ProudMarineMom

I think the White Tea and Berries from Candle Science smells wonderful. I chose it as the free sampler to try and now wish I would have bought a larger size!

Didn't try it in my soy blend, just straight soy, 464, and it threw great for me. CS only gives it two leaves for soy, but I was impressed. And, it's safe for B&B.

Thanks HoneyBear for the info, Cedar, Sage and Blackberry is one I got.

I tried to find ones that hopefully will do well in Candles and M&P soap. Don't have the guts to try CP/HP and probably not the artistic talent. Plus, we have three dogs and I can be a bit of a klutz, so me and hazardous chemicals, probably not a good idea...

Also picked up Alaskan Wilderness, Amish Quilt, Bayberry, Blissful Blackberry, Calabrian Bergamot, English Lavender, Hungarian Lilac, Foral Christmas and Country Christmas, Issey Miyake, Celtic Moonspice, Kumquat, Amazon Mist, Angel Baby, Cherry Mist, Clover Fields and Aloe, Green Tea and Cucumber, Just Peachy, Lemon Verbena, Moon Shadow, Welcome Home, Avalanche, Country Apple and Yuzu.

I should be busy for a while!!

Pennie and Leah, sent you a copy.

eta: Srochet, looks like we both sent her an email. Well, at least she will definitely have it!!

Apparently I was channeling Scented, SYR and the other enablers and ordered 25 of them.

Yes, some of them seem very similar to the FOH scents on Elements. I actually got a sample of the Lime Crystal Kisses with my last order. If I knew how to make hand soap like the stuff from BB&W, it would be perfect. Would probably make a nice scrub of some sort.

Although, when I get a whiff of the Lime I flashback to Kamikaze shots...

:laugh2:

Anytime, glad I could help!

Can someone forward that AH/RE newsletter to me so I can see what the deal is? Thanks!

darbla2 @ yahoo dot com

I just sent you a copy of the newsletter.

J

I'm horrible at scent descriptions, but it's a rich spicy scent. Not a sweet bakery spice - more earthy and mysterious. Patchouli, clove, cinnamon...Very complex. One of my favorites.

HTH

Maybe it's the cedarwood resin that is giving it that weird smell OOB and really mellows out in the wax or soap. I'm just glad you mentioned that. Otherwise, I might have been on the classies wanting to trade rather than try it. But, everything else smells wonderful, I'm really excited to try these.

Steve, I thought I was bad with 7 scents plus 2 pre-buys. Yup, guess I'll be seeing you at the FoHo Anonymous meetings, too...

Whatever you do, don't judge it OOB - it REALLY blooms in wax & sticks like glue in soap. The first time I smelled OOB, my first thought was PINE SOL. Totally not what it smells like, LOL

Can anyone give me an idea of the notes you do smell once it's in wax? I just got my first shipment of oils from MW, 7 of them, and love all of them, except this one, which is surprising based on the description. It does remind me a bit of Pine Sol or some sort of disinfectent. I thought Patchouli Passion would be my least favorite and it's actually my fav, OOB.

Of course, I've had oils that smell great in the bottle and didn't do that well in candles, so you never know. I'll give it a try to see how it does. The fragrance has great reviews.

Almost forgot, Elements has a really nice FO called Mystic Woods.

Natures Garden has an Alien type. I assume it's a dupe of Thierry Mugler's perfume. He is the one that did Angel.

Not sure if that's the direction you want to go.

Wellington has a fragrance for each sign of the Zodiac.

You might also want to look at this thread: http://www.craftserver.com/forums/showthread.php?t=92714

CBE, Candlebuddy and Candybee give some great suggestions on mixing your own blends. You could do something like that and then come up with your own names to match the theme of the show. There are quite a few people on here that come up with great names for things.

Sent you a PM.

Old Mill carried the best OMH ever. All the Old Mill FOs are now carried by SGS. If you try the OMH from SGS you must try the Bacci de Miele too. The absolute best honey fragrance I have tried!

SGS has great fragrances. And, they are currently having a sale, 10%-50% off all of their FOS's.

Have you tried the BnL Queen of the Nile? The BCN website says it's a oatmeal, milk & honey scent on steroids! GAH! Now that I've read the description I want to order some!

Mzpickles, we might need to stage an intervention!! Just step away from the keyboard and don't listen to the Scented and SYR voices whispering in your ear....

Seriously tho, I'm right there with you. Since yesterday, I have bought some FO off the classies, did the weekly special from Moonworks, and did a pre-buy from there. And, that's in addition to what I ordered last week. I guess it's simple, I want one of everything!!

