Opinions

[Angelique]

Hi there, so real quick, I quite making candles several years ago, I had been a candlemaker since 1999 and I had quite a few wholesale accounts etc. Anyway, long story short, 2 more kids later, (we have 5 kids total) and a move from Texas to Colorado 4 years ago, I really am determined to bring my business back.

My question is, do retailers expect natural wax now only, is paraffin out? Not to nock anyones preference, but I have been testing with soy and I personally really really loathe it, and even did back then when it came out, and want to stick with my original formulas if it wouldn't destroy my business opportunities. I also read somewhere recently that paraffin was found to be no more dangerous then soy?

I want to add I had used soy back in the day in a tumbler jar for one gift shop who wanted it, it was ezsoy, but I never loved it, although I had the wicking worked out perfectly, I never got the HT I wanted, and just had that one account, so Im still no expert on it.

I will go the natural wax route and continue to test test test if it is what is expected by gift shops, fundraisers, etc. if paraffin is truly out. I am just trying to figure out what is expected these days I guess? I just noticed there was nothing "real quick" about my question at all sorry about that

April H

Edited June 4, 2011 by Angelique

[CandleMakinCutiePie]

I say:stick with what you like!Honestly,most people don't give a rat's behind what the candles they burn are made of,as long as they have an awesome hot throw.I'm not selling yet,but I use a blend of soy and paraffin to get the best of both worlds!Good luck in your decision.

[rjdaines]

OMG, you said "natural wax" :smiley2: Look for a recent thread about that. I am a newbie to all this but have experimented with some of the soy waxes and some of the paraffin based ones. I see advantages and disadvantages to both. If I had a product line and formulas like you do, I would get those up and running again and explore the other waxes later. I think most customers want a product that performs well and will live with whatever wax you use. Any that want 100% soy can wait until you have that available. These are just my opinions based on conversations with potential customers.

[Candybee]

Paraffin has been making a comeback as customers and candlemakers are getting more 'natural' wax saavy and learning to seperate the facts from the science fiction. Unfortunately there has been a lot of garbage thrown around and general trash talking about paraffin and soy for that matter. I personally love paraffin wax and know many candle makers that sell it. Lots of them here on this forum too.

If you are uncertain you can always create your own parasoy blend or get a preblended parasoy without the hassle of learning how to mix it yourself. I love parasoy blends too and prefer them over straight soy but thats me.

After using both I am now using palm wax as its different yet has qualities in it that mirror both soy and paraffin that I missed working with.

I agree with others. Just make the candles you want to make. Plus there a lots of new waxes and wax blends out now so there may be some you want to try out. There are even super wax blends that are designed to hold 1 1/2 to 2 oz of FO without seeping. Wax has come a long way so you may need to do a little catch up.

Have fun!

[Angelique]

Thank you everyone for the advice, I was feeling like "doing what i did best" was the way to go, its nice to hear it from others, wax has come a long way, Candybee, lots of things are different, for instance the palm containers are popular now and the ecosoya soy blends, etc. I had always favored IGI 4786 for containers and 4794 for votives and pillars (4794 makes a KILLER hot throw pillar btw if anyone wants to try it ) Where do i find the super wax blends btw, sounds awesome!

April H

[SliverOfWax]

It's really going to depend 100% on your customer base. It's probably been 3 years since anyone has asked if my candles are soy or what kind of wax I use. They want scent. That's really all they care about. Thankfully, the soy craze didn't last long where I am and has been over for quite some time.

However, if you're in one of those unfortunate "green" areas where people make spectacles of themselves and their ridiculous carbon footprints, soy might be what they want. I'd give up candle making if I had to go back to soy. Try 4627 comfort blend for containers. You'll get your killer throw.

I don't do pillars so can't help you there.

[Angelique]

It's really going to depend 100% on your customer base. It's probably been 3 years since anyone has asked if my candles are soy or what kind of wax I use. They want scent. That's really all they care about. Thankfully, the soy craze didn't last long where I am and has been over for quite some time.

However, if you're in one of those unfortunate "green" areas where people make spectacles of themselves and their ridiculous carbon footprints, soy might be what they want. I'd give up candle making if I had to go back to soy. Try 4627 comfort blend for containers. You'll get your killer throw. I don't do pillars so can't help you there

I love hearing that people don't even ask you anymore, I am in Colorado now which is a pretty green state, but I am just going to stick with paraffin and see where it goes. I have used comfort blend, in fact I had originally bought it in Texas from Sissies before it was BCS, that stuff was like vaseline but burned like a dream. My only problem with it was that the tops of the candles were so soft, I worried about people finger poking

April H

Edited June 5, 2011 by Angelique

[JanetsCandles]

I've been making candles since 2006, first as a hobby, then after moving to Albuquerque as a business. I've got 7 stores I wholesale to currently. I only have 1 that occasionally asks me for palm or soy, but primarily paraffin. It's cheaper, and on molded candles they like the look better. Plus it's a lot more heat resistant than soy seems to be down here. One thing I do is have tested specific candle sizes and types with beeswax (local farm), soy (from Peak up in CO) and Palm. I offer them, but have the understanding that I don't keep a lot of it in stock, because it doesn't move very quickly. So they have the option of ordering it if they want it.

[Scented]

Nothing against any of the waxes. There should be a niche for everything, however, Colorado seems to have a lot of that green-hug-a-tree-species.

