LilFirecracker

10 minutes ago, Belinda said:

I'm not sure about them having their own blend either. I've only ever ordered IGI wax from them. They do have the best prices on wax from what I can see. Right now I've been using 450 or 133 from Flaming and RE because it can be used for shapes, containers, pillars and clams. It's so versatile but I hate the ripples it has! I'm so wishy washy when it comes to making up my mind about wax. I love 6006 for clams and also containers too but in the Texas heat it seems like 133 will hold up better in containers. Actually though, the melt point on both of those waxes is about the same so 6006 might hold up pretty good come to think of it. I hate making decisions! LOL!

Girl I've been testing and tweaking for a year and a half now. I'm more than intimate with paraffin waxes now!🤣 I'm always searching for better, no matter how great it already is. I'm a perfectionist with this. Not a perfectionist at all things, just certain things - unfortunately this is one. 

4 hours ago, AlishaT said:

If you do not cure palm wax correctly you will not get what you are supposed to our of it. It needs at least a two week cure. And if you give it three weeks you may find your throws are even better. 

I've never heard of anyone needing to cure palm for 2 weeks. Regardless, I still have the problem because I can pull melts I made months ago with palm and they're just as crappy as they were a few days after I made them. I made several different scents. Same results. No problems with other waxes. 

On 8/12/2022 at 1:42 AM, Cross-stitch said:

Glad to hear your hard work is paying off!!!

Congrats!!!

Thank you Laura! I appreciate your support! 🥰

6 hours ago, Cross-stitch said:

Glad to hear your hard work is paying off!!!

Congrats!!!

Thank you so much! Finally after a year and a half of testing....actually I'm still slightly tweaking, but I need to stop! I'm a perfectionist in some things, but not all. This is one that I am unfortunately! I'm always looking for better lol. 

10 hours ago, Mythreindeer said:

Good for you!

 

Share the link when you get storefront going

Thank you! I sure will!

11 hours ago, TallTayl said:

That must feel pretty great 😊 

congrats!

It does feel amazing! Also, it was the first time that I actually felt nervous about it all. I guess the reality that it's all coming together slowly finally hit me. It was more of a nervous excitement, but mixed in with a tiny bit of "oh God what if I screw this up?!" 🤣

11 hours ago, barbaranj said:

Congratulations!  Good luck starting your new adventure! 
 

Thanks Barbara! And I haven't forgotten when you said if I decide on glassine packaging you wanna see what it looks like! I'm just waiting on my labels so I can make and print! 

28 minutes ago, awnl said:

Congratulation !!! 

Thank You!

I wasn't sure which forum to post this in, but I'm so excited so I have to tell people! As of today, Moonlight Haven, LLC is officially a registered business with the state of Louisiana!! Only a couple of more loose ends to tie up, then I'll be Etsy bound with my wax melts! 

On 8/9/2022 at 7:57 PM, TallTayl said:

You might be well served by as little as 3-5%. 

The lower percentages didn't give me the texture I was looking for. It started developing with the higher percentages. I just put one in my bathroom at 2pm and here it is about 6:45pm and it's dying already. This is a scent that normally lasts 48-60 hours. I'm bailing on it and going back to what works lol. 

On 8/8/2022 at 1:14 PM, bfroberts said:

I get the feather palm from Aztec sometimes.  It's a great wax. It's the same wax (igi) no matter where you buy it. I haven't seen even a hint of inconsistency in it, and I've been using it on and off for 4-5 yrs.  I make palm pillars, not melts.  You can get a great throw with it at 5-6%, but I do find that some scents (mostly some bakery & vanillas) give me little or no throw without a good cure, 2 weeks or so.

Well it's great to know it's not the wax, it's the user 🤣 I tried it before with straight palm melts with oils that have already been tested, and they didn't throw as well. I even used a warmer that burns super hot to where normally I have to use foil if I want to use it - and it was the same. Back then I'm thinking I didn't heat it high enough. This time I heated to 230, so I don't know. I've decided to get rid of it. I was just trying up to 20% so it wasn't a huge part of the blend anyway. My blend without it throws way better. I was just adding it to give it a different texture and a better snap for my bars. 

