Candybee

Wow! I'd be interested too in your efforts mainly out of curiosity. Like how do you bond the discs to the tube, how do you make sure its sealed, smooth, and what you plan to use for a wax release. Plus how do you plan to wick? Make a wick hole or use wick pins? Would also love to see side by side pics of your newly made mold with a candle you made. I love seeing innovation at work and new ideas.

WTH???? Do tell the story. Why did they dump it??!!!😲

Update: my package left Kansas City and is now en route and scheduled to be delivered tomorrow on the 19th. So I am happy just to know its on its way. Praying it stays on track.

Update, my package is now in Kansas City, MO and marked "delayed". If I look at a google map Nashville TN to Front Royal VA is due east. It first went from Nashville north to Indiana, and then ended going south west to Kansas City, MO. Sounds pretty loopy to me!!!!!🤣

Well it is somewhere en route and nowhere near the delivery hub waiting on a delivery truck. So I guess I am just hoping it doesn't get waylaid in some corner and forgotten. I am beginning not to appreciate FedEx thou. The other day they delived my neighbors packages to me and I had to "redeliver" them. Plus that ain't the first time FedEx has done that to me.

I ordered my supplies more than a week ago and would get notices when shipped, en route, where en route it was, and estimated delivery dates, etc. It is now with Fedex and when I check on it I no longer get a delivery date. How can I get delivery dates then suddenly Fedex is saying "delivery date pending" and "no scheduled delivery date at this time"? All I know is it now somewhere in Indiana when it started out in Nashville. I am in Virginia. So... ? Thank goodness I have enough supplies to last me until they arrive. I am just a little baffled by it all.

You already know my feelings about it. I prefer the melt to push right out of the melter with one finger. Mine do. I have bought melts that had to be poured out when still liquid otherwise you had to dig them out. No thanks! Plus I just don't think I should have to bother to put the dish with the melt in the freezer to get it out. Pain in the butt I think. Nope, I only want melts that come out whole with a simple push. TT brings up an important issue though, sometimes the type of melter can present a challenge to releasing a melt. But more often than not its typically the type of wax used. If you are going to make and sell wax melts get a wax that releases from the melter easily. Then as a side sell a good brand of melters that both heats and releases melts properly so you are giving your customers the best. I really hate those crap melters that use a low wattage utility bulb or melters with tin or metallic bowls. Watch out for those melters. Doesn't Scentsy sell those melters that use the low wattage bulbs and then they claim that only their melts will work in them. Pfft! If you are moron enough to buy one of their overpriced underperforming melters and wax melts you deserve to waste your money. Sorry I got off track there.

Looking for an alternative to phenonip for a sugar scrub recipe. I have Optiphen Plus and Germall Plus. Would one of these work?

My first lotion was greasy and lacked glide so I know how you are feeling. But after doing some more research into lotion and cream making helped me a lot. Why I didn't even know there was a basic formulary for crafting lotions and creams. Once I incorporated the formula's and started trying switching out ingredients that had properties I wanted my lotions and creams starting coming out pretty awesome. For my emulsified lotions and creams I keep my oils down to no more than 1-2% and my butters 2-5% tops. My favorite butter in lotions or creams is kokum. It absorbs well into the skin. I also like jojoba oil for my liquid oil. For glide and silkiness there is a variety of products you can use, just pay attention to their solubility of either water or oil and adjust your oils or liquids accordingly if you sub one of them. I love the feel of alkyl esters, silk amino acids, and WSP's Luxglide N350 in my lotions or creams. I don't use all at once thou due to the expense. But trying out one of these in your formulation should give you some silkiness and/or glide. I also shop around for my E-wax as there are different kinds and some add glide and or silkiness besides being an emulsifier. I like to use a combo of one of the BTMS's coupled with one of the E-waxes. ITDF and WSP have some great wax emulsifiers that offer a range of properties. I like WSP's E-wax Soft & Silky that is very nice. Couple that with alkyl esters and you have a rockin upscale lotion. Just switching out one or two ingredients can make all the difference. I don't use all of these at once, rather a combo of emollients/esters and maybe a combo of emusifiers and depending on what I want from my lotion.

Me too! When I found out the CSNs were going OOS at CS forever I ordered enough to last me for the next 5 yrs for my jars I use.

This information you are getting from 2006 is just that, really old info that was passed around and around ad nauseum back in the early years when soy first came into the market and was toted as a so-called 'natural' wax. Once palm came on the scene the manufacturers had a new "enemy" to attack and then palm became the wretched low down dirty wax. A lot of that propaganda and misinformation is water under the bridge so to speak as today's candlemakers and wax manufacturers have moved past that and educated themselves and I can tell you customers have as well. What you probably don't know is how much this divide and misinformation was driven by the wax manufacturers themselves to put down the other wax types to promote their own as the perfect wax to use. All waxes are manufactured. None are all natural. The original source of each wax; palm, beeswax, coconut, soy, and yes even paraffin is derived from a natural source. Paraffin is derived from the oldest natural source, fossil fuels. Can't get any more natural than that as its been on earth the longest and comes from natural oils of decayed plants and animals and lays in pockets deep in the earth. About the only candle wax that can be claimed as all natural is beeswax and only if it has been cleaned naturally. ONLY. However, all manufactured waxes for candlemaking leave a footprint on the environment, all candles produce soot, and all waxes are the by-product of a much larger industry. So environmentally speaking they each have their own impact on the environment and none are natural. If a wax manufacturer says their wax is either natural or all natural, et al., they are lying.

