Cedar Blossom Cedar, Sage & Blackberry Coffee House Driftwood & Sea Salt Elderflower & Moss Earl Grey & Apple Juniper Berry & Cedar Lavender Luscious Vanilla Fig & Cassis Ozark Forest Pipe Smoke Redwood Rose Geranium Silver Birch & Vetiver Sweetgrass & Cedar White Sage

@GoldieMN Hope it works! Let me know if it does!!

@TallTayl Thanks for the tips! I ordered the sample pack from the wooden wick company but I haven't had a chance to try them out yet... glad to hear they worked out for you... gives me hope! Would you recommend mixing in some beeswax with the coconut wax? I ordered the coconut wax from CalCandle. I'm curious to try the beads though.

@mao When you mixed it with beeswax, what ratios did you use? 50/50?

This is the only kind of wax I've used so far. It had a great HT and looked great in the container... however, I had a lot of trouble with the wicks I chose (wood). I've also read from other members on here that it really needs to be mixed with a harder wax. I guess this would help with shipping in hot weather. I can't really give recommendations on that because I haven't tried it yet and coconut is all I've used so far.

I tried it with some wooden wicks from flaming but even with the smallest size, the flame was HUGE. In another container the flame was way too small and fizzled out at one point. I ordered some sample wooden wicks from another company so maybe those will work better. I'm considering ditching them and using cotton instead though.

I'm pretty new to candle making but could you possibly run a blow dryer over it for a bit to get rid of the frosting? Or would it just come back? Just trying to brainstorm.

Thanks for all the suggestions ladies! I'll just have to order from multiple suppliers and see what happens I guess. My wallet is really going to take a hit with all these shipping charges. I recently moved to Canada as well... so I'm looking at $25-41 in shipping once I start having things shipped here. I'm going to have some things shipped to my parents house in the U.S. since we are going there for christmas but that's a 13 hr drive and I don't know when we will make it back there again. Also, some of the companies y'all listed (FB, CS, Candles & Supplies) don't ship to Canada at all or I'd love to try them out.

I order all my containers from there and they sent me a free F.O. sample with my last order... I haven't had a chance to try it out but it smells good OOB. I love that they use dark glass bottles as well.

It's such a shame. I had high hopes for them too after reading through the reviews. They must have a few really good ones that I didn't pick because mine didn't turn out as anticipated.

I haven't heard of The Chemistry Store... I will definitely check them out. What are your favorites from them?

I bought about 15 samples from The Flaming Candle several months ago. I made some candles with them but I wasn't very impressed with them. I hate that I wasted a lot of wax trying these out... although I guess that's part of it until you find what works. I'm just wondering if there's any companies you've tried that you had more success with than "duds"? (I realize that not everything will be great and scents are very subjective) I probably wouldn't mind trying around if it weren't for such high shipping rates. Seems a waste to only order one or two samples from 4-5 places if the shipping is $10-15 at each. Sorry if this has already been discussed, I checked through about 5 pages before posting this.