Laura C

Cool, the coffee scrub bars are a great idea and I like your design. I love coffee and coffee scents. ☕

Just an FYI @Wax Boy, I know first hand that you can't always believe what the candle suppliers or manufactures tell you. It's an irritating and sad truth. Sometimes it could just be an employee that has to say what they are told to say.

Good question @Hometown Handmades. I agree with the 2 statements TallTayl made. It's basically easier to build your product ideas around the performance of the wax instead of trying to force a wax to perform the way you want it to. And of course know your waxes since some are specifically made to be used for certain types of products in the first place.

I totally agree @xxxAlpha71xxx. With several years of wick testing, I have experienced the same things you have described.

Looks neat and it's a pretty color blue anyway.

Hi @jmspgh. FYI, here's the link to the list of suppliers by state so you could possibly visit some locally and/or avoid high shipping costs. You will find several candle making suppliers on the list under Pennsylvania. Candles and Supplies is one of my favorite fragrance suppliers, I love a lot of their fragrances. https://www.candlesandsupplies.net/Fragrance-Oils

Well, yes, I have seen candle wax like that and I hated it. My test candles that looked like that were what I considered defects, not sellable products. LOL 😄 It makes me nervous looking at those wild, bumpy tops. 😵 Everybody has their own likes and style or maybe they just gave up on smooth tops and rolled with it, I could certainly understand that. LOL I do like the way the wax looks on the sides through the clear glass, that's pretty. Who knows, they may get rich. I noticed they are in Knoxville, TN, not far from me.

FYI, Candles.org has updated the data on their site. They have even better information now and it's more current and specifically explains topics that have been muddy or have needed proper clarification. Such as myths regarding paraffin wax, scented candles, the burning of candles and synthetic FOs vs. essential oils, etc. https://candles.org/ https://candles.org/faqs/ https://candles.org/research-studies/

Hi. Sometimes glass containers will be labeled safe for candle use. Per Candles.org, the recommended type of glass container for candles are "Annealed Soda-Lime-Silicate Glass Containers that are Produced for Use as Candle Containers". https://candles.org/industry-standards/ Since we are on the subject, I just noticed that Candles.org has updated the data on their site. They have even better information now and it's more current and specifically explains topics that have been muddy or have needed proper clarification. Such as myths regarding paraffin wax, scented candles, the burning of candles and synthetic FOs vs. essential oils, etc. https://candles.org/ https://candles.org/faqs/ https://candles.org/research-studies/

Congratulations, happy to hear your business has increased.

You're welcome. Yes, proper wicking is certainly a challenge and it's not just you. Basically all the information you are looking for is out there, unfortunately it's not all in one place. LOL.

Hi @jmspgh. Can't think of anything specific. If you haven't done so already, do some searches on here for wicks, there's lots of posts on the topic. Plus, some candle making supply companies have wick charts on their sites and the major wick manufactures do too. For instance: http://www.atkinsandpearce.com/candle-solutions/ and https://wicksunlimited.com/wicks/ and there are others. You can see more wick suppliers here: https://www.craftserver.com/articles1.html/candle-making-faq-archive/

Congrats on your sell. I have no idea about soap stuff except I bet it smells wonderful. LOL

Yes, they are. I like the looks of them, I should buy one and try it out.

I see what you mean. That is a very pretty jar and lid. I agree with the others, warning label on bottom of candle with main info or a hang tag. I'll also add that you could do 2 labels, if needed. In addition to the warning/info label on bottom of candle, you could also have an info label on the inside of the lid.

LOL, I'm working on my site trying to make it look great and simple. That's interesting about the ionos reviews, since they bought out 1and1. On reflection, my past dealings have been with the company when they were 1and1, I haven't had to deal with the new owners. Hmmm... I'll keep that in mind. I don't have any experience with any of those other companies. Sometimes it's hard to know what to do. Sometimes going with your gut can help you decide. Good luck, hope you find what makes you happy. here's a couple posts that may be helpful to you:

Hi Jeanna. I have all of my domains with IONOS (use to be 1and1), just domains and email addresses, no other services right now with them. Aside from free social media sites I have 1 website and I'm currently building it with Adobe Portfolio. I already have and am paying for Adobe Creative Cloud services; Photoshop, Lightroom, etc. which also includes Spark (graphics, logos, etc.) and Portfolio (a website builder & host). So I decided to use Portfolio instead of paying an additional monthly website builder & web hosting fee with IONOS. Portfolio also allows me to use one of my custom domains that I have with IONOS. I redirect the generic Portfolio url to my custom url. I think this will work out great for me.

post deleted, not needed, sorry

I have some email accounts included in the price with my domains with ionos but I've not set them up yet. It says this about email with a domain on their website: A professional email address (for example: me@mycompany.com) is connected to your domain with 2 GB of mailbox space to start. Upgrade anytime for more space. https://www.ionos.com/domains/com-domain

Sounds like what they are doing is illegal and I would tell them so and say your lawyer will contact them if they don't work with you. I have used Go Daddy in the past but they are expensive and have business practices I didn't like so I do not recommend them. I currently use https://www.ionos.com/ formerly known as 1and1.com and have owned domains with them for years. I like them and they are fairly priced and registering your domains as private is included in the price and not extra like with other domain companies, I recommend them. And I believe you get an email account with a domain, but check their website. You can transfer a domain you own/rent at any time, it's quick and easy with ionos. I transfered my Go Daddy domains to ionos last year and it was a quick and simply process. There are instructions on their site or call their tech support. No don't let your domain expire if you want to keep it, someone else could snatch it from you. Right now their .com domains are $10 for the first year then $15 a year after that which is cheap in my opinion. https://www.ionos.com/domains/com-domain. And you can do domain redirects as well.

Here's something interesting from Etsy and an immediate business opportunity for people that can sew. https://www.etsy.com/seller-handbook/article/tips-for-selling-handmade-masks-and-face/788845527234?ref=sh-masks_0420a&campaign_label=recommended_features&utm_source=adhoc&utm_campaign=2020_04_03-adhoc-mask_initiative-us_sellers&utm_medium=email&userId=33209591&jobid=49204&batchid=644&fbclid=IwAR3d8T-ueUQJ0xJySJC1c2TyntvsbGugOENIb1ZYlSYpkFkOqdorbdo6tf0

"They have silos filled with liquid paraffin plus solid paraffin." Wow, that's mind blowing. 😵 Makes sense, just never thought about it. LOL

Follow the manufacture's suggested temps and later after you have more experience with it then you may come up with a different temp you prefer. As for when to add the color, that depends on what you are making. Generally it is recommended to add the color before the FO because some colors require a hotter temp in order to mix properly and then the FO requires a little bit lower temp. If the product I'm making is going to be all one color and one fragrance then I do color then FO. But, if I'm making a multi color candle or wax melt that uses only 1 FO then I will add the FO first do my first pour then add my color and do the next pour. You should also do a search on here for this topic because it has been discussed in other threads.

That's great, thanks for sharing some good news. 👍

To answer your questions... - Yes, too many options makes me paralyzed or procrastinate. 😵 Best thing to do is break big things down into small tasks and then move to the next after each one is completed. - "High Quality" candle making of course, since there is so much junk out there. You could start with the basics for each topic or step and build on it from there. Such as: knowing what supplies to buy and where, how to make a good candle, how to properly wick and test, how to document your work, how to properly label, how to properly package and store, safety requirements, business requirements, etc. All this info should already be on here, it just needs more organization or a better road map, maybe? - Yes, I love graphics, photos and videos. Draw me a picture. 😄