[putter5775]

are you saying paraffin is cheaper? I cant find it cheaper, any help would be great...

[JanetsCandles]

It's cheaper for me because I get it local, without additives, and don't have to factor shipping in. That's the only price break I get, otherwise soy is very close in price.

[SliverOfWax]

CB is like vaseline only if left out in the hot sun. Vaseline is much softer.

If your melter is big enough, just dump the entire 25 lb cube in. The covering will come loose from the wax and you can fish it out and toss it. If you need to cut it, use either a big putty knife (ACE has them for about $5) or a butcher knife. Cut each block into about 8 squares, lift, and plop into the melter.

If stored in what would be considered a normal temperature room, it's easy to work with.

[Jason]

Thank you everyone for the advice, I was feeling like "doing what i did best" was the way to go, its nice to hear it from others, wax has come a long way, Candybee, lots of things are different, for instance the palm containers are popular now and the ecosoya soy blends, etc. I had always favored IGI 4786 for containers and 4794 for votives and pillars (4794 makes a KILLER hot throw pillar btw if anyone wants to try it ) Where do i find the super wax blends btw, sounds awesome!

April H

How would you make a pillar with IGI 4794? Do you add 10% Stearic acid?

[Candybee]

Where do i find the super wax blends btw, sounds awesome!

April H

I think the super waxes are worth a try and you may like them. Here's two that I know of-- they are both container blends:

Ecosoya's CB Xcel - Soy container wax

Ecosoya's answer to a superior container wax that can hold the most FO of any soy wax. Up to 9% or 1 1/2 oz FO load without seepage. Also designed for better glass adhesion and minimal frosting. Fairly popular as several suppliers carry it; Peaks, C&S, CS, and many more. Their other standard CB waxes are CB135 and CB Advanced. I've used both the CB135 and CBA but not the Excel as I had just switched to palm as the Excel was coming out. I prefer the CB135 for its great hot throw and its easier to work finding FOs that work for it compared to the CBA. The CBA does make a superior looking candle; creamy and less prone to frosting but the hot throw can be extremely trying as the wax will only except some FOs.

Astorlite/Honeywell 's J225 (AKA IGI 4642) - Paraffin container wax

Astorlite's answer to a superior wax that can hold the most FO of any paraffin wax. Designed to hold up to 1 1/2 oz or 9% FO load without seepage. Although they originally touted it as having the ability to hold 2 full oz of FO I don't see them advertising this anymore. Their other standard CB waxes are J223 and J50 and I must say after using all three the best hot throw was from J223 with J50 following close behind. J225 had the same excellent hot throw as the other CB waxes using the standard 6% FO load when I tested it. But after testing it I just didn't feel it lived up to the 'superior' price it commanded especially when Astorlite still churns out its other excellent CB waxes. All three blends still left wet spots but if you work with paraffin you have probably already learned to embrace them. BTW-- I have only seen the J225 available at C&S for a hefty price. I'm sure its available elsewhere but I never looked.

Edited June 5, 2011 by Candybee

[Angelique]

Sliverofwax, those are good tips for working with CB, thank you! I did love that wax, and it was quite new when I was winding down my business, I was pretty much a 4786 user, although I love the no repour idea! I used to have a very large melter and sold it a long time ago, which I am REALLY kicking myself over now , time to save up again

Thank you Candybee for taking the time to give me all of that information, those are two waxes that I have never heard of and will definitely check out, I will buy a few samples to play around with. The idea of a super wax is intriguing!

Jason, I never added anything to the 4794 other then liquid dye and fragrance, and while it is a votive wax, it made an amazing pillar that filled a room with fragrance, I only had one formula which I don't mind sharing, I used to share it on TSR back in the day. 3 inch wide round mold with a cd 16 wick,(although experiment with the wick size depending on FO, etc) I kept them on the shorter side, never more then 6 inches tall, but it may work taller, I just never did. I believe I was using 1 oz of fo pp.back then and they are very "huggable" on top. I packaged them in a gift box with tissue paper because they were a bit scuff-able, if you've got some extra 4794 laying around, experiment and see if you like it, I think you will

Edited June 5, 2011 by Angelique

[Candybee]

Forgot IGI's 6006 parasoy container wax. Holds 10% FO load or 1 2/3 FO per lb. Its a preblended paraffin + soy wax. This one is also very popular and several suppliers carry it. I love parasoy blends because they can be the best of using both wax types. The blend typically eliminates frosting and wet spots and has good scent throw-- how well depends on your testing the right jar, wick, FO combo etc.

Another aspect is that with soy you get some FOs that just tend to smell better like many bakery so having a parasoy brings that back to the table.

[Angelique]

Thank you again Candybee,for all of your suggestions, I greatly appreciate them! I will get a sample of that as well, I also just ordered 2 lbs of the glass glow palm wax to try, that you were talking about earlier. From the pictures, glass glow almost looks like the old mottling container paraffin wax, or am I way off base?

April H

[coconut]

Since you are in Colorado, why not contact the good folks at Peak's and ask them what sells best in your state? I favor go with what you like but they can give you the low-down, I'll bet. Try 4630 Harmony Blend, much like the comfort blend but not quite that soft. Peak's has sample sizes of their waxes.

[ScentsofHeaven]

I really like using a soy blended with paraffin. I like it because it is easy to work with and the colors seem to be brighter. Just my thoughts. I say use what you like and be comfy with your choice.