How do you decide on FO?

[candlemama]

I am new to candle making and hope to get some guidance on choosing FOs before I spend all my savings experimenting! I realize the FOs are highly concentrated, but how do you know if they will smell good both hot and cold in a candle? I have seven FOs from Peak, and they all are so strong and sweet OOB, they give me a headache. I poured a couple container candles last night using IGI 4630 and Cranberry Citrus: one pound of wax and 3/4 oz of FO. I expected the fragrance to be really strong during the melting/pouring process. Problem is, more than 12 hours later, the candles still smell super sickly strong to me, and I haven't even tried burning them yet.

It could be the FOs I have just don't appeal to me, but since I have to order online, I am hesitant to purchase more FOs. The ones I have are scents I tend to choose when buying candles (fruity, spicy, etc.), so I am not sure why I'm having a hard time with the seven Peak FOs I have now.

Thanks for any insight you can provide.

[topofmurrayhill]

We have a Fragrance Discussion forum on the board that might help you decide what to try, but 90% of the proof is in the pudding. You have to try it in your candle to see how you like it, how it burns, and how strong it is. Often you will have to make adjustments to the amount of fragrance and the wicking of the candle to make it ideal. If 3/4 oz is too strong for you then use less. For the time being, try those testers you made to see how they burn and how the hot throw is.

Spending all your savings is the nature of the hobby, and you might want to take that into consideration. I'm not really joking.

Edited March 12, 2010 by topofmurrayhill

[TxSioux]

I wish I could tell you there was a secret, but there isn't. We're all doing exactly what you are - buying what sounds good & testing. This is why we recommend buying 1-2oz sample sizes, cause you will go broke buying the larger sizes. Follow the fragrance section to find reviews & especially note the ones using your wax. When you're getting started it's helpful to stick w/ the more popular suppliers, but it's going to come down to what you find appealing & works well w/ all the different variables. I hate Love Spell, but that doesn't mean it isn't a good fo. We all use different wax, wicks & additives, so it takes a lot of reading & testing to find out what works best. It's also great if you can really stock up on sample sizes when a good supplier runs a sale. I hate to take the wind out of your sails, but it really is hit or miss.

Susan.

[LuminousBoutique]

test test test....

out of testing about a hundred, I've settled on 20 that I consider "perfect" and 10 that are close to perfect but require a bit more attention and tweaking. I might make things harder on myself than I need to, and be harder on them than I need to, but I dont really carry more than 30 FO's at a time anyway, aside from holiday scents.

If it helps, this is the process of elimination I go through...

• Rate cold throw 1-10
  
• Rate hot throw 1-10
  
• Make sure it doesnt pull any tricks on me, like over darkening of the wax, clogging the wick, choking out halfway through burning, so on and so forth.
  
• It cant require more than 1oz PP of oils to get the good throw (6%)
  
• It needs to perform well in CP soap, B&B as well.
  
• price. Price isnt everything, but it is something... if I have one FO thats only .65c an ounce, and another is 2.00... I am going to obviously search for a cheaper option. But again, if it doesnt pass the other tests its not worth having no matter how cheap it is.
  

Thats not everything, but its part of it! I keep note cards on every FO. I learned it from someone on the board, actually (I think Stella?) 3x5 index cards, with all the notes I need... then I can refer to it if I ever need to, and it helps me make decisions like whether to keep it, or toss it. For example... I'm tossing "Heavenly" in Candles and soap. Its sold great in body products, but NO movement in soap and candles. Keeping good notes helps me make those important decisions. And when you are buying FO 5 pounds at a time, its a VERY important and costly decision. For testing purposes I do go for a 4oz bottle... that lets me make a batch of soap, a few candles, and test it for some of my B&B products. 1oz just isnt enough for me... but again I dont buy many new scents anymore, so do take advantage of those 1oz sample packs, and dont judge the FO OOB...I HATED Passionfruit guava from Peaks OOB... but its been a top seller at shows.