On 8/8/2022 at 11:19 AM, TallTayl said:

I’ve not bought wax from that source, but what you describe could have been caused any number of reasons… 

 

Pillar palm has a super high melt point, and a formulation that really binds those crystals tightly. In a melt I imagine you’d need to really stick the spurs to it to get strong HT.
 

Palm is often faulted for weaker CT than most other waxes. When in a candle that is wicked well, though WOWSERS does it beat the pants off of pretty much all others.  
 

palm waxes are also on the acidic side, so fragrances that are prone to note loss in that environment might lose that edge.  
 

if it were me, I’d heat the melt hotter and see if the throw improves dramatically.  If so, I’d probably not use it in my melt blend since most common warmers won’t have that advantage. 

Yeah I've decided to ditch the palm. It was only 20% and under that I tried. It gave a great texture and incredible snap to my bars, but it's not worth it enough to fight with it right now. 

I think I might be going overboard on my expectations with how long my melts last. My goal is to stand out from the rest in every way possible. I'm going to be starting out on Etsy and it's gonna be hard as hell to get noticed in the sea of other sellers.

When I test, I test with 2 different warmers in 2 different areas. I use a 1oz melt in each warmer. I get the best results in my bedroom/master bath area that's about 15x20. I test non-stop, 24 hrs a day. I don't turn it off until it's finished. I get disappointed when they only last 24 hours. I have quite a few that last 48+ hours. Am I being ridiculous thinking 24 hours won't cut it? Consider that I'm marketing as mid to high-end quality. I'm not saying luxury or luxe because that is so overdone that they'll make anything and say it's luxury. It has no meaning anymore. 

Has anyone ever used the pillar palm wax from Aztec? I had bought 5lbs from there to experiment with because I was also buying sample oils. I originally made some melts with straight palm because I heard quite a few say it throws great in melts. Mine sucked. Of course so did the oils.

Just recently I pulled it back out and decided to add some to my ParaCoco blend to see if it would help with texture and release. It killed my scent throw! I still had some, but not as much and didn't last nearly as long without it. I heated to 230, ladled what I needed, added oil right away, stirred for about 3 min like I always do. It did this with the same scents I used in testing before. 

Main question is has anyone bought palm from Aztec and had trouble with it? I bought 4633 there also and it was more like 4630. I was thinking of trying palm from Lone Star to see if there's a difference, but the smallest size is 10lbs. I have to order more of my other waxes and that's where I get them from, so I'm not sure if I should try or not. I mean, I had trouble with the melts plus it killed the throw I did have in my blend. So whatcha think? Bad wax or user error? 🤣

On 7/16/2022 at 9:39 PM, birdcharm said:

I'm sure shelf life has probably been discussed here before.  I saw a comment on the candlemaking board at reddit where the information is so often incorrect -- (so much so that I can barely ever read there) -- it was noted that paraffin wax has a shelf life of five years.  I always thought that if you store paraffin wax properly, it can last indefinitely.  I don't post there, but thought I'd mention it here just to share and see how the more experienced crafters feel about this.

I think I commented on that very same post! Someone had found some stored and I think it was about 10 years old. I remember someone saying 5 years. I told them use it, it's good! I told them they can test a small amount just to make sure. Which they could to calm their nerves of any doubts. 

On 7/22/2022 at 4:17 PM, TallTayl said:

This post has come to mind several times today. Do you remember the Friends episode with the search for the chocolate cookie recipe? 
 

 

LMAO! I remember that episode!

13 hours ago, Belinda said:

I hear ya! 

Aztec is quite a bit cheaper on their wax than LS and Cajun but I don't care for a lot of their oils. I have quite a few of their oils but just the ones I like to use in aroma beads don't seem to be very good coming from them like Monkey farts and Fruit Loops. They do have a great butt naked and grandma's kitchen though and a few other good ones.

