Candybee

Which is more of the sage to you? Like the scent of the kind used in cooking. Clary seems more flowery to me and dalmation sort of bitter. I am having a hard time deciding which is more of the cooking sage note type. Lately I have just been using both together in EO combos for that note of sage. 

Would like others opinion of which you turn to for that sage note like the edible sage you use in cooking because my nose is having a hard time making that distinction.

I know dalmation needs to used sparingly. But that is not a problem as my EO combo needs just a hint of sage.

In case you are wondering what a $40 bar of soap looks like. Would like to know why this is worth $40? designer soap? gold in the soap? chocolate filled? french import? the ingredients aren't even listed.

Eau Du Soir Soap

How long are you curing your candles before test burning them?

You are not required to identify/list on your label the ingredients in your fragrance oil. Even if you could I don't know of any FO manufacturer that lists their ingredients as they are very secretive about them. Most customers understand the wax melts have fragrance oil in them as that is what they are buying. You can list on your label for label appeal if you use fragrance oil or essential oils, or if they are phthalate free, vegan, cruelty free, body safe, etc but only if you know that for a fact but it is not required.

Most candle makers and wax melt makers list the wax and fragrance oil and maybe a note about cotton wicks for candles etc. Anything else would be for label appeal. You can learn more about label requirements at the National Candle Association website.

Fragrances are changing fast in these recent times and as our culture is getting more health conscience fragrance manufacturers are reformulating to exclude certain cancer or carcinogenic ingredients in there formulations. Those of us who have been in the candlemaking industry for several years have seen the changes taking place and how it is impacting our finished product and sales. We will be seeing more of it as the fragrance industry is undergoing these changes.

Turns out one of my shows was rescheduled for Aug 22 this month.  I just checked the website and they are still planning a go with the event. This is a hugely attended Wine and Craft Festival. Costs $30 for attendees to get in to taste wine and its not unusual for some folks to wander around a bit lit if you kwim.

Sigh..... Monday I will email them or call to cancel. The worst idea to me is holding a Wine festival with people drinking alcohol during a pandemic. Honestly how foolish and irresponsible is that?!!!!

It may not necessarily be the wax. Many FOs have been recently reformulated and may not perform the way they used to. 

Papermart has some printed bags. I do a lot of shopping at Papermart. All my shopping bags I buy at Papermart and they have really cute wood trays I use for my products too.

1 hour ago, kfintoni said:

Almost every one of my shows have been canceled. I still have a few farmers market dates but not many. Last year I did 54 shows and so far this year I have done 2. 

 

Karen in MA

 

that's more shows than me! LOL I haven't done any and very few markets. I only do markets because they have been very good at using the protocols set by the state for Covid-19. The stalls (tents) are at least 10 feet apart, everyone including customers must wear a mask, we also do the social distancing so only one customer/family at your stall, I make the hand sanitizer and everyone has a bottle and uses it a lot. No crowds have formed either and customers patiently wait at social distancing markers for their turn to go into a stall/tent. Everyone has been really good compliance to the protocols. I just can't see that happening at a craft show which tend to have huge numbers of crowds, especially the fall and holiday ones coming up.

BTW, I just received another email of another craft show  in October that plans the go ahead. This is a huge show with an annual attendance of about 25 to 30k. No way you can manage this. I just sent them back a reply that I won't be attending this year.

Here is a pic of one that is similar to what I wear:

I always wear a respirator when I make candles. It helps keep the vapors from the FO's from getting into my lungs. You should always wear some kind of protection as there are toxins in the FOs. And since we work with them full strength you are exposed to quite a number of toxic vapors. Before I started wearing a respirator I had slowly developed a distinct cough after 5 yrs of candlemaking. Once I started wearing the respirator it was gone almost immediately.

Also, when making candles try to make them in a ventilated area. If it isn't ventilated get fans or open windows or both. Even when you are finished continue ventilating for at least half an hour after making them,

Another word of caution, make sure children and pets and locked out of the area you are working in so not to expose them to the vapors.

I bought my respirator at Lowe's Home Improvement but you can find them at hardware stores and other places. Make sure it is OSHA approved for the workplace and for keeping vapors from being breathed in. Not all respirators are the same. It should set you back about $35 - $50.

19 hours ago, TallTayl said:

The next month or 2 should be interesting. Between sturgis motorcycle gathering coming up and school starting we should know a lot quickly.

Somehow I don't see the Sturgis crowd shying away from their beloved annual gathering. It can be a pretty rough crowd. Actually this year I can picture fights breaking out due to all the politics, BLM, masks, social distancing, etc. Good place for the conspiracy groups and hate groups to infiltrate and and stir up trouble.

Congrats on winning your claim! Been there and done that is like getting your teeth pulled at the dentist's office. Never a pleasant experience and you always feel like a little something has been 'extracted' from you after all you go through.

Yes. Keystone carries quite a few of Peaks FOs. Another place to look is FB. They carry some of Peaks too but I am not sure they have that particular one. Just thought I'd mention them as I have been able to replace all of my Peaks FOs between these 2 suppliers.

3 hours ago, TallTayl said:

 I cannot imagine too many craft shows would attract the crowds needed to be profitable. Write off 2020 and look forward to 2021.

My thoughts too. This year is pretty much a write off. A few of my cancelled shows I elected to leave them the fee to go towards 2021. The rest of my fees have been returned. 

Oops! Just rechecked my calendar and 2 craft shows have yet to cancel. That or I didn't get the memo. Need to check them out to be sure but I can't imagine either continuing.

I really miss Flicker's Green Tea. It was so clean and refreshing smelling and was a fabulous mixer. I am hoarding the last oz or two I have while on the search for a replacement.

