Fragrance Load and Bad Math

[MemoryBurn]

Hello everyone,

I am new to this site and fairly new and very green to candle making. I am pretty insecure about my math abilities and I was hoping someone or more or many could advise on the following-

 

I am still in the experimental and testing stages and  I weigh my soy wax in grams (digital scale). Right now I weigh out (383 grams) of soy and add 1oz of fragrance oil (NOT essential oil). My question is: This would be a 7.5% fragrance load...correct? Or do I have this wrong? No worries about offending me if I'm wrong, I am well aware of my limits and shortcomings. However, what I am looking for here on this post-forum is confirmation or correction.

 

There is something else i was wondering about. Should I be weighing my soy in grams or OZ? Or does it even matter?

 

In case you need any other details please feel free to ask. I will keep my eye on this and answer promptly . Thank you in advance to any one who chimes in. I've only discovered this site a couple months ago and so far you seem like good people.

[Clear Black]

If my math is correct its actually closer to 7.4% which isnt that far off from 7.5% but Im not sure how exact an answer you need.

 

And if it were me, I would stick to ounces. Its just what is more commonly used in most things. Fo's, jar sizes, wax weight etc etc

[MemoryBurn]

2 minutes ago, Clear Black said:

If my math is correct its actually closer to 7.4% which isnt that far off from 7.5% but Im not sure how exact an answer you need.

 

And if it were me, I would stick to ounces. Its just what is more commonly used in most things. Fo's, jar sizes, wax weight etc etc

 

Thanks Clear Black. If its actually 7.4% I am completely fine with that. I'm just glad I was close enough (which I was unsure of). And I will take note on weighing in OZ. I just thought if I weighed in grams I could be more exact. Thanks again.

[TallTayl]

The math can be done in a couple of ways.

way 1: the FO as a percentage of wax:

1 oz of Fo = 28.35 g

wax measured: 383 g.

28.35/383= .074 or 7.4% as clear black came to.

 

way 2: FO as a percentage of the total pot

1 oz of FO = 28.35g

wax measured= 383 g

total in he pot = 383+28.35=411.35

28.5/411.35= 0.069284 or abut 6.9%

 

neither is wrong. Just stick with one way to measure, and one unit of measure (all oz or all grams) and you will be fine. 

 

I use the first way on my spreadsheets. It is just easier for me to grasp. I Use oz for candles, but use grams for all bath products and very small measurements that need a degree of accuracy. It's weird how we all stick with what we know for a given product. 

[MemoryBurn]

7 minutes ago, TallTayl said:

The math can be done in a couple of ways.

way 1: the FO as a percentage of wax:

1 oz of Fo = 28.35 g

wax measured: 383 g.

28.35/383= .074 or 7.4% as clear black came to.

 

way 2: FO as a percentage of the total pot

1 oz of FO = 28.35g

wax measured= 383 g

total in he pot = 383+28.35=411.35

28.5/411.35= 0.069284 or abut 6.9%

 

neither is wrong. Just stick with one way to measure, and one unit of measure (all oz or all grams) and you will be fine. 

 

I use the first way on my spreadsheets. It is just easier for me to grasp. I Use oz for candles, but use grams for all bath products and very small measurements that need a degree of accuracy. It's weird how we all stick with what we know for a given product. 

 

Great examples, and I think I got the general idea you laid out but that brings me to another question. What is the true percentage? 7.4 or 6.9?

 

Is the % just different because of use of grams in place of ounces and vice versa? This is where I get majorly confused. Please bare with me. 

 

That to me brings in another equation when I am trying to measure what works and what doesn't when testing candles. Sorry, I have a difficult time picturing anything math equated in my mind. Makes it really hard to grasp somethings. 

[gls]

45 minutes ago, MemoryBurn said:

That to me brings in another equation when I am trying to measure what works and what doesn't when testing candles. Sorry, I have a difficult time picturing anything math equated in my mind. Makes it really hard to grasp somethings. 

My brother has the same issues with math.  I made him several pouring sheets with the FOs and wax calculated per oz for  several different FO loads.  I would be happy to email them to you if you would like.  

[TallTayl]

"Which is the true percentage?"

Both. Depending on how you phrase the question.

If you want to know the percent of an ingredient in the whole blend, the second one gives you that. 6.9% of what is in the pot is fragrance in your example.

 

When I read wax vendors directions of 1 oz of fragrance per lb of oils, the mental math is 6.25% of the wax weight is fragrance.

 

In the end, use the same measurement every time for consistency and you will be OK. I go with the more conservative of the calculations for peace of mind.

[MemoryBurn]

14 hours ago, gls said:

My brother has the same issues with math.  I made him several pouring sheets with the FOs and wax calculated per oz for  several different FO loads.  I would be happy to email them to you if you would like.  

 

That sounds like it would be of great help. Is there a way to private msg you my email address?

[wthomas57]

TallTayl hit it on the head. There are 2 normal ways to figure up your percentages of fragrance to oils for your batches. While talltayl prefers option 1 , I prefer option 2. Id say its about split down the middle how we all do it. I like option 2 because when I figuring up the total fill for my candles I want to know the 'total fill' or 'total pot' as talltayl put it. So Id rather just figure out what percentage of that total fill is fragrance. For example, if I am making 4 8oz candles I know I need a total of 32oz (wax and fragrance combined). Thats easiest for me to plan a batch. And if my recipes calls for 8% fragrance (through testing as an example). Then I just take 8% of that 32 to figure out how much fragrance oil I would need. In this case 32oz x .08 = 2.56oz fragrance which I round to 2.5.

 

So, how do the manufactures intend for us to measure it? I have no idea. Usually the amounts are pretty close, but there is a difference. 

 

One thing we will ALL tell you though in agreement. Use the same measurements for everything if you can. Convert your grams to ounces or visa versa to make it easier. Doesn't make a difference which one you use. And make sure you are comparing your ounces of fragrance to ounces of wax (not pounds). Just like we always learned in school.... convert them to something common before doing the math. Oh, and be consistent with whichever you use.