Edited March 13, 2010 by LuminousBoutique

[nmhoneybear]

Can I ask you a question? Why is it that you want to make candles? I only thought about that as I read your post. For me, personally, I wanted to make candles because I am addicted to them, most specifically, their fragrance. I want them to be strong. In my opinion, the stronger the better, but generally I never have to use more than 1 oz per pound of wax. I have used a lot of Peak FO and always am satisfied with 1 oz per pound. I don't want to have to mess with putting only .75 oz in my wax. What will I do with the last .25 oz in the little bottle? lol

Just something to think about, but if you are doing this for yourself and you don't like strong smells, candle making might not be your thing. Also remember, when you are making a batch of candles, it is going to smell stronger than if you are just burning one jar or a couple of votives.

HTH

[candlemama]

Thanks for the replies, everyone! Very, very helpful. I really appreciate your taking the time to help out a newbie like me. I am going to definitely start keeping notes on the different FOs/wax/wick combos I experiment with to find the ones that work for me. I can see how this hobby will become expensive very quickly. I want to make candles all the time now to see how they will turn out and am excited to play with different waxes and scents.

I took your advice and checked out the fragrance discussion, making notes on which ones I want to try out. I'm going to order from CS next. I like how they have reviews for the different FOs.

I think making candles is so interesting because it seems to be part science and part art. I've been thinking about it for a while now and just bought my first supplies last week. The funny thing is, I thought it would be cheaper to make my own. I also am addicted to candles, but they are so expensive, and I burn through them really fast. I am very picky about the scents I buy and tend to buy the same ones over and over, so I naively thought I might be able to make my own for less money and get exactly the scents I want!! Haha. I guess if it was that easy, everyone would be doing it.

Really, my goal is to get good enough to make container candles for myself and friends/family as gifts. I hadn't really considered selling scented candles for profit. However, I am really interested in making personalized hurricane/luminary candles for a very small business I have that provides remembrance items to parents who have lost children. Our first son died four years ago and something as simple as lighting a candle for him is really comforting. I've been researching ways to personalize candles for months and have finally settled on a couple different methods. But first thing's first -- gotta see if I have the talent to make candles. I'm planning to take a couple classes at General Wax soon.

Anyway, thanks again. I'm about to make another batch while my little one is taking a nap.

Happy candle making!

[kandlenutz]

I also started making candles for myself b/c i thought it would be cheaper, I was buying high end candles and paying around $23 per candle and going through them so fast! Then once i got good at making them word got out and i started selling to family friends, mostly a hobby still, but if you are going to selll many, you have to do price comparing, etc. I sure didnt want to lose money. We are going to see how this yr goes, and maybe next yr, have a formal business. I kind of like it being my hobby and something i "can" do and not "have" to do. So, we'll see. I spent lots of money finding oils that I like, and I am STILL adding and eliminating scents. I like to look in classifieds and see if anyone is selling stuff from a supplier that i order from, then you can usually get it at a cheaper cost, and try it out, that may be something to consider before buying many more fo from suppliers. Have fun!

[Gbhunter]

Spending all your savings is the nature of the hobby, and you might want to take that into consideration. I'm not really joking.

I disagree. Try flying or photography That costs 1000% more than candles any day. My wife likes this hobby as it is the cheapest I had

Edited March 14, 2010 by Gbhunter

[jeni18]

Hi,

I noticed you said you were going to take a class at General Wax. I assume this is the place in North Hollywood, CA: if not, please disregard the rest of this post. :smiley2:

I took a basic class there, I went in knowing absolutely nothing about candle making, and while it was mildly helpful, in the end I didn't learn anything I couldn't have found out by looking online. I learned more in watching a 5 minute soy candle making video on the Candle Science site. The wax used in the class was premelted, scented and colored. This to me was the key thing I wanted to learn about. The class consisted of a lot of talking and pouring. If you've already made a batch you probably know enough to skip their basic class. If you are planning to make soy candles there is no reason whatsoever to take the class as a lot of the focus is on the additives necessary for paraffin that are not required in soy.

This is just my opinion, the class is $25 and they give you a discount on any materials you buy for that day so it may be worth it to you. But my unsolicited $.02 is watch some videos, read some sites and use the $25 on oils!