Sorry, interrupted when writing a reply and some of this has been said by Scented and Luminous.

I hope the HSMG representatives are able to fully express the issues with this bill. The sponsors seem to be trying to pass legislation that provides no definition on what is considered technically feasible, unclear on what information will be kept confidential, or how the FDA will maintain the prohibited or restricted use lists. Businesses will also be required to provide Safety Statements but the testing protocols have not been established. Once the bill has passed, they could do just about anything because most items are left up to the discretion of the Secretary.

Scented, I definitely agree with you on simplifying the chemical names on a label. Which would you rather see, Butyrospermum Parkii or Shea Butter. At least most people know what Shea Butter is. And, the label should be correct and accurate. Although, I think they are being excessive on the labeling requirements, listing every ingredient including the individual components of fragrances, preservatives and botanical, petroleum-derived or animal-derived ingredients. I’d like to see all of that on a tube of lip balm!

Also disagree with registering everything and making it a matter of public record. Even if just the ingredients are available and not the percentages, people will still have access to the basic recipe. And, it’s required despite the Trade Secret protection. I doubt that KFC would want to register all of the stuff in their secret spice mix. I do like what Luminous said about registering the company information. That could be something a Salon or Craft Show could ask for, in addition to the Insurance, to hopefully ensure the vendor is safe.

From what I have seen from the members of this board, the main concern is to create a safe product that has quality ingredients and has been properly tested. I’ve read several posts from newbies like me that pretty much say ‘I’ve made a candle, or soap etc, how much do you sell them for?’ and the strong advice that is given. I currently don’t sell any of my products. I’m testing everything to make sure it’s safe. And, I rely on the experience of people here to understand the entire process. I was definitely naïve when I first started, but I’m learning.

Even though I’m not yet selling, I hope to someday. But, I can read something, like this bill, and recognize ridiculous…

Hi to a fellow Georgian and welcome to the board! You will find a lot of nice people and a wealth of knowledge here.

I started with the Advanced, then tried the 444, 415 and have settled on the 464. I'm fairly new as well and still trying to create a consistent, safe candle. The CB Adv is hard to screw up but it doesn't have much of a hot throw. Haven't tried the Excel, although according to testers on the board, it does have a better HT than the Advanced. But, still less than other waxes. Do a search in the Vegetable Wax forum for Excel. You should find quite a few threads on testing results.

I never conquered 415, always got the mashed potato tops. And, my HT was so-so. Which is why I switched to 464. Was doing really good testing that until I got my first bad batch. The wax would not harden no matter what I did. After doing a lot of research here, ended up buying some USA (Universal Soy Additive) from The Candlemakers Store. It increases the hardness, helps with wet spots and is supposed to improve scent throw. Just remember, if you use additives you will probably need to adjust your wicking. So, keep really good notes.

For the 464, I've found the cooler I can pour, the smoother the tops. And, I'll get very little frosting with the darker colors. Other tips are warming the jars, covering with a box or towel while cooling, putting the jars on a wire rack, or putting them in a warm oven. You will just have to find the best trick that works for you and your workspace. Environmental conditions can be as big a factor on candles just as much as fo, colorant, wick, and additives. You will be doing a lot of testing and you will need a lot of patience!! Soy can be finicky and temperamental. And searching this board will help tremendously. Someone has usually had the same problem at one time or another.

Good luck and welcome to your new obsession!!

oooh, I would be interested to hear about this as well!! I have three dogs and don't really care for any of the shampoos you get at the store.

Just made some of these for my DIL and her best friend. Didn't have Coca Butter, so used Aloe Butter. Mixed that with some VS Super Model FO and a couple of drops of pink. I don't have a mini-muffin pan but do have a silicon brownie bite pan with 24 cavities. Popped them into the freezer for about 20 minutes. Let them warm up a bit and they popped right out. Each melt is about 1 ounce. Not sure if they are large enough but will find out from my DIL. In this thread, I've seen size recommendations anywhere from 1/2 ounce to 2 ounces. They do seem to be very moisturizing and are very easy to make. Thanks Bunny!!

2of7 - Mine did the same thing, thickened up pretty quickly. I used the micro to melt the aloe and put a little heat in it. Then added everything but the Citric Acid. Stirred that pretty good to get it as smooth as possible. Once it was slightly cooler and thicker, probably about glue consistency, added the CA and mixed as hard and quickly as I could. By then, it was probably like a thick brownie mix. Once I poured two or three, I thought is was a bit too thick. So, used a spoon to fill the cavities, which worked out really well. Just need to find an icing knife or something to smooth the backs a little better.

