Whats wrong with by blend?

[hyeteck]

I've been trying a bunch of different wax blends and still can't the right formula down. I started with just straight Lab & Co Coconut Creme and it was great.  I later learned that they had paraffin in there so I've been trying to find a mixture without paraffin with the same characteristics.  I guess I got spoiled by Lab & Co's great performing wax.

 

This is what I have so far.

Cargill C3 - 65%

Cargill C2 - 20%

Beeswax - 2%

Palm Stearin - 3%

Candle Science Fragrance - 10%

 

I'm getting dipping and slight cracking at the top.  The candle releases air bubbles as it burns.  Also, the wax feels very gummy when you press on it.  For example, the high end designer candles like Le Labo crumbles when you push down on it hard but with my wax it just creates an indentation in the candle from my finger.  Feels like really hard gum. Is it the stearin that is causing it to be gummy or the coconut?

 

I pour at 160 into warm jars and do a slow cool down with zero draft or air movement over the candles.

 

Any recommendations on how to tweak this formula.  I've tried a various changes but nothing seems to work well to prevent the small cavities in the wax that show up as air bubbles as the candle burns.

 

Edited June 25, 2019 by hyeteck

[CandleRush]

Hi!

 

Lab co. Coconut wax is great! I would stick with that. The percentage of paraffin is quite small according to the company. I feel it actually boosts the hot throw. Some of the best candles and the expensive ones are made with paraffin. 

You could try blending a soy wax with the Lab co wax and produce a nice candle.

You'll probably get other ideas here from other folks who use the wax you mentioned.

Good luck!🌸 

[pughaus]

Le Labo is 100% soy so it's going to look and feel very different from what you're blending...In the Lab Co wax-the bit of paraffin is in there for a reason, it really does improve the overall blend; it's appearance, throw and all around ease of use .  You will not replicate that wax without paraffin.  It's a crucial ingredient in that wax and it has a significant amount of it.   It's also very soft and melty as I'm sure you noticed!
You have quite a few ingredients and variables in your blend.. C3- a soy with additives, C2 a coco with soy (that may or may not also have additives) added, beeswax and stearin. . What are the beeswax and stearin doing for you in that blend?  Have you tried making your blend without those 2 ingredients?  What does it look and feel like without them?

 

 

 

Edited June 25, 2019 by pughaus

[hyeteck]

When you say Le Labo is 100% soy, do you mean straight soy with no additives or just the type of wax is soy and it has additives on top of it?

 

Using just C3 and C2 either doesn't give me a high enough fragrance load and has a lot of cavities and pitting or is too soft which isn't want I'm looking for.

 

Using the beeswax to harden the wax and stearin to improve fragrance load and improve smoothness of candle.

Edited June 25, 2019 by hyeteck

[NightLight]

I doubt its 100 per cent soy. Soy blend. It soots like crazy. C3 will always have little bubbles that’s the wax. Also beeswax and palm stearin.

You probs don’t need. C3 is a hard wax already. Pour candle and wait a couple days before finger test.

[TallTayl]

You don’t need a high fragrance load when you have the right wick.  All those different waxes bring their own set of problems to the party, and will give you wicking issues that are compounded with each new lot of each individual wax. C3 and beeswax especially vary from lot to lot.  

 

cavities are going to remain a problem with C3, beeswax and stearic all by themselves. It is the nature of how they all cool. You can try to engineer out the problems with controlled heat and cooling, then poke relief holes and fill. 

 

I would peel back the problem, eliminating all of the additives until you find the best wick for the base wax. C3 can be a great wax all alone with a cotton core type wick in the right containers.