I have a bunch of samples from Aztec, close to 40 I had bought at one time. I couldn't even use one of them. They smelled good, just wasn't strong enough to last in my melts. I tried buying wax at the same time I got the samples because I was almost out of 4633, but what I ended up with wasn't an IGI wax. It had an Aztec number on it and it was the consistency more like 4630 than 4633. I couldn't use it. I noticed on the website there's 2 waxes that show their number with the IGI number. I don't know if they make their own or what they do. 

On 7/30/2022 at 9:41 AM, Scented said:

On the candle side, add a few pellets of vybar ... but even then good luck if it mixes. I had a rapture scent that simply would not blend into a candle and I think it was just the batch, because it worked otherwise. Now that company and that scent are gone but it was only good if it would blend. With soap, it had no trouble. With incense, no trouble ... anything else and trouble. 

 

 

I think I might've figured this one out. I need to make a couple more batches to know for sure. I still rate this one as really difficult as it's the only one out of close to 200 that has done that to me. I've been heating my wax (mostly paraffin) to 200-210 to compensate for the temp loss while I ladle it out of the pot. I always have my pyrex cups heating in the oven and pull one out right before pouring. I checked the temp right after I ladled the wax and it was barely making it to 175. I never thought I would lose that much heat in that little bit of time - about 30 degrees! I was always aiming for about 190 and it used to work out right, so I stopped checking the temp once I transferred it. So I raised the temp so it would be 225-230 in the pot before removing it. Made another batch and it worked like a freakin' charm that time!! I don't wanna get too happy just yet, but I'm pretty sure that was the problem. I've just been lucky with all the others not needing the higher heat, but this finicky sucker needed this bump up badly! Not sure if I feel stupid or lucky! 🤣

On 7/28/2022 at 9:49 PM, Belinda said:

Have you tried Cajun Candle supply yet? I don't order much from them because shipping is high to me even though I'm in Texas which I find strange since Aztec's shipping is cheaper and they are farther away. I don't care for a lot of Aztec's oils either.  Anyway, Cajun has some good oils. I like their Christmas Mulberry, Banana Nut Bread and they have the best cream brûlée I've tried. 

Funny...I'm in Louisiana and never bought from them! When I first checked out their oils, they didn't have a lot of the ones I was looking for at the time. A lot has changed since then and I'm not even using most of the ones I started out wanting. At the time their shipping was high to me and I'm less than 2 hours away. Lone Star's shipping was way cheaper. I just recently checked again because just like everyone else, Lone Star went up on their waxes - A LOT! Canjun Candle has all the waxes I use and they haven't gone up yet, and shipping was a little more than Lone Star, but overall everything was just a little cheaper. I was gonna order, but then they were out of one of the waxes. Took forever but they finally got it in after about 3 weeks. Went to order...they were out of one of the other waxes! At least a month out in this one! I gave up! That's what I get for trying to cheat on Lone Star! 🤣

On 7/12/2022 at 8:13 AM, kandlekrazy said:

old t-shirts work pretty well

That's perfect! I need my dear honey to get his muscle shirts that are literally falling apart out of the closet!!! 🤣

On 7/6/2022 at 5:35 PM, CandleCocoon said:

You can freeze them.  Or you can abuse them.  A little sandpaper works wonders

I saw your comment on my other post about freezing. I've been so tempted to try sanding. I actually did get another mold that's made the same exact way that I decided I wasn't gonna use, so I tried a small spot with a nail file/emery board - I couldn't get it to do anything! I have a couple of other things I can use to try to sand it. Have you actually sanded one successfully before? If so, what did you use? 

2 hours ago, kandlekrazy said:

I'm not sure about paraffin but I did this on all my clamshell melts and multi cavity mold melts.

I tried it on a couple of snap bars the other night just for the hell of it, and it worked!! Of course I need to find something softer to use lol. I used a regular old wash cloth and it was a little rough looking lol. It left marks across it. Someone else had told me they use old pantyhose or stockings on their pillars and it worksworks good to mattify it. What do you use on yours?

