Jeana

Their Virgin coconut oil is really nice, very strong coconut smell, and the best price I have found. I like what I've gotten from them so far.

Not to confuse the matter, but have you tried any LX wicks? My jars are about 4", at the widest part, and an LX 26 gives me a full melt pool, about 1/2 deep. So I'm think you could try an LX 22 or 24.

That's what I was going to ask too.

Maybe it would be best to not use the whole $300 right away at this place you are going to. Call some of the places mentioned on this board and ask for samples of the waxes. Then you can see how they each work. I think most people use RRD or LX wicks. Again, you can get sample packs of each brand (These you'll have to pay for, but they are worth it). You will get like 5 sizes or more in each sample pack. As for color, if you are going to use it, I would stick with liquid dyes. You only need a few drops for each candle and they blend much better. For fragrances you can get 5 Free 1 oz samples from a place called Royal Aromatics. They are the only ones I know of that give away free samples. They are cheap to buy from but they have a $50min if you decided to order from them. But at least you'll get a feel for all of this with some of these free samples. The website you listed doesn't say if they have wax samples or not. They have a 5lb soy at $8. and 10lb parasoy for $13. That is a lot of wax to buy for just sampling. You can buy jars at Walmart pretty cheap if you want to go with a basic jelly jar. I hope some of this helps. Once you play with some of the waxes, people will be able to answer the more definite questions you'll have. It does take time. It can be fun and frustrating at the same time. Nobody would tell me anything when I first started out. I had to learn it all the hard way. (And expensive way) So I don't mind answering any questions if I can. good luck, Jeana

Can you give us some of those names? I'm in the market for a veg/soy blend or a good soy that holds dark colors.

I keep a pot of hot water going on the stove. When the dye is melted I put on the next pot of color while I am weighing and stirring the melted one. It keeps it moving along. It doesn't take long to melt the color this way. If I don't premelt blocks especially I get spots. I won't order them again but I have to use up what I have.

I've been melting my dye separately since I switched to the presto pots. I don't get the dark spots as often when I do. I melt them in the pot I will be weighing the wax in.

Thank you so much for sharing these shakers. I got some a while back, they were all white. I felt like they didn't match the rest of my jars (all amber). These will be great! Very classy looking. I made powder one time it turned out pretty good (Lavender/Rose). I tried giving out samples and most people asked what it was for. I assumed there wasn't a much of a market for it, is this true? Does anyone sell a lot of powder? I would like to bring it back in my line but not if it doesn't sell.

I have some liquid silk sitting around, it was meant to put in lotion. I found out I stink at making lotion. So at least I know I can put it to good use in soap. Do you put the liquid in with the water and lye? How much do you use pp?

Thanks for all the encouraging words and crossed fingers everyone . Now I am brave enough to put a notice up on the work bulletin board. I brought my camera to the party but I was too nervous to take any pictures. I regret this now. We didn't get to play the games I planned on either, they just wanted to talk. I think the skepticism from the guild was due to the fact that I have so many different things I make - like most of you do to. You know the body stuff, aromatherapy wraps, soaps, candles, bath oil, salts, lip balms.... I think most of them just make one item like quilts. Thanks, Jeana:D

It was very exciting. One of my friends opened her home to me. I sold a little over $200. I'm bummed I didn't get any more bookings though. Just about all of my sales were from the stock I brought with me. Now I am hooked and I want more!!! I have an arts and craft guild that is evaluating my work to see if they will allow me in their events. I gave them a catalog to see my products. They want to make sure you make everything yourself. One of the women said their panel was concerned, she said these look too good are you sure she makes them herself? I thought that was funny. The interviewer proceeded to ask me the proceedures of how I put everything together to make sure I do make it all. I'm hoping all this will get going. :smiley2:

Speaking as a customer, I love to get little freebies. That's the best part of getting my shipments in the mail if somebody slips some small extras in there. It makes me want to come back to them. And I think it shows enthusiasm for their work.

Royal aromatics has some good prices. They have a $50 minimum too.

You're probably going with Peaks but Candlescience has a good one too.