Edited March 14, 2010 by jeni18

[TxSioux]

I think most of us started w/ the same idea. How hard can it be - right!? ROFL 7 yrs later I'm still testing & dream of hitting the magic formula. I've sold professionally & I do make a damn good candle, but I'm still searching for that elusive perfect blend of everything. I think it boils down to loving the art. For me, it's not a matter of a balance sheet. I love making candles & it's far more rewarding than all the wasted money I spent on big box candles. I spend money on new supplies when I can afford it & dream about new supplies when I can't. FO's are the biggest cost out there, so be picky & try to make the best decisions when you splurge. It's crazy addictive & I still get the biggest thrill in the world when I rip open a new box of fo's!! It's really expensive to get started, but it does balance out. I think you'll really like Candle Science - they're my very fav fo supplier now. I hope you do well & enjoy the craft!

Susan.

[topofmurrayhill]

Be sure to check out these instructions:

http://www.candletech.com/techniques-and-ideas/hurricane-shells/

http://www.candletech.com/techniques-and-ideas/embedding-photos/

If those projects interest you and you have any questions about them, just post.

I respectfully disagree with the suggestion of not pursuing the hobby unless one likes strongly fragranced candles. You can use any amount of fragrance oil that pleases you. To me there's also an aesthetic appeal to candles in general, whether scented or unscented, and a challenge to designing them to burn exceptionally well. Sometimes those things get overlooked in the quest for maximum fumes.

[LuminousBoutique]

Spending all your savings is the nature of the hobby, and you might want to take that into consideration. I'm not really joking.

I disagree. Try flying or photography That costs 1000% more than candles any day. My wife likes this hobby as it is the cheapest I had

...truly, thats a matter of opinion. You dont know what some of us have spent

[candlemama]

jeni18, thanks for the heads up on General Wax. I think I'm going to skip the class based on your comments! Have you bought supplies from them before and if so, would you recommend them for supplies (for waxes and FOs)? Since they are local to me, it's a lot cheaper to drive there and buy my supplies than pay for shipping from another company.

topofmurrayhill, thank you for sending me the links on how to make hurricane shells and imbed photos. I'm planning to get the supplies I need this week and give it a shot. Would you say these two techniques are advanced or really difficult?

Gbhunter, I used to fly for a hobby, too, and my husband's hobby is photography and digital art -- so I can definitely appreciate your comments!

[topofmurrayhill]

topofmurrayhill, thank you for sending me the links on how to make hurricane shells and imbed photos. I'm planning to get the supplies I need this week and give it a shot. Would you say these two techniques are advanced or really difficult?

In a way, it's easier than making regular candles because you don't have to worry about all the testing for burn and scent throw. There's just a little more crafting involved. Once you get the knack of it, it's pretty straightforward. Maybe try making a plain one to get comfortable with molding the wax shell (that would be the photo instructions, but skipping the photo part).

[ChrisR]

Candlemama I get several of my FO's from Genwax and have used them for years. They have the best straight orange out there (Juicy Bits of Orange). I've found most of the FO's I use are strong throwers at 1 oz or less per lb. I also use their UV additive to prevent color fading. You are lucky to have a supplier so close that you can pick up your FO's!!

[SheilaRae]

For me it is trial and error. I buy alot that I think will do well, and they don't... so I sell them.

I make only soy candles so some fragrances just don't blend well, or throw well. I am very picky and I order from only 3 companies for my oils.

[chuck_35550]

My decisions are mostly customer driven. The bulk of my customers like bakery scents and only a few like the florals. It sounds like you may be sensitive to the fos and you might consider wearing a mask to cut down on the fumes. If the candles are too strong (that's what you look for in a good fo) then cut back the amount to maybe .75 oz per pound. Right now, you are only pleasing yourself and not customers or others. Take it slow and easy and don't waste your money chasing a lot of different directions. I agree with Top about sticking with the hurricane shells. You could add a votive kit to that and have a great package that will light your shell and fragrance your house. HTH.

Steve