FO Report

[Forrest]

I have been wick testing for the past few months, but I have reached the point where it is time to put some FO in to some wax. But first I am testing my backlog of FOs to see which would make good candles. I always enjoy reading what others think of the FOs from various sources, so I thought I would share my observations with the board. If anyone has experience with any of these FOs please feel free to chime in, particularly if you disagree with my assessment. I find that my opinions on FOs tend to vary from the norm. I put the FOs in melts, they are small, only ¼oz but I used 15% FO. I melted them in a small bedroom and checked them after 15 minutes. My melter uses a tea light, so I can only test a limited number each day. Below are my observations from yesterday, I will post to this thread as I test more. FOs from the Chemistry Store are Lebermuth oils.  I’ll use TCS for The Chemistry Store, CC for Community Candle Supply, and FC for the Flaming Candle.

 

Tahiti Sweetie from TCS: I really like the fragrance, but it isn’t very strong. I may put it in a candle to burn in my small bathroom. I think it would do well in soaps or lotions.

 

Fresh Orange from TCS: It has a nice orange scent, but not sweet. I got it to blend with other FOs and I think it will work well for my purpose. Not too strong but better hot throw than Tahiti Sweetie.

 

Pineapple Jasmine from TCS: Love this fragrance. It is what I would call a high end fragrance. The hot throw was just OK. It would be great in soaps or lotions.

 

Bergamot, Orange & Grapefruit form CC: Love it! The hot throw was good and the scent amazing. I was expecting more of a citrus scent. This one is absolutely going in a candle this weekend.

 

Lemongrass from CC: A good lemongrass scent with amazing hot throw. I’ll be using this one by itself and for blending; I feel like a kid with a new toy.

[Sarah S]

Those all sound good! You've got a fruit salad going on there! 😄

The only comment I have is that I recently made a batch of tarts with a higher FO% just to see if they would be stronger, last longer, whatever. I usually make my tarts with 8% FO, sometimes 7% if I'm using leftover wax from candle pours. So I increased to 10% for this batch, using a few different FOs that I frequently pour. There was no difference whatsoever that I could tell. If they were stronger, it wasn't enough to be noticeable to my nose. So the point to that was that 15% is a TON of fragrance, and I bet you could get by with a whole lot less. I forget what wax you use, isn't it a parasoy? 6006, right? Maybe try going down to 8-10% and see how you feel about it, and save those precious FOs for the candles. 😉

[Forrest]

2 hours ago, Sarah S said:

Those all sound good! You've got a fruit salad going on there! 😄

The only comment I have is that I recently made a batch of tarts with a higher FO% just to see if they would be stronger, last longer, whatever. I usually make my tarts with 8% FO, sometimes 7% if I'm using leftover wax from candle pours. So I increased to 10% for this batch, using a few different FOs that I frequently pour. There was no difference whatsoever that I could tell. If they were stronger, it wasn't enough to be noticeable to my nose. So the point to that was that 15% is a TON of fragrance, and I bet you could get by with a whole lot less. I forget what wax you use, isn't it a parasoy? 6006, right? Maybe try going down to 8-10% and see how you feel about it, and save those precious FOs for the candles. 😉

I went to 15% this time because the last batch of melts I made at 8% had poor throw. I think it was a processing issue. The extra 5% amounts to 1/3 gram per melt so I think I can afford it. However I did have some 8% melts of one FO and I got them mixed up, so I tested both and I couldn’t tell the difference. I use paraffin for my melts to avoid cure time. I should have a slab of IGI 4794 arriving today, so I can make more melts to test!

[Forrest]

Here are the rest of my observations. Overall I was very pleased with this group.

Ginger Amber from TCS: Very nice, smooth, rich scent with good HT, I love this one.

White Tea & Ginger from TCS: the best White Tea & Ginger I have tried, good HT and a great scent!

Egyptian Musk from TCS: I suppose it is alright, if you like that sort of thing, not the way I want my house to smell.

Sandalwood Rose from TCS: I did not like this one, but it has good HT and apparently it is very popular.

Fresh Lavender from CC: Good HT, but this one is a bit too much for me. Needs a little sweetness.

Luxe Linen from CC: Great hot throw, at least one board member whose opinion I trust more than my own loves this one

Patchouli from CC: Good HT, nice patchouli scent, not exactly the same as the EO, but close enough for me.

Pomegranate Blackberry from CC: Not sure what it smelled like, but I don’t want to smell it again.

Spa Day from CC: I normally don’t like this type of FO, but I loved this one. Good HT and it just brightens the room with a fresh, clean smell.

White tea and berries from CC: Good HT and a pleasant scent, I liked it

Bergamot from FC: Not a true bergamot scent but nice and close enough for my needs.

Butt Naked from CC: better HT than other butt nakeds I have tried

Oakmoss and Magnolia from CC: Very strong HT. A little bit too magnolia. I toned it down with a bit of extra oak moss and it was great.

Kumquat from CC: Excellent HT, but a little sweet for kumquat. It will work well for some of my blends.

I finished FO testing Saturday night and Sunday I poured seven candles. Of course the proof is in the burning, but right now I am very pleased with all of them. Here is the list

70% Fresh Lavender & 30% Fresh Orange

90% Spa Day & 10% Lemongrass

White Tea & Ginger (TCS)

Bergamot, Orange & Grapefruit

80% Oakmoss and Magnolia & 20% oakmoss

Ginger Amber

Lemon Grass