jonsie

I've been playing around with soap crayons for awhile now hoping to make a viable product to sell. The moms and kids who have helped me test them have been very happy with them so that has been encouraging. Basically I use clear M&P, a little bit of FO, and enough liquid pigment to allow the soap to 'draw' on the bathtub. The colors that have worked the best for me are purple, blue, and green. Red will mark, but not as well as these other three. So far they clean up from the tub and shower just fine. They don't stain the grout, the fiberglass tub, the tile, or the countertops. However, if I let some blobs of this dry out on a white washcloth, and run it through a long warm cycle in the clothes washer, it comes out stained from the pigment. Although my friends didn't comment on this (I don't know how nice their towels are, lol) I am really concerned about this. I don't want this to be a deal breaker How would you handle this? Would you even attempt to sell these? How would you warn people about this?

Thank you everyone for such wonderful feedback! I ended up going with veggie stearic. I made crayons with both bw and stearic and got slightly better results from the stearic.

Whew! I was worried there was an area of chandling that I did not know about, lol!

All my references to temperatures in this thread have been in Fahrenheit, and not Celsius (and both are in degrees, by the way). Hope that answered your question.

Horsescents, I can imagine it is confusing with a lot of conflicting information. I can't help but wonder why we haven't completely scared you away! Higher temperatures are what I strive against, because the higher the temperature, the greater the safety risk. I started this thread because I want to accomplish my candle goals with as low a temperature as possible. (and by the way, Soy327 is right, I don't heat my wax to 250, lol) To summarize what I have learned since starting this thread is that: --> temperatures in the 185 range are ideal for dispersing the dyes into the wax, so if you are coloring your candles, you pretty much need to start with your wax at a higher temperature --> fragrance oils are sensitive to wax temperature. Consult with your FO supplier for the ideal temperature to add the FO for your wax type. NGC recommends using the Flash Point as a gauge: the higher the FP, the higher temperature you should add your FO. I know first hand that some citrus FOs have much better HT and fragrance when added at lower temperatures. So it sounds like I'm stuck with the higher temperatures, lol. Thanks everyone. Any other advice is always appreciated!

I'm considering using beeswax to harden up my M&P, and will be sure to list it on the label, but I was wondering if some people have a reaction to it? One little boy that likes my soap crayons is allergic to bees, so that has me especially concerned.

Some of my recent experience with OnlineLabels.com: OL713CL: Full Sheet Clear Gloss Laser. I tried using this in my HP Photosmart C7200 series, but it smeared and never dried, which makes sense since my HP is like an inkjet. So I use these in my Brother HL-2140 Black ink laser printer, and I am very happy with the results. They do not smear, and by all accounts seem to be waterproof (but I only tested with black laser). OL713WI: Full Sheet Weatherproof Gloss Inkjet (not clear, but white) . I use these in my HP Photosmart and although it makes for an attractive glossy label, I can't say that they are 'weatherproof'. If I put a couple of drops of water on the label it seems to stain it. Since I am only using these on candles, I decided to try OL713WG as they are half the price of the Weatherproof, and now I am waiting for them to arrive.

I use clear glossy labels from Online Labels in my very cheap Brother B&W laser printer, and those don't smudge. Maybe the labels you have aren't made for ink jets?

It might help if I saw a picture of what you were talking about. What I am imagining is a piece of paper/cardstock left inside the candle container that the customer would have to remove before burning? Depending on the setup, it sounds a little like a torch risk in case the customer wasn't bright enough to remove the paper. Of course I might be thinking of the wrong thing, so a picture would help.

Oooh, you've gotten me curious. And they are lifting images and descriptions from the same supplier that you and I both use here? Ouch.

What a wonderful person. That says a lot about her character!

Thank goodness it's a honeysuckle I like! I just received care packages from my MIL (in the U.S.) which included my Peaks order of Honeysuckle and a few other FOs. At some point between leaving Tennessee, and arriving here in Perth, Australia, the cap on the Honeysuckle FO cracked. Yup... FO EVERYWHERE. Maybe 1/4 of the 16 oz leaked out, and through the zip-lock bag it was in, and even melted some of the Polly Pocket toys my MIL had packed for my daughter. When the delivery guy brought the boxes over this morning, he was in a cloud of fragrance! And he probably will be all day, lol. But I'm loving these FOs! It's my first order with Peak and they did not disappoint. What I got: Honeysuckle (nice, sweet, natural smelling... like the real deal) Asian Sandalwood (nice and full) Tall Grass (fresh, but more sweet than I hoped for) Lilac Genuine Leather Gardenia (which seemed weak compared to the overpowering honeysuckle) Plumera (smells fabulous) Cannot wait to pour some!

