jtiff66578 Posted November 26, 2017 Share Posted November 26, 2017 Dear friends, I am just getting back into candlemaking. I am narrowing down my supplies though because I simply do not have the room to store all of them. Do any of you make dye free candles only and if you used to color your candles and went dye free = did it affect your sales at all? One of the main reasons that I am going dye free - is because I cannot locate my dye chips. :-( I am using c3 wax and 8% fragrance oil. I am going to test that before moving further. I was never happy with my candles at 6%. I am not sure what wicking series I will use yet. I have some 8 oz jelly jars that I found and premier wicks, eco wicks, cotton core wicks and cd wicks. I found some of Candle Science's watermelon which I am not a huge fan of but it will get me started either way. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crafty1_AJ Posted November 26, 2017 Share Posted November 26, 2017 I once took a poll on this subject (within the last year). Most people said they preferred color in their candles or had no preference. A few people voted for color-less. One advantage is that uncolored don't have to match any decor colors in someone's home. Color does attract the eye and help get your product noticed at shows, markets, in shops, etc. So I would advise that if you choose colorless candles, you might want to put a splash of bright color on the label. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cindym Posted November 26, 2017 Share Posted November 26, 2017 I went dye free a couple of years ago, container candles only, I have had no decrease in sales of containers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtiff66578 Posted November 26, 2017 Author Share Posted November 26, 2017 Crafty1_AJ - do you use liquid or dye chips in your candles? From the pictures - you have just lovely candles and nice and bright. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crafty1_AJ Posted November 26, 2017 Share Posted November 26, 2017 Thanks. I use mostly liquids, but dye chips too (rarely). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darbla Posted November 27, 2017 Share Posted November 27, 2017 I never put dye in my container candles; to me they look more upscale that way. I do not sell, but that's still my preference as a consumer. Maybe colorless / white / cream just seems more "clean" to me? However, I don't make container candles with a rustic look. For some reason I find color more appealing if the effect you're going for is more rustic or country chic, so maybe the style of your candle or the area you're in needs to be considered too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbradshaw Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 I only do dye-free. When I was learning to make candles (well, obviously still am learning) it seemed like one other thing to worry about so I didn't bother. I buy dyed and dye-less candles, but prefer dye-less as I just like the look better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sponiebr Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 1 hour ago, jbradshaw said: I only do dye-free. When I was learning to make candles (well, obviously still am learning) it seemed like one other thing to worry about so I didn't bother. I buy dyed and dye-less candles, but prefer dye-less as I just like the look better. @Trappeur you doing/did the dye free thang? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sponiebr Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 I have no business here in Chandler's land, I'm just running amok, ignore me... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kandlekrazy Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 Dye free for years in soy. I do color palm candles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonshine Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 Dye free in soy here also since I started years ago- I hate the way dye mixes with my wax (I tried it a few times) and I like the clean look of natural wax for my square masons - 415 is pretty rustic looking especially after burns so I think it fits so much better dye free parasoy I am playing with colors...it's such a smoother wax I like the colors with it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdcharm Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 It's definitely true that no added color is an easier way to go. I make soy or parasoy container candles both ways though, some without any color and others with color or specks of color. Yet, sometimes I get some strange ideas and they turn out a little on the weird side like this one did last week, I must have sniffed too much Cranberry Spice ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trappeur Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 10 hours ago, Sponiebr said: @Trappeur you doing/did the dye free thang? Hi ya Sponey! Years back when I first got into candles, I did all dyed. At the time I used c3 and still do now and then. When I got into selling to shops I would go by the shops to just check on my candles and see how they were selling. Well a lot of them started fading due to the flourescent lighting and any vanillas (which I left dye free) started yellowing. Some had that rustic "Old raggedy look". Blueberry dyed candles always turned yellow. I used liquid dye at the time. Well none of the shop owners said anything about what I saw but it bothered me. So I just stopped one day of making them dyed. Never told anyone why, just never did them anymore. And have been doing them that way since then and never looked back.' I've never been asked to do them dyed either. It sure is a hell of a lot easier to do too. I like dyed candles...they are really pretty. Actually I don't think I have ever even bought a dyed candle! I think natural candles are classy looking. And I also think dyed candles can be classy looking too. Just a matter of preference..Wet spots are a little less noticeable also. Trappeur 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 It totally depends on your brand, market, where you sell and packaging. At my main event color increased my sales three fold. My people are magpies, drawn to color and shimmer. When I had natural colored soy and beeswax I barely made ends meet to cover costs. Once I added color people began to notice and stop in. When they are in they sniff. When they sniff they buy. Its funny, one display in a back corner outside my shop is of mini beeswax taper candles. That one 2 foot wide brown bench display is in so many photos, and stops the show as people mill by because the silver pails that contain all those colors is unexpected. the other reason I went to color is to help keep scents organized during labeling. When you have 100 mixed scent candles in need of labels they get confusing. I sat and cried one night when I could no longer tell them apart and they all needed labels to be ready for sale that morning. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crafty1_AJ Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 (edited) To be honest, I'd probably go dye free on my soy line if I could. Frosting would not be so evident if the candles were all white. I'd keep the paraffin candles colored. But the vast majority of my customers have told me they prefer colored or have no preference. And I've gotten lots of comments at markets and shows along the lines of, "Your display is so colorful and pretty!" or "I love your colors." etc. At shows, I don't really have to "decorate" my booth - the candles themselves are the decoration. LOL I string up a few ivy vines, set out my signs, and I'm done. ha ha So I'm sticking with colored for now. Besides, I'm just a person who is really into color and drawn by that. It's one of the reasons I also do quilting. I love putting pretty colors together to create something beautiful. i'm not very artsy, except when it comes to color. It's a big deal to me. But three cheers for those of you who don't color. More power to ya! LOL I have admired many a candle that is dye-free. Now when I do palm pillars - those absolutely MUST be colored, in my book! Really shows off the beauty of palm wax. Edited November 28, 2017 by Crafty1_AJ Edited to fix a typo. Not enough coffee today. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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