Giving up on Colors

[LaurieF]

I am so sick of ruining batches of candles with these putred colors that come out for greens and reds.

Is this seem weird to just make white, antique white, tan, creme, color candles? What about scents like apples, and pines? And things like Bayberry..Do you make them white? Just seems kinda weird but I am going to get over it!!

I can get yellows, lavenders, and I even have one shade of green that's nice but red.....never happens.

I use pure soy wax from MC which I believe is gb 415 and I'm not about to switch.

Any input is appreciated.

[AAngels]

Have u tried Lone Star's colors they work great for soy.

[kandlekrazy]

I gave up a long time ago. I like the creams alot. I was up in Central Calif this past weekend and in a soap shop that sold someone's candles and they were all in the brown tones...very rustic looking and mottled in the jar. All different fo's and all the same color. They looked expensive and they were expensive!! I think the 10 oz round (which was about 8-8.5 oz of candle) was $28.00. They were boxed nicely.

[Abbiepql]

I found with my wax the key to a good red, was a good yellow! I make 8 lbs. at a time but my best red is with 2 parts red, 1 part GOLD (not bright yellow) and 1 part brown. cut back on the brown if you want a fire engine red verus barn red. And I gave up on blocks and flakes years ago - liquids are the only way I can get consistancy. HTH -

[Holly]

Go colorless! You will love it with soy! If not right a way, it will grow on you.

[AAngels]

I am still thinking about going all natural color too.

But I asked a variety of people about this, just in general and a lot say when they buy candles they like to coordinate it with their homes. So I am still not sure what to do, but have been making them with color. I would rather not use dye, less money and less messier too.

What to do, what to do????

[Karyn]

I use the color crystals from Makes Scents and the red is a nice color red. I also use GB415 soy.

[Holly]

I am still thinking about going all natural color too.

But I asked a variety of people about this, just in general and a lot say when they buy candles they like to coordinate it with their homes. So I am still not sure what to do, but have been making them with color. I would rather not use dye, less money and less messier too.

What to do, what to do????

I was worried about going colorless at first, but as time has gone on, I have noticed that more women worry about color that won't go with the decor and they tend to limit their choice of fragrance based on the color. So, the colorless works out great.....it does not clash! I could not handle the frost I got with color (made it worse and is more noticeable). The frost would get a lot worse in the winter here. My shop conditions after I close down shop get too cold. I also notice that soy gets uglier with age after you have burned it when colored....to me anyway. Too much frost appears the older it gets after burns. This is not the case with all soy (to this extent anyway). Some soy is not as bad with frost.

I offer some other candles (70/30) in color, but I am noticing that people buy the colorless the most. I even had a request for a colorless orange dreamsicle that is usually colored in the 70/30 (orange) - only offer this scent in the 70/30.

You need to decide what look you like and want to go for. If you do give colorless a try, you may be surprised and experience positive feedback like I have.

[sassy-girl]

I think your decision on should be primarily based on who you sell to. If you have a store, you can make it a second grand opening, that you are now going colorless. If you do Craft shows, you may find it different. People are drawn in by color, so the lack of it in your candles may be precieved, by the causal passer-by as all vanilla. LOL, i have no idea why, i guess we can thank the "big boys" who have somehow managed to make everyone believe that vanilla is white. You'll really have to test your market to find out what's right for you. I personally do my soy jars in very bright vivid colors that attract people to my booth at Craft Shows.. Just my 2 Cents

[soycool]

Great thread, I ordered CS cran marm the other day and thought oh jeez should I TRY for the red/cranberry color, it has never been anything less that a headache, red or any shade has never been good for me. I love yellows, golds, and maples etc. I like the idea of shades rather than colors.

I think colorless is the way for me.

Natalie

[TxSioux]

As a seller -- I've gone back & forth over the yrs ... mostly because I get bored or lazy w/ color. I don't have any probs getting a consistent or good color, I mostly just get tired of deciding which color to go with. Especially now that I'm pouring more non-traditional scents. Also, I start tossing in colors just to 'balance' my display. I can't tell you how many times I've started digging out fo's, because I don't have anything blue on the shelf. LOL -- every yr I pick a fo to call 'Blue Christmas', so I can try to balance out all the green & red.