Amen to that! At 6%, my Gingerbread and Sugar Cookie scents are my strongest throwers by far.

Candybee, thanks for your input. You mentioned following the manufacturer's recommendations for their wax, and to be honest, I am not sure what my manufacturer recommends since I don't see it on their website. I'll send them an email and ask them directly. But like you also said, there are so many variables, and the composition of the FO may play a huge role in the best temperature to add it to the wax. In the meantime I went to my supplier's website, and read their 'How to Make a Soy Candle' guide. According to them, it's more important to add your dye at the higher temperature to give it as much opportunity to disperse with stirring. Then as your wax approaches pouring temperature, add your FO, again stirring to work it through the wax. Another supplier recommended basing the temp at which the FO was poured on the FO's flashpoint: the higher the flashpoint, the closer to 185 F, the lower, then closer to 160 F. So it sounds as if FO composition does play a role and can be an indicator of when to add it.

Thanks for the info, Dan. That is really helpful for me As much fun as it would be to have one of these 3d modelers, it's completely impractical for us right now since we'll probably be moving from Australia to Indonesia within the next couple of years. Otherwise, hubby and I would totally geek over something like that. Thanks for the links to the websites, those were fun to look through. I noticed some models were available in SolidWorks format, which is what hubby and I have experience with. As for my soap needs, they aren't all that complicated, and probably wouldn't need such a set-up. Basically I just want my logo embossed into a bar of soap. But it is nice to know these options exist.

Thanks, soy! Good luck with that FO. I'm interested in how it works for you. That must mean you've been adding your FOs at high temps. And I'll state my question again... do you add your FOs at high temps because you read here that you should do it, or have you tried it both ways and determined on your own that adding FOs at higher temps gives you better HT? I agree with everything you said here. Although I omitted the point about stirring originally, I believe it is critical. Thank you for your reponse. This is the kind of feedback I was looking for.

If I get a mould made, it would be for soap. I'm still trying to master container candles before doing anything other type of candle. Those sound so cool! I would love to have one just to play with it.

I've decided to drop my wax pouring temperature from the 160s to the 100s, and I really don't like waiting for my wax to cool down all the way from 175F to the 100s. So I wanted to ask this question: Why do we generally add FOs at higher temps such as 175 - 185 F? The explanation I have read a few times here is that the FO needs to be added at the higher temperatures to incorporate it into the wax. But I wonder, since FO is already liquified, and the soy waxes are well above their melt points even at temps such as 150F, why not add the FO then? If you have tested numerous temperatures to which you've added your FO, and tested your CT and HT, and established that the higher temps create better-smelling candles, then I would love to hear about that. If you haven't tested, but add FO at the higher temps because that seems to be the general advice here, then I want to hear that too. I would put myself in this category. However, from my own limited experience, I have used the lower temperatures to add citrusy FOs so they wouldn't smell rotten, and I've had good results. I've also added EOs at lower temps (140F) and had great results too. So before I embark on a great deal of testing, I thought I'd check in with y'all first. TIA Susan

Sorry to hear about your financial situation. Hope that things will get better for you money-wise. As for the HT, you mentioned in your post: That might be your problem. Have you tried lower FO amounts, such as 6%? Not sure why, but many other people have noticed that when they try to max their FO load, HT takes a huge hit. And at lower %s, you'll save a lot of money too. Definitely worth a try, if you haven't already tested it.

Oh my, I think I just snorted wine up my nose... Sooo, so true. But keep it simple to minimize expenses... one type of candle, one type of wax, and experiment with the wicks and FOs. See what it takes to master just one kind before taking on anything else. Good luck!!!

Thanks Shanda, that is helpful!

Sounds like you did well! As for increasing crackle, I don't know how to do that either, but to be honest, I haven't tried. I have read that the additives like FO and dye help increase the crackle, but I tend to stick with what makes the candle work well for me. When I sell the candles with the wooden wicks, I don't promise that it will crackle, I just say that "they are known to crackle."

That is wonderful information! Thank you so much.It is way too expensive for me to get 435 over here, but I've ordered some cottonseed additive from Candle Soylutions. It can't get here soon enough!

I love all the prints, especially the swirls! What a great idea!

My 'Plain Container Palm Wax' comes in a solid 20kg chunk, and I found the best thing for it was an ice cream scoop