pughaus

CD10 WI755? LX18 CD8 WI745? LX16 CD6 CD5 HTP93 LX14 LX12 HTP 83 WI740? HTP73 CD4 HTP62 LX10 @jaybeeHere's what I've got. As always, results can vary- often for no apparent reason at all! And FOs and containers can change anything. Also, I'm always unsure about the premiers and where to put them comparison-wise.. I just can't get a good read on them and although I often add them to my tests, I've yet to ever settle on a premier as the best wick in any of my candles. Last night I tested a P745 and an htp83 (Flaming Candle) side by side. They both started out great. By hour 3.5 the P745 was a tiny flame and the htp 83 was still perfect. MPs were the same depth but the premier just... fizzled out. This is often the case for me, the premiers either get tiny or too big. Can't seem to find a sweet spot with them.

updated list to include some htps in case anyone use them ( I do) CD10 WI755 LX18 CD8 WI745 LX16 CD6 HTP93 LX14 HTP 83 WI740 HTP73

totally agree and I use only wick types that are "self trimming" . However, I do find the self trim effect to be more consistent in smaller wicks. Some of the larger size wicks in certain FOs can take a little too long for (my) comfort to trim themselves. I sometime give those a little... nudge. Often that nudge is just me placing the glass down on a table a little more forcefully than usual--- oops! did I just accidentally make that mushroom fall off? lol

A. Trim wicks between each test burn. As per good candle hygiene and the instruction label on your candle B. Leave the wick untrimmed and expect your candles to perform well without any trimming. If they don't do well, it's a test failure. C. Trim occasionally, but only if needed (ex: big mushroom, unraveling wick tip) but otherwise let them do their thing without help. D. Other I now do a combination of B + C, mostly B but if I have a candle that needs up to 2 trims in it's burn life I can live with that. I typically do long burns- most of my test burns are 5-7 hrs duration in 8 oz straight jars or 3" diameters. So, I've become a bit more chill about the whole thing since I have a few wicker upper, rich FOs that I love but that do need some help around the 3 or 4th burn to clean up a stubborn mushroom that refuses to fall off by itself- at that point they have been burning 20+ hours w/o a trim. If a candle needs more than 2 trims, I keep testing or abandon the FO entirely if I can't nail it down..

Le Labo is 100% soy so it's going to look and feel very different from what you're blending...In the Lab Co wax-the bit of paraffin is in there for a reason, it really does improve the overall blend; it's appearance, throw and all around ease of use . You will not replicate that wax without paraffin. It's a crucial ingredient in that wax and it has a significant amount of it. It's also very soft and melty as I'm sure you noticed! You have quite a few ingredients and variables in your blend.. C3- a soy with additives, C2 a coco with soy (that may or may not also have additives) added, beeswax and stearin. . What are the beeswax and stearin doing for you in that blend? Have you tried making your blend without those 2 ingredients? What does it look and feel like without them?

I'm not sure I understand- why is this so shocking? The Lab Co coconut wax is not the accublend coconut wax that cal candle sells.

I second this. Many candle brands in the mid-high range, when using unique containers, do not have the scent name noted anywhere but in tiny print on the bottom safety label or if the container has no lid, they might print it on the dust cover.

I placed an order last week and got shipping/tracking notification 2 days later. She's still there!

My favorite simple coconuts - 1. Daystar 2. Southwest Candle Supply Both are kind of light- that seems to be the case with the more realistic coconut FOs -but they're not plastic-y , super sweet or tinged with pineapple.

All our candle lines ( and pretty much all our gift and paper lines too) have double digit price increases for FW19 because of the tariffs. As you know, although they pour in the US, most candle cos. rely on China for their vessels and FO components. This is really bad news, not just for these US candle manufacturers but for indie retailers that sell the lines and now have to charge more.

As the OP mentioned, bougie is just "candle" in french. It's like labeling perfume "parfum". Unrelated to the slang word "bougie". (a word I still use lol) which is a play on bourgeoisie. But I guess you could say that calling a US made candle a Bougie is kind of "bougie"

I have a similar guide that's pretty much in that order but mine includes htps and no zincs. Did you mean to put 745 before 740 in your list?