On 7/6/2022 at 5:02 PM, lovelyscents said:

 

 

You don't find this blend too soft for melts? I guess if you are using cups for packaging, it could work nicely. I know even though 4786 comes in a hard slab form, it seems to be gummy and melt faster than a typical tart wax, especially if blended with a softer container wax...in my experience. I have found 4786 to lose its scent throw a bit after a long shelf life compared to some harder paraffin wax blends. Do you find this to be true? Maybe it's my oils aging more than the wax itself being the problem.

 

Also, I apologize for reading your post too quickly and commenting regarding candles when you specifically said melts lol.

No apologies needed! Seems to be a common thing for me lol. It's all good! As for this blend, I made soooo many rookie mistakes on this one. First mistake: Testing for consistency in winter! I had it perfect last year. Ended up doing 50/50 and it worked perfectly believe it or not! Had a lot of scents that bad a great throw and lasted beyond 12 hours. I thought that was good until I did some digging..... Decided I was gonna have to revamp this recipe. But back to it being good...  It popped out of the warmer dish so easily with a flick of a butter knife. I was testing mainly in cups, but I did try some in molds to see if they would hold up and they did.  Sorry, this is gonna be longer than I thought lol...

Fast forward to early spring. It was still killing me all those weeks/months thinking about the longevity. Then I started thinking about when I was testing 4630 & 4633 blended with 4625 and my scent throw was way better and lasted longer. So that marked the birth of my "Frankenblend" that I'm now continuously tweaking to get just the right amount of everything I'm looking for. It's not often, only for certain things like this - when the perfectionist in me comes out to play....everything takes so much longer than it should. 

On 7/6/2022 at 5:20 PM, CandleCocoon said:

Ok, so, if I am reading this correctly - you are using paraffin blend melt wax with a mold and want a matte finish.  If so, you can freeze your molds and then pour your wax.  This will give a frosty look.  Might not be what you are looking for but they definitely won't be shinny.  You can experiment using hot and cool wax which will also give different textures.  Just remember what you do as slight variations in temp will change the look.  Also, when pouring do so quickly as ever little pause you will get lines.  Which can look cool but probably not what you are after.  The other trick would be using a cool water bath.  But only if the hot wax breaks through the cold barrier.  If you use a cool water bath with hot wax in a warm mold they will be shinny, so don't do that.  I can explain this more if you need

 

Best,  Lyschel

Thank you for the suggestion! I'm not sure if you realized this is for wax melts or not because I've heard of the freezing if the molds a d all that for the rustic look. Can this work for smaller items like wax melts and would it work with silicone molds? I did try playing with the pour temp, but it didn't seem to make a difference. It just gave me more trouble the cooker I poured. The lowest I could go was 140 and it was cooling too fast at that point. This freezing of the molds sounds like something I might try if you think it'll work with silicone molds!

I have to finish tweaking this wax and get it just right because it's making me crazy! I noticed you're the queen of Candle Cocoon - I have close to 30 samples I ordered from you that I still haven't been able to put into wax yet. I wanted to wait until the wax was just right so I wouldn't be wasting it. I got tired the other day if testing the same FOs over and over, so I pulled my bag of samples and said to hell with it! My next batch will be testing Mulberry and Moonbeams, Lemon Blossom, and the ever-so-popular Vanilla Voodoo! My blend is close enough so I'll be able to get a true test out of it. I can't wait to test them all. 🥰

Annette

On 6/25/2022 at 10:58 AM, BenderSF said:

Just FYI, in case you can't get it working, I find Pure's Sensual Vanilla to be very similar to Just Scent's Wild Madagascar Vanilla and Aspen Caramel Woods.  (I haven't purchased any of those since 2019-2020, so any of them may have changed by now.)

Thank you for this!! I'll keep that in mind just in case. I can always order samples and try!