As a buyer -- I want colors that I like & go w/ my rooms. Oddly enough, that's about every color ... except blue! I also have NO use for pink. A candle has to be beyond exceptional to make me buy a color or container that I don't want. Actually, I very rarely even bother to smell a candle in a container that doesn't suit me ... but that's a whole different can of worms!

So, you have to accept that you can't please everyone. Make a product that you're proud of & follow your gut (& your market) on color, containers & labels.

Susan.

[KarenOH]

I quit coloring my candles in 2001. Saw an immediate increase in my sales.

The feedback I got from the majority of customers was that they could now buy their favorite scent without having to worry if the color clashed in their rooms. I had the occassional customer who equated no color with no scent but they were and are few and far between.

It is true that color draws people attention so in my opinion the key in making a colorless candle work is how you present it. Eye catching label or hang tag, at craft shows or in stores use colors that naturally attract attention(I did a poll and the majority of customers I asked this of said they gravitate towards shades of red).

Like Susan said, you can't please everybody so follow your instinct.

Karen

[littlebrownbug]

When we first started making soy candles,we looked at different brands that were colored(color does not hold well in most soy waxes) and then we asked people we knew if color mattered to them in a scented candle. Our customers told us that color didn't matter that much to them as long as the candle smelled great. So we opted to not color them at all. However,our palm wax candles color great and we like them better than soy as you can generally use less fo's and get better hot throws with palm wax....jmo

Mike

[Stella1952]

color does not hold well in most soy waxes

I dunno about MOST soy waxes, but the NatureWax C3 we use and the EZ Soy we tried and rejected both hold color very well. We use UV absorber to prevent the colors from fading and also in uncolored candles to prevent yellowing. If frosting is an issue (it changes the shade), add coconut oil to help control the frosting.

We color our candles and have had little trouble with them. Some colors and fragrances tend to frost worse than do others, but we have no trouble mixing vibrant reds, greens, blues, etc. Just depends on what color you want and how much of what dyes are used. We use liquid dyes from JBN. Many folks do not understand how to mix colors to get the right shade they want... If you are having trouble mixing colors, use a color wheel to assist you.

[katshe]

I am not coloring my soy wax candles and my customers appreciate the creamy look.. and that it is as natrual as it can be. I am also adding a color ribbon or raffia to tie on the lid with the hang tag that adds a bit of color and appeal .

[berrycreekcandles]

Thanks for asking this question I have been thinking of going colorless as well mostly because of frosting, I don't usually have color problems until they have sat for about a week.

[racolvin]

I use the color crystals from Makes Scents in my GW464 wax. Never had a problem getting a good color. The only thing that hurts is the frosting that comes in later

[hexie]

i went colorless too. i love it and sale haven't changed. i think it looks cleaner and it makes candle making much easier. i agree with the " well i have a pink bathroom but i like the lemongrass" well it don't matter with no color!

i use a clear matte label and it looks great. i am very satisfied after trying 20 different looks.

[Misser]

red is such a hard color to get to come out good. I dont' think it helps my dropper just spills red out. LOL.

[Stella1952]

I use the color crystals from Makes Scents in my GW464 wax. Never had a problem getting a good color. The only thing that hurts is the frosting that comes in later

Color crystals, eh? I have not tried those...

Perhaps adding a little coconut oil would diminish the frosting, RA.

[racolvin]

I like the color crystals better than the liquid dyes I used in the past. I find it easier to control how much color I put in when I use a measuring spoon instead of the dropper. I can't tell you how many times I squeezed just a little too hard or heaven forbid blinked one time too many and used more liquid dye than I intended

I've tried using CO with the GW464 and even at 1/2tbs per lb I still get frosting. I may try going to 2/3tbs per lb but I dunno yet. I started another thread for any one who might be trying the same combo.

Ronnie