soylights

I have never heard of excel 50/50?? What brand is that? I use USA from candlepower store and it works great!

When I first started making them I didn't wear a mask, now I always wear a one. When my Dr. found out I was making candles that was one of the first questions she asked me. She said the oils are chemicals and that I should be protecting my lungs. I use a 3M P95. You can get them at any hardware store like home depot or lowes.

I'm getting lots of requests for this scent. I dont see anything on the FO Thread. Who carries the best dupe? Thanks

So much great information Prairie! Thank You. I really like making soap last night and started researching more and more. I am off to coach a swim meet this morning but can't wait to get back home this afternoon to make my shea butter soap for hubby who has dry skin. I love that I can add liquid soap for more bubbles. I would have never thought I could do that! I am so used to making candles and how temperamental soy wax is. I am in a different mind set from candle making so this is very refreshing! . I was wondering if adding 1oz per pd of FO is too much? I had read that some people use only 1/2 oz per pound.

I couldn't wait so I took my shower tonight. The soap smelled wonderful and had nice lather but my hands are really dry. I used oatmeal base and the shea butter was also a base. Should I use pure shea butter additive instead? Could I do the Shea Butter by itself and just add FO?

I melted in Microwave for 30 seconds two times then 10 seconds 3 or 4 more times. I added 3% shea butter and melted another 10 seconds. I took soap out of microwave and added 1 oz of Cool Citrus Basil. So far it smells really good. I'm not sure how it will turn out but I'm excited to try it in the morning!

I bought a bar of soap at a craft show a while back that was oatmeal and shea butter with lemon lavender....WOW! I loved it and knew instantly I wanted to try to make my own. I bought some oatmeal soap and shea butter from at wix end today but it didn't come with any directions? It just says not to heat it too fast or the oatmeal will smell nasty. I don't even know where to begin and I have lots of questions: Can I melt this in a Presto Pot? I notice a lot of people heat in microwave? If so what temp? How much Shea butter do I add and when? When to add and how much FO? Can I use muffin molds? How long is cure time? Sorry to ask so much. Thanks You! I'm excited!

Thanks for all the great input! Good to know that I can still keep the name just put "type" next to it.

when i tried shrink wrap it melted my tart. i was using bags from wsp and heat gun. i wonder how you would get an accurate cut for odd shapes like tarts using this machine ?

My tarts melt when i try to shrink wrap them? do you use a special machine? sorry for typing. little one is squirming in my arms!

I am so surprised...little me got a Cease and Desist Letter from the company "love Potion". I had renamed Love Spell to "love Potion" and had no idea someone else owned the name. I did do a search before naming my candle and did not find any products under that name, but it looks like a perfume company owns it. So this has me thinking. How do all of the FO oil suppliers use Yankee, BBW, and other designer names and get away with it? Also am I allowed to call it "love spell" as long as I put that it is VS type? Just curious.

I Love advertising on FB! I use my personal profile and get weekly orders. It's free and great way to Market! Not sure about the FAN page. I thought about but am doing so well with my personal page I think I'll just stick with it!

My most stubborn fo is cinnamon nutmeg & clove. i think i will need a 20 in my apothecary! I still don't know what went wrong with my wicks. I will just retest everything to make sure . Now i feel like i have to test each new wick order that comes in. Does anyone else do this just to make sure? I gave up on the 7.5 oz tumbler. No matter what cdn wick i tried they tunneled halfway down then would start burning even with a really deep melt pool...so at first it seemed I needed to wick up, then seemed like wick was too big:confused: Those jars and their lids r way too expensive anyway.

I got my uv inhibitor yesterday and so far am loving it! it definitely helps!

I have double wicked with cdn 8's. they burn nicely but would rather single wick. Right now i am using cdn 16's and 18's and its going well for my apothecary. Thank You.

There are many different wick centering tools out there. Just wondering what your favorites are? Thanks!

CDN 12 is working very well for me right now. I have only tested with Hawaiian Pineapple from Rustic Essentials. I use gb 464 and 1 oz FO per pound. A lot of people use a CDN 10 or 12 for those jars.

I melted the wax coating off and couldn't tell any difference between the 3 sizes. I will call JBN later on.

Hi Stella! I used to color my candles but could never get them to look really really good. I think I'm a little picky when it comes to the way they look so it would drive me nutz when the colors don't turn out right:rolleyes2. I tried dye blocks and liquid dyes. I just felt like the candle looked nasty after it burned and didn't like the fading, frosting, more noticeable wet spots. Plus it seemed like no matter what I did I could never get my colors to be really rich or really bright. They always seemed dull and blah. I use gb464 and love the performance, however the wax is more cream colored than some of the other waxes I've used, so when I add FO it gets darker. I have tried c3 and just didn't like it as much. The appearance of the c3 was really nice but didn't have the cold and hot throw. Could just be me? I never tried any additives or anything so that could contribute. Thanks for your input. I ordered some uv inhibitor to try.

Do I just melt the coating off using a lighter or should I put them in my presto pot and let it melt of that way? Thanks!

Thanks Top! Maybe I'll try a little and see how it works.

Just wondering if anyone uses an additive to whiten their soy wax. I know there are a few things out there but would love feedback on any personal experiences with whitening. I don't dye my candles so I end up with a variety of white, off white, tan ect. It doesn't bother me that bad but I do think my candles would look nicer if they were at least all the same color white. Would UV inhibitor work? Thanks!

I hadn't called yet, I thought I would check with you guys first. My 5 oz apothecary burn beautifully with the 10's, and those are from the same order. It must just be the 12's and 14's. I will call tomorrow. What size CDN wicks do you all use for your 7.5 oz tumblers and your 10 and 16 oz apothcary's?

Hi There! I got them from JBN. I wonder if someone mixed them up and I got all 8's? Is there any way to tell by looking at the wick? If I double wick my apothecary's they do a great job?

I have been using CDN wicks since October and did not have any trouble. This last order (placed end of december) of 10, 12, and 14's are not burning correctly. I'm not doing anything different however they are tunneling horribly. It doesn't matter what scent I use or jar they all will only give me about a nickel to quarter size melt pool and then tunnel. Anyone else having trouble? I use GB 464 with 1% USA 1-1.25 FO per Pd Tumbler: CDN10 or 12 10 and 16 oz Apothecary: CDN 14. Thank You!