Hope that helps. Had to help a fellow Georgian out...

A question for anyone who has read the entire bill? I would like your opinion on one of the Sections. I'm trying to put together a summary letter that I can send to the Representatives. Most of the issues or questions I found are already mentioned by Scented, Luminous and the various websites and blog links provided. I just haven’t seen this mentioned and not sure if I’m reading it correctly. This would be a bullet point for the excess reporting and documentation requirements of the bill. And, maybe the vague wording.

Specifically, I’m looking at Sec. 3 Worker Issues starting on Page 44. Looks like an OSHA standard will be implemented that will require ‘manufacturers’ to create an extended Material Safety Data Sheet for each product you produce that contains a hazardous material. I don’t make CP/HP soap, but the lye that is used immediately comes to mind. If I read the text correctly you would have to write a MSDS for say your soap and have it available for any person that works for you as well as any establishment that sells your product. And, it must be available in foreign languages if requested. I don’t know how the ingredients are listed on a product label for CP/HP soap so this may not be an issue for someone who sells your product. But, you would still have to write it if you have anyone that helps make your soap. Maybe you already do this...

The section seems a bit broad to me. Not sure if they are making reference to materials that I would call hazmat materials, like lye, or those that would be maintained by the agencies that were listed earlier in the bill (the EPA, International Agency for Research on Cancer, etc.) But, in that section, it states that if any cosmetic or ingredient is on the list from those agencies, they would be considered unsafe by definition.

Am I reading too much into this and it really doesn’t matter. Or, does it make sense to those of you that use hazardous chemicals. What do you think?

J

I agree, a picture really does make a difference...

I just tried this with some FO and a straw and it worked great. Thanks Carebear for the excellent tip!!

I was pretty much like Sharon, just let it dribble down the bottle. Now I'll be able to read the labels on the smaller bottles that don't have a pour lid because the oil won't smear the print.

Catlover, was wondering if something like a toothpick would work. Wasn't sure if the wood would soak up too much of the fo. Will have to give that a try as well.

oooh, I want to try the Elements Autumn Harvest, is the hot throw good for you in your wax? IIrc you use 464, don't you?

Yup, I use 464. Although I've been working on a blend to stabilize the wax better.

I thought the hot throw was very good and that was using straight soy with Eco wicks. I'm not particularly fond of bakery/food scents and I even thought it was nice. Have to check my notes but I don't think I wicked up because of the cinnamon. Need to pickup some more to test with the blend. With which I'm liking the CD's. Ah, the never-ending joys of wick testing.

I used all of the FO that I had or I would send you some...

ETA: WhooHoo just noticed that I'm no longer a Drip I'm now an Enigma!!!

Sorry, been up since 0430 and sometimes easily amused....

The ones that my family and testers loved was Autumn Harvest from Elements and Peaks Caramel Apple.

Nature's Garden has pretty good prices on their bottles. And, they sell them in 10-packs, which is good for those of us that need small orders. The 4oz Cosmo's are $2.90 for 10 and $1.00 for 10 of the black disk lids. They do have a nice selection of bottles and jars.

Maybe little pillows? Ornies? Fuzzy key chains? Can you dip satchets? Not sure how pourous something can/needs to be.

Since it was a salon, was thinking about things in a salon that might could be dipped, combs, brushes, foam rollers. Little things that could be put in a cup or a basket. But, I think you are trying to sell to their clients and need something they would display in their own homes. Don't think a hair roller would look very nice!

J

Well, the sticks I got from Natures Garden are also tied with a pink plastic. They are pretty uniform if not very thick. So, maybe they all are from the same company. Wellington answered back and said theirs are also on the thin side. Haven't heard back from Scentsations yet but the pics look very similar to the ones you linked. The NG sticks are definitely more uniform than the charcoal ones I got. Some of those were thinner than a toothpick and some were a nice size.

I'm thinking you are right, would have to find an importer from China or India and go that route. Obviously somebody makes them because companies are selling incense, joss sticks, agarbatti, whatever you want to call them and they are nice and fluffy looking. But, they seem to be from foreign exporters.

I'll still be happy to make incense with what we have and send back to you.

Patti, my remarks are not about your post so please don't think I was being rude. This morning there was a post from fenglingling about Sleep Apnea. Maybe the Mods are removing. The same post was still on the 'Ideas for items to dip' thread a little while ago.

J