I hope for the best for you. Testing a lot only helps you learn more about your wax and wax blends performance. Always a good thing! One suggestion before you go to sell, test out a melt then let it cool completely. See how easy or difficult it is to get the wax out. My melts slip out whole with a simple push of one finger. So when I am finished with a melt, I just slip it out and toss it in the trash. This is one of the reasons you want a pillar, tart, or votive wax that has a higher melt point with a little shrinkage as it cools. Thats why my melts slip out with a touch of one finger in one whole piece. Excellent HT is not the only quality you look for, a customer looks for, in a wax melt. As a customer I can tell you I don't like melts that have to be dug out and if I buy one that does than I never buy from that buyer again.

Reminder that I suggested only a very small % of coconut oil. No it would not produce a coconut scent. Not sure why you are wanting to lower the MP of your wax. 4625 is already a blended paraffin wax which has had its original MP lowered already due to its blending. It doesn't need any additives as they are already included. Are you trying to avoid a second pour? Do you need a second pour for your melts? If so, have you tried pouring at a lower temp first? I ask because I try to avoid using additives on already blended waxes as it tends to take away or spoil the wax properties rather than enhancing it.

Your best bet is to buy from a local supplier if you like their products and they work for you. This will save you both time and money and if you have a business you are always looking for ways to save without cutting quality. For supplies I don't use any one supplier for all. I use several for different purposes. Also, I have a soaping biz so I have to buy in bulk to save. I do have some suppliers I buy a lot from and I will list those: Soapers Choice, for bulk oils and butters ED, for bulk shea, EOs, lye WSP, EBB, EBC, Camden Grey, Lotion Crafters, FNWL, ITDF, for soap & BB supplies TKB, Nurture, for micas and oxides CS, EBB, C&S, Nurture, RE, WSP, FB, for FOs Camden Grey, for most of my EOs, plus soap & B&B additives Packaging; WSP, SKS, Papermart, EBB You mentioned preservative. For what? I use different preservatives for different products but mostly for B&B. I buy most of my preservatives at WSP but others are ITDF, Lotion Crafters, and FNWL to name a few.

If thinking of using an additive why not try either coconut oil or petrolatum. These two are more typical wax additives some candlemakers use to lower the MP of container waxes. Just start off with a very small amount like 1-5%. Some people swear coconut oil helps improve HT but I never found it to be the case. If this is for container candles remember that using either can increase your soot and even make the candle smoke when burning so use the least % possible to achieve your temp goal. Or are you asking about lowing the temp for wax melts? I found a slightly harder wax like a pillar, votive, or tart wax to work the best for wax melts. I want the finished melt to pop out or slide right out of the warmer when its cooled so the customer does not have to dig it out or liquify it to remove.

Those are great suggestions NightLight. I do use Webstaurant periodically for supplies and trust their products. Will check them out for bulk gallon freezer bags. Also, when you were saying you like to use a beater to blend in FO, I pictured myself using a handheld beater to mix the lotion and FO right in the bag. I think it could be done. Maybe you have already tried this. IDK but I think I should at least try it and see if it works for me. I realise it would have to be done carefully so as not to get any part of the bag caught in the beaters. That would be a mess. LOL But if it works, it would save washing out a bowl and/or more equipment. Question re thick cream as in face cream: Have either of you, TT and NightLight, used an icing bag with a tip to extrude thick cream into a low profile jar? I have a thick face cream that is somewhat problematic to get into jars. Currently I am spooning the finished cream into the jars. But it is super messy and I go through a lot of paper towels to clean the jar edges and sides. It can be exhausting and takes up my time and sweat just to clean and lid the jars! I have often thought of using an icing bag with a tip to get the thick cream into the jars. Also, I am looking for jar liners that go over the top of the jar under the lid. I currently use press-on lid seals but don't like the look of them on my face cream jars but they do add a more finished touch to my product . I would rather use those plastic lid liners you see on fancy jars like L'Oreal. I have noticed that the face cream can move around inside the jar and the extra lid liner over the jar top will help to make it look better as you see the liner under the lid instead of cream all bunched up to one side. Hope you kwim, I am fussy about how the cream looks once you open the jar and thought the liners would make a nicer polished look.

Can't say I understand that completely but it does help a bit. I had been thinking it may have some bearing on how emulsions might work well together in the end product. I'm not into hair conditioners or liquid shampoos but started working on developing my own solid conditioning and shampoo bar recipes. Right now I am definitely getting more knowledgeable in developing my own lotions and creams and honing my recipes. If the term cationic comes up again will pay more attention. I guess it may help more to know which ingredients are carrying either a cationic or anion reaction/charge to produce a better product and the why and how behind.

