ShellyC Posted December 2, 2020 Share Posted December 2, 2020 Hello! I JUST started attempting to make candles, and I’m seeing so much conflicting information out there! I’m trying to make beeswax candles using hemp wicks (and eventually use lavender 40/42 essential oil to fragrance). I saw on some sites that adding coconut oil to the wax helps prevent tunneling and also helps with hot throw for essential oil. Recently, I made 2 candles using 8oz of beeswax and 2oz of coconut oil. I poured the wax into a 4oz mason jar and a 9oz cylinder container, both have about 2.5 in diameter. I had the same problem in both candles with the hemp wicks. The wax started tunneling, and the wicks started to build up carbon near the pool of wax. I did not add essential oil to this batch because I want to get an idea of how the wax would melt and wicks would burn before wasting precious EO. I haven’t found much information on hemp wicks, and I’m unsure if it’s an issue with the wick, the wax, or both! Please help! The info out there is overwhelming, especially to someone brand new to this. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted December 2, 2020 Share Posted December 2, 2020 For beeswax the only wick series I have ever been able to rely on is bleached square. It is treated to withstand the chemical properties of beeswax and a big enough “straw” to reliably draw the wax fuel to the flame. some people like ECO. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Dad Posted April 2, 2023 Share Posted April 2, 2023 You might want to start by scaling back on your coconut oil ratio first. The ratio is around 1/2 teaspoon per lb of wax. Too soft at the higher ratio and some add stearic acid to firm it up too, usually around 1/8 teaspoon per lb (give or take). Hopefully this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ini Posted May 29 Share Posted May 29 On 12/2/2020 at 3:38 PM, ShellyC said: I’m trying to make beeswax candles using hemp wicks (and eventually use lavender 40/42 essential oil to fragrance). Do not use lavender essential oil in candles. Lavender is very poisonous when burning. Trust me, I studied aromatherapy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted May 30 Share Posted May 30 23 hours ago, Ini said: Do not use lavender essential oil in candles. Lavender is very poisonous when burning. Trust me, I studied aromatherapy. I tend to defer to the IFRA for fragrances and essential oils. The governing body for this is international, and studies the components of aromachemicals for personal safety. For example, here’s a current IFRA certificate for lavender 40/42 from a well respected supplier in the US. The original founder of this company, Dr. Pappas, has written numerous professional reference materials for essential oils that are used by other sources. likewise, Dr. Tisserand is a preeminent resource for eo’s. He has written many books and technical publications for essential oils. Many fragrance oils contain fractions of the aromachemicals from essential oils, including lavender. Standardized lavender 40/42 is lovely in candles both alone and blended with other eo and fo. 😊. It takes far less essential oil to fully scent a wax product than fragrance oils, and the product has more depth of fragrance than most candle oils offered at retail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ini Posted June 2 Share Posted June 2 Ok, maybe my information is outdated or I remember wrong but I could’ve sworn I learned that some essential oils (lavender included) have lower boiling and flash points than wax and therefore it evaporates more quickly when exposed to heat, leading to a shorter-lasting scent or it will burn and make fuel like toxic gas. I’m sorry. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted June 3 Share Posted June 3 On 6/2/2024 at 4:12 AM, Ini said: Ok, maybe my information is outdated or I remember wrong but I could’ve sworn I learned that some essential oils (lavender included) have lower boiling and flash points than wax and therefore it evaporates more quickly when exposed to heat, leading to a shorter-lasting scent or it will burn and make fuel like toxic gas. I’m sorry. Please don’t feel badly about sharing info. We are all here to share and learn. Sometimes the best lesson is knowing where to dig deeper. The “internet” has everything we need, it’s just hard to know if what was quoted was a reliable source or not. I’ve seen the same text copied and pasted enough times to believe it was sound. While well intentioned, the original source was opinion versus based in fact. Example: you must have a full melt pool on the first burn or your candle is a failure. We all know that is not based in fact, since every single candle is a different set of variables from the wax, fragrance, container, container material, thickness, etc. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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