Catlover

Sounds like we're doing basically the same thing. Beginning to think I had a weird couple of bottles, if that's possible. I just made 16 with this fragrance, some from the remainder of the bottle that was open, the others from a new one. Yep...some acted up, some didn't. Grrrrr.... I've heard of funky wax batches, but never funky fo's. Guess anything can happen.

No kidding. Why did we decide to go into this business again??

Very mysterious. I also add fo at 180, pour at 155, keep my room temp at 75, stir, stir...pour very slowly...it's only this particular fo that gets the strange effects. (I don't really worry about wet spots either--actually I had my room too cool when that happened. I just mentioned it because it's more common with this fo for some reason.) But as for the bad appearance, it seems to be from little air bubbles getting trapped in there making things look funky. They pop to the surface when I remelt. NONE of the 30+ other fo's I use do this, and I pour extremely slowly, pound the jar on the counter, all those nice little things, as well as keeping that steady 75* temp as they cool on wire shelving. Oh well. Just thought I'd throw it out there to see if anyone else found this one to be a little troublemaker. I know it doesn't make sense for an fo to have air bubble problems, but there it is! I'll try pouring at 165 with this one, see if it helps...or maybe at 140, lol...

Anyone have issues with this particular fo in this wax? Naturally, it's my #1 seller this time of year and also gives me the most headaches. No matter what, I almost always have to remelt them in the oven to fix horrible-looking wet spots and weird frosting (I don't even use dye). I have a really big batch to make for a store and would like to not have to scent my oven with all of them! Just thought I'd see if anyone figured out how to tame this beast...or if it just doesn't like me.

The jars I use are pretty pricey too, but people really love them because they're heavy and high-quality, so I'd never think of changing to a cheaper one. Like puma52 said, if people feel they're getting their money's worth, they won't complain. Also remember the value of you making each candle by hand.

Same here. 2x for wholesale, 3x for retail. Keeps it simple.

Well, oops! I have everything except the net wt on my warning labels (although also just my city and state...not street address). I'll have to squish the type down a leeetle bit more....and add the weight info....

Nobody likes an uppity candle. Do you have to put this info on your candles at all? So far, I've been fine with just my logo/fragrance label and warning label...the weights are just on my website, brochure, etc. And gee, we all must be wasting good money on uppity labels when we could just be scrawling "Vanilla Bean" with a Sharpie .

Hi Oopsy, I use that same jar with 464 and a single CD wick (after much, much testing because I just don't like double wicks). It burns down with no hang at all, and doesn't get too hot. Eco wicks didn't test as well for me. As for your scent throw, I second what OldGlory says: add your fo at 180* and stir for two full minutes. I don't use dye, so can't speak to that part. Every fo is different (again...you'll have to test test test....), but I get excellent throw with 9-9.5% (that's just the way I like to figure it...you can also do x oz. per lb.) I haven't tried the method of letting the wax get slushy then reheating, but it sounds intriguing, OldGlory! I may give that a try today!

While they're in my workroom, I have lamps (no overhead), and natural light through two windows. I keep the blinds that would allow direct sun onto the shelves closed. But for some reason the Cedarwood Vanilla and Lavender Vanilla will sometimes get the yellow stripes. Probably using too much fo . In stores, it's a combo of fluorescent and natural...which reminds me that I need to call a new contact with an established account....I don't think I told her about the lighting issue and I just delivered a huge order to them. Oops!

I keep my choice of fragrances to around 30, so DH made me a great wooden cabinet with little cubbies just the right size for a 2 oz. jar, and I made samples of all my fragrances. So at craft shows, even though I don't sell all my fragrances, I have the list there and if anyone wants to take a sniff of the sample, they can. It's been really helpful. (Also with wholesale accounts!) Ditto on the canopy...gotta have it! (Make sure when you buy one that it's the same size at the top as at the bottom...otherwise you'll have a tent that spreads to 10x10 at the legs but only has an 8x8 canopy, so you get less shade. I made that mistake with my first one, so it goes to the beach now.

It's irritating when some candles are labeled as the capacity of the jar, rather than what's actually in there. Makes it look like, for instance, that my 11 oz. (actual contents) candle costs the same or more than someone else's "14 oz" (capacity) candle....in the very same jar.