I keep coming across the term cationic when researching ingredients for my lotion and cream making. I understand in simple terms it means its a cation; an ion with fewer electrons than protons giving it positive charge. But what does this mean in terms of my lotion making? Does this mean my lotion is a cationic emulsion? or are specific ingredients cationic? Do I want a cationic emulsion? If so, why? Trying to find out if its a good thing to strive for. I also keep coming across questions on websites from other bath & body makers asking if an ingredient is cationic. So I would like to understand it a little better. Can anyone describe this to me in simple terms I can understand. I want to know some of the the science behind what makes an emulsion cationic but I am not great with chemistry.

Just got my CC samples today. Woohoo!!! 1. The Winter Woodlands Whisper does smell very much like the old CS Mistletoe. But I have only smelled it OOB so can't be 100 percent on that until I put it in a candle. But honestly, what I am smelling so far is a good match and a wonderful FO I can't wait to try. I am even smelling the eucalyptus oil in it. It seems like something is missing but not sure what and won't be able to tell until I test it. It smells slightly weaker and the fir or pine needle is softer? 2. I am loving the Crushed Strawberry & Rhubarb! Lovely tart rhubarb with just the right amount of strawberry, more tart than sweet but then that is what I want. Can't wait to soap this baby!!! It should be the perfect FO to blend with my CS Fresh Picked Cucumber. 3. The Sage and Chamomile is very nice. Although it smells more like a fresh and clean linen scent OOB. I am not detecting any sage or chamomile. This is another one I want to test in CP soap. I could use it as a replacement for my beach linen line of soap. Will have to test in soap first to decide. 4. The Surf's Up I expected it to be another version of Bobby Brown's Beach. But its not quite that at all. The description is notes of cocoa butter, salty sea air, and surf wax. Hard to describe what I am smelling but I do smell notes of cocoa butter or some kind of cocoa butter suntan lotion, ozone, and salt. Not sure about the wax part but maybe that comes through in the application. Its very nice and I will definitely test in soap. 5. I also got a sample of Dew Drop. I got this because I am looking for a match to another old favorite of mine that disappeared, Flicker's Olive Blossom. I can only find similar matches in 'rain' or rain water' type FOs. Anyway it has notes of freesia and juniper in it and the pairing is beautiful. Its both delicate yet strong, cool and warm at the same time. Hard to describe this one, but I would definitely say it belongs in the spa, clean, or upscale scent types. I also got this to test in soap and hoping I get something unique and as upscale as I am smelling OOB. 6. Last, CC sent me a small sample of Spiced Apple Pie. This would make a great candle scent. To me it smells just like apple pie filling with lots of spice and warm gooie filling and cooked apples. Yum! This to me is more a pie filling rather than warm pie scent. So personally I would mix it with a nice pie crust FO for warm apple pie scent. It would be worth it because I like this pie filling scent better than warm apple pie, I just miss the crust part.

Everyone is having supply issues. It started with the pandemic and has just gotten much worse. Whenever you can find your jars I recommend stocking up. I have been doubling my usual orders whenever I find things in stock I use. Anyway, you may try out C&S, Fillmore Container, maybe SKS? not sure about them but you can check. I don't use your jar so not sure which other suppliers carry it. But when you do find it like I said really stock way up on it cause I doubt this supply problems are going away anytime soon. I predict it will go well into next year and perhaps beyond.

Actually this sounds like an awesome blend with just the right amounts of each wax to make a terrific scented candle. No I haven't tried it, I am on the east coast and use container palm exclusively. But if I lived on the west coast and was looking for a blend I would be excited to try this.

pm'd you!

My first thought was your beeswax is way too high. I never added more than 5% to any soft container wax. More than 5% always caused me problems. I would try cutting back and starting out with a very low % of beeswax then adjusting from there. Remember less is more in candlemaking. YOu tend to want the least amount of an additive in your wax to function well. Good luck with using EOs. They are not made for candlemaking and tend not to scent very well or can be very light. While a few can work well many simply do not. You are much better off using FO's specifically made for candlemaking.

I couldn't find any spout bags at BB. I did find some at Amazon. While I do like the spout for pouring lotion into bottles, what I don't like about it is filling a spout bag with lotion base. Almost seems like more trouble than its worth. Plus what I found the price comes to around $2 a bag. The bags are freezer and boiling proof and reusable and that is a plus thou. But I think I will try out slider freezer bags. Seems to me they would be much easier the fill with lotion base to store. I think when I buy them I will also buy an airtight plastic tote to store the lotion filled freezer bags in. Just a tad more insurance of preserving the lotion and also easier storage. But I think a 5-10 gallon plastic tote is about all I can heft around.

I love those boilable spout bags. Come to think of it lotion bases can be hard to mix in FO unless its heated first. Off to Amazon and BB to check them out!