@SebleoI think she was testing the demand with her first run on importing from China and is now working on logistics. Last I heard she was moving from a CA to a TX warehouse so that will be great for you when she restocks!

@sebleo pictured above is the ocean green but I happen to be burning a tester in the black frost right now. Here it is in use...

it's one of those dream vessels glasses. They're my go- to tester containers lately. Easy to wick 3" diameter. They're almost indestructible- I've dropped a few. And they're colored glass, not sprayed, so they hold up well to washing and re-use. And they have lids. Very handy.

@talltayl I have a few lines with soy and soyblend candles that are made in Vietnam and another made in India. I guess they have access to 100% soy and no doubt a wide range para waxes. I've never used a preblended parasoy but I can't say anything bad about the 415 / 4630 blends I used for a while except for an occasional sinkhole in certain (straight jar) containers. They sure did throw well. Appearance -wise, they sure do look much like the example in your photo. Here's one of my old testers; also with an htp83.

What makes you think it's not just a soy/para blend? It looks and sounds just like the soy/para blends I've blended myself. Even your wick choice lines up with what I'd use in that container with that blend.

I guess we all have that one vanilla blend that drowns ALL the wicks.

Might be a long shot but do you have the name of the aroma supplier that makes this air freshener? I have found that several of those hotel/commercial air fragrance companies sell fragrances in many formulations and for various purposes including candlemaking, cleaners, laundry products, etc... Much like our candle suppliers, you may also find the same fragrances available in 2 or more places under a slightly different name. I sampled quite a few fragrance oils from a few of these scent suppliers- there are a LOT of these air-scent places when you start digging- when I was looking for some oddball retro fragrances and they were happy to send me samples. And they did indeed work very well in candles.

It may fill itself in with the melted wax from your last burn or it may get bigger - you never know what lurks beneath ! 👻 If I were you I'd grab some chopsticks or something similar and poke some holes into and around that mouth all the way to the bottom of the container and then heat gun the top till the melted wax fills in the holes. Then you won't have to worry about that mouth anymore. lol The sinkholes are annoying but fixable.

When I used to blend 444 + coco, I often got "the mouth" which is what I named that type of gaping sinkhole beneath the surface. I never quite nailed down the precise conditions that caused them or reliably prevented them in that blend although they were rare for me when I poured in the warm summer months. Eventually I just poked all my candles to look for them and that became a habit for me when I made any candle. re: your missing hot throw- is this the 1st time you've used an eco 10 in that candle/fo set up? My 1st hunch would be to test other wicks.

@Sarah S Right? So evocative. I want the candle AND the camping trip Here's the description.. in case you're wondering what it smells like: This gorgeous subtly scented candle is inspired from Great Basin National Park which boasts one of America's last darkest skies. This lush scent is reminiscent of cold night air pierced with hushed sacred notes of ancient bristlecone pine resting softly under a Milky Way bannered star filled night as the scented shadow of Great Basin's majestic Wheeler Peak's cold quartzite gives way to the warmth of rich musk & amber while a duet of patchouli & sandalwood enhance the evening's precious blackness.

It's definitely possible but I would not want a 90% coconut oil candle. For one, coconut oil is expensive. And soft. And melty. I use my own blend for the very reason you state. Availability and it saves me quite a bit of $ too. If you like the Northwood wax, and you are pretty sure what's in it play around with some ratios: a 90% coco/ 10% palm , 90/5 palm /5% soy?? etc . etc..using plain testers you make out of the Northwoods wax as baseline testers until you come up with your own ratio that looks, wicks and performs virtually identically. That's what I did when I set out to dupe the Lab Co wax. It was really interesting to see how the various ratios affected the final product. (and how little coconut is in it!) If you're like me, you'll keep tweaking it and end up with a blend you like even better than the one you were hoping to dupe. Coconut oil is widely available at soaper suppliers. Most carry a 76 MP and 92 MP coconut oil. You can get it on amazon too in small amounts. It's pricey on amazon but if you have prime and want to test out some smaller amounts it might work for you to get some there.

I bought a sample to make sure it was what I thought it was (coconut oil) and as soon as it was all gone I replaced it with coconut oil 92 which is easier to find with many options of ordering qtys/weight and for me can be shipped to LA for less $. I use it as part of a blend, not by itself.