Well, cool! If that's the case now (?), I'll get some as well. It would be great not to watch those vanilla-y ones turn funky (particularly CS Cedarwood Vanilla, which is a big seller and also a big yellower .

I would check again with Heather at CS, but the answer I got was that it didn't do much to help yellowing. As far as outdoors, for the short time you're out there, they should be OK if they're out of direct sun as much as possible. At least as far as I've experienced, the yellowing has happened over several days or longer.

Wish I had an answer for you: I've experienced crazy yellowing in one store, while in another they look just fine. In both stores there is average fluorescent lighting along with a good amount of natural light. I use GB464 with no UV inhibitor (yet), and no dyes. When I asked CS about their UV inhibitor recommendation, she told me it doesn't really help much in dye-free candles; it's more to help protect color. She said the fragrance oils reacting to the light were usually the issue, and I've definitely found anything with vanilla is a culprit! I just tell my wholesalers to display them out of direct light as much as possible, and definitely out of sunlight, but once they've got 'em, they're going to put them wherever they want....at least if I've warned them, they don't call back wondering about morphing colors, lol. It seems like my most troublesome fo's are the ones everyone loves, so I'm kinda stuck with them and their quirky behaviors. Good luck and congrats on the account!

Thanks, I'm going to send the Whole Body person the MSDS sheet...my supplier does supply those for each fo, so that's better than a poke in the eye. If I get this account I'll probably wonder why I wanted it as I'm spending my days making 300+ candles with my own two hands, lol! Appreciate the feedback.

OK, I've met with people in my local Whole Foods/Body, and they love my candles. Great! But, the local liaison says she would like an ingredient list of what's in the fragrance oils since they aren't all pure essential oils. They require this to be on the candle. I can give them all the info about everything else, including what bad stuff is NOT in the fo's, but I cannot provide a detailed listing, because I buy them from a supplier, and obviously they don't just give out the whole recipe. I could list whatever essential oils are in there, and maybe say an "aroma blend" including them....? I saw Pacifica candles listed on their website, and their description is about like that--definitely no particulars about what's in the fragrance oils. I wish I'd taken the time to look at the candles in the store today, just to see how some others were labeled! (If any of you are going to your local Whole Body today, check it out and let me know .) Has anyone run into this with this company, and have you found a way to satisify the requirements? Just met with them today, so maybe it'll be a moot point, but trying to figure how to approach this little roadblock. (PS, I know this is a Business questions, but since this is the veggie wax forum, I figured I'd post it here.)

I use Intuit GoPayment, although I do have PayPal to process payments through my website. Everyone seems to love the email receipts they get with GoPayment, and I've had no problems with it at all (and I even use a creaky old Blackberry).

CS Caribbean Teakwood has been a huge seller for men and women. Also love the Spice Market. Both throw very well for me in GB464.

Thanks! Now, I may can work up a decent sized order with them since I get some stuff there.

I didn't find Tony's--I must've been looking at the wrong site b/c there was nothing there at all. SGS was out of stock. I did talk to RE/AH and she told me the one they have from KY is great, so glad to hear you agree! Peaks, MC, any of these: I'm just going to have to bite the bullet and pay for UPS shipping for a small pkg unless I try the Lone Star version when I get more jars. At least it's phthalate-free, which is good. :undecided

Has anyone tried the one from Lone Star? I buy my jars from them, so I wouldn't have crazy shipping charges just for a little bottle. It doesn't say it's a Claire Burke dupe though, so ?? May be too sweet.

Thanks! I know tons of companies have AJ&P, but it's so much better to hear from people which ones they really like. I hardly use any fo's other than CS. I should also mention I use soy wax. ~ SGS is out of stock, not sure if it's long or short term. MC seems to only ship UPS, which will cost me $9.00 to get a $3.50 2 oz bottle. Ugh. Frustrating!

This fragrance is awesome and I just got a really large order for it....but CS still doesn't have it in stock due to the eugenol shortage. Has anyone found another fo that smells just like this one, or successfully used a combo of other CS fo's to recreate this one?

It's such a small shop, but I didn't really think about sales reps popping in...good point. Unless it's an all-local store (one of mine is), obviously somebody's paying for shipping! I appreciate the feedback.