Seems to me a nice blend would be a red tea and lemon biscotti. That's what I would try to find to replace the London Tea. Not sure a black type tea is right. Red tea or Orange Pekoe tea types would make excellent blending teas and would work with spices, bakery, clean, and even masculine and floral scents.

I used to make a tea and roses scent using a red tea and red rose blend I made myself for both soap and candles. It was a best seller.

Just about all the craft shows I signed up for this year have cancelled due to the Pandemic. So I was very surprised to receive a recent email from a craft show that does theirs the saturday after Thanksgiving. The management claims there will be social distancing and masks required. It is an indoor event and tends to get very busy each year with people buying Christmas gifts. I honestly don't think they realize how difficult its going to be to manage everyone who comes to the event. Shoot, people don't comply at the local grocery store or other shopping places I've been to this year.

Personally I think its completely unnecessary to expose people to the virus and irresponsible to put on an event of this type where crowds turn up to participate. But maybe that's just me. Anyway, I won't be going.

2 hours ago, wild4waxmelts said:

Can I ask where you get the flip tops from? How do you know what size to get? I'm new to this and I am noticing that the tops of the bottles vary . Or: Is it better to get bottles with droppers? All I see is glass in that type. Not the best for me: I'm clumsy. I have bought the one size only caps from FB and they're great and very reasonable...but I don't need more FO now and I feel funny ordering just lids. I guess I can twist my arm into buying more FO LOL.

 

BTW I was not sure how to comment/reply to your post so forgiveme if I did it incorrectly (which I'm bettering I did since this is NOT a quote. Please advise.

Thank you in advance,

-Karen, wild4watmelts

I have been saving flip top caps and other types of pour spout caps over the years. Once I finish off a bottle I save the pour cap and use it on a new bottle. I wash them off and store them in a container until I need them. I have several for different size bottles. I think I have even bought a few extra when I buy supplies over the years just so I can use them for FO bottles. Some suppliers send bottles with pour spout caps or flip caps and I just save them. Its been a years and years long process. I am glad I did cause now its hard to buy flip top caps or spout caps because they are always out of stock. 

1 minute ago, TallTayl said:

WSP smaller FO bottles are the wide mouth Boston rounds. Weird, but distinctive.  Can be reused for maybe a small reed diffuser.

Yeah I've had a few come in the boston rounds but not any wide mouth.... not yet! LOL I am chalking up the unusual bottles as due to the bottle shortages during to the pandemic. Some suppliers warned that some supplies may come in different bottles. 

I've had to consider some unusual bottles for some of my products while the shortage was at its worst but fortunately they just came out a different style or color so far. Whenever I am seeing my bottles in stock I am buying extra to have on hand. I am sure I am not the only one and unfortunately that sort of stocking is not helping with the shortages.

15 hours ago, birdcharm said:

 

As long as it's a bottle that fits with the replacement caps with the pouring fixture (can't think of name) that pulls out, I do that also.  The ones I'm thinking of fit 8 oz. & 16 oz. cylinder bottles.  Most places do use bottles, so then it's not an issue much about the pouring, the jars are a bit of another story, at least for me.

Don't recall ever getting any FOs in jars. But I have had EOs from Camden that have started coming in those aluminum bottles with the wide mouth and tamper proof twist tops. IDK, the aluminum bottles just kind of irritate me for a variety of reasons. Plus, none of my flip caps will fit the tops. But they seem to pour okay you just have to be more careful as more comes out the top cause of their wider mouth openings.

I didn't realize it was the type of plastic that made the pucker. I buy a lot of oils from Elements and they must be the PET plastic cause they hardly ever pucker. 

I just save different flip caps from FO bottles and reuse them when I reorder FOs. That way I can just switch out the caps/lids to the flip caps when I buy new FOs pour my oils out much easier. So it really doesn't matter which bottles a supplier uses. I understand they have to go with what works best for them and not all suppliers are gonna use the same bottle so its not a problem.

17 hours ago, TallTayl said:

Lavender and some salts react badly (rotten egg to fart  smell).

 

the bath bomb groups often used powdered coconut milk if I remember right as It was most bubbly.

Do you remember which salts reacted to the lavender? were they sea salts? epsom salts? dentritic salts? table salts? and was it the EO or a FO? I seem to recall years ago I bought some salts and mixed it with a lavender flowers FO and it was wonderful but that was years ago and I don't remember which salt but the FO was from Tradewinds. FOs have definitely changed since TW so anything I use in a fizzy bath salt formula would be new to me anyway.

4 hours ago, NightLight said:

There are many milk powder bath salts. You do want to play with proportion and packaging as they can get clumpy from moisture.Also you want to see how they would age, if there are any other additive and ingredients you want to ,ale sure they do t go bad or change color.

Experiment! Get your basic formula down then change percentage to add milk powders and fragrance. Be aware if you use a fragrance with vanillin you’re mix will not age well in color! Your lovely white color with turn tan or darker.

Thanks for the advice. Wasn't sure I could do a fizzy salts milk bath. It may yet not turn out the way I want but I can try. I will watch out for any vanillin but what I had in mind for the milk bath one was lavender and rose geranium EOs.

My next project is a line of fizzy bath salts. I've been getting requests for bath bombs and fizzy baths so decided on making fizzy bath with sea salts and or epsom/dentritic or a mix of one or more. I want to make several but only one that will be a milk bath.

I am just not quite sure if I can add powdered milk to fizzy bath salts so looking for some suggestions. I am leaning towards powdered coconut milk but also need suggestions on which powders make the best milk bath.

I am also wondering how much powdered milk is necessary to produce a nice milk bath? and will it replace some of the baking soda/citric acid/salts and end up making the fizzy bath salts less fizzy? 

Have you tried Save on Scents? They carry the hard to find unusual, exotic, and brand names. http://saveonscents.com/