I have a cheap $10 program called My labels. It is the best I have used so far for making my own sizes. I got a new printshop program to make cards in too and I ended up going back to good ol' My labels.

I thought it was pretty cool when I made my leather candles too. (bought from Royal Aromatics - it really does smell like leather to me.) But one of my friends picked it up and said what's this burned rubber? I started to reconsider if I should make more of these.

Funny, I was thinking that today. I do want to stay with veg. (many reasons) but I am not picky about which vegetable or plant they want to squeeze to get a good product for us. My pillars are a mix of different plant waxes so I think it would be fine for the containers to be as well. I wonder why we haven't seen pure corn candles -hehe.

They both say they are veg based. One is powder and the other is kind of grainy - could this be the difference? I guess this one is more pure than the first batch. I bought the first batch from a body care supply and the the second from a candle making supply. I would think the body care one would be more pure. Neither claimed to be triple pressed.

Here are the two email replies I got from them. Thank you for your input. Actually we may be phasing the new wax out but you can basically make it be blending 20% CB-Pure Soy with 80% of the older version of CB-Advanced Soy. Thanks again. Take Care, Dan Cap NGI Just simply put, the mass majority of the people prefer the old. Take Care, Dan Cap NGI The first does say "may" be getting rid of it, but the second implies to me they have made up their mind. I was trying to get them to keep it. And this was his answer back to me. If they weren't going to get rid of it I think he would have written back assuring me I was still going to be able to get their product. Instead he tells me how I can create my own version of it. My suggestion to them was not to replace the old but just give the new version a different name and still make it availble. That way there will not be two versions of the same wax. Any way there is too much drama over this wax and even with how to get it to preform properly. I think I am going back to the testing table when my NEW version is used up.

There won't be a new one it is simply back to the old. They told me I could make my own version of the new by using 20% pure soy and 80 % cb adv. I am getting fed up with doing all this mixing. Thanks marilyn I will definitely look in to the ones you suggested. What size are your containers that you are using the 1/2 tsp of stearic?

The liquid I use says it can go up to 20 or sometimes 40 drops per pound. I can get a fairly dark cranberry or brown with liquid dyes. I haven't had them clog or frost yet. What does the manufacturer of your dye recommend? For pumkin I have done brown and orange together, it looks like pumkin pie. Mulberry I use mauve. I haven't used the other scents you mentioned. I think apple could go burgundy or light green.

I recently got a new batch of stearic from a different supplier. I am using it in my pillars (veg) to help release from the molds better and get a steadier flame. This worked fine with my old stearic. Now I am getting huge tunnels down the middle of my pillars. And the ones that don't get this have very large cracks in other places. I did the same amount for both kinds, if anything I did less of my new brand. Can anyone tell me whats up with this? (Other than stick with the brand I bought first) I even remelted all of the pillars again, added double the wax - of course left out the stearic - and repoured. I still have cracks. Even when I add the new one to my palm pillars it makes it chrystal and not feather. I guess I don't understand how something that is called the same name can be so different.

Is she using a tealight to warm the bottom? Maybe her tealight is too hot. I think Pam may be right about seeing the oil releasing into the air.

I thought I would let any ecosoya NEW cb advanced users know I just got an email from NGI telling me they are going to phase out the new one and bring back the old version. WOW! that was fast! I just thought I would give anyone the heads up on this that didn't know about it. Do other soy companies do this with their waxes? I haven't heard of anyone else doing this. Can anyone recommend a good container wax that adheres, highly compatible with scents and color, and very smooth finish? Obviously I will be shopping for a new wax again (just as I got this one squared away).

I think it is a pretty good idea to make a dry mask that is ready to mix. I have been considering this for a while now. The herbs and eos you would add would depend on the type of skin you are catering to. The size sounds fine. The following links are from a website that carries many different clays. They describe them and tell how to use them. The information is not extensive but you may be able to refer to it to keep the uses of your ingredients straight. http://www.fromnaturewithlove.com/soap/default.asp http://www.fromnaturewithlove.com/resources/default.asp The second link is the same place but where they have recipes and a chart that tells the shelf life of natural ingredients. Hope these are of some help.