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FO vs. EO for soy wax? (GW 444)


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Hi All,

I am fairly new to candle making and BOY was I shocked at how much there is to this! After much research I have decided I'd like to stick with soy wax, being the more natural route -plus the added bonus of not being too steep in price such as beeswax - (altho someday I'd love to try that too!) Well, enough gibber gabber - I have quite a few questions but my main question right now is:

Do you prefer Fragrance Oil or Essential Oil in soy wax?

Kindly name if you will, your reasoning and wholesaler/scents you have tried and loved!

My other question right now is about wicks. I have tried a few diff kinds but what's the best for soy wax? HTP? I'm currently involved with GW 444 and would love to hear what works best here!

Last question, for now, lol... Coloring. Looking for great quality at most affordable price. Any suggestions/wholesalers here would be helpful!

Thanks a mill you guys!

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I have been trying 464, 444, C3 and CB Advanced Soy with Eco wicks. The only other wick I have used is CDN with 464. It seemed to work well with 464 and in my experience so far Eco has worked well with CB Advanced. With the others it seems to achieve melt pool, you have to Wick Up (go up a size).

The biggest challenge with EO is cold and hot throw. And there are certain EOs that just don't work too well in Candles.

I am a novice at this as well but just sharing all I have experienced thus far.

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Hi and welcome to the boards! Good luck with your newest addiction :)

If you are just getting started with making candles, then I recommend starting with fragrance oils that are made for candles. They are much, much easier to work with than essential oils, and usually they are much cheaper too.

As for suppliers, the best guideline is to try to work with the supplier closest to you to reduce shipping costs, especially for wax. However, no decent chandler can be content to use only those scents available within driving distance, lol. Peaks is wonderful (and the generous sponsor for this message board), Candle Science, Nature's Garden Candles, Cajun Candles, Lone Star, Bitter Creek North, and I am sure I am leaving out other good, big suppliers. This applies to coloring as well. Dye chips are probably the easiest to use, and the general consensus has been they perform well in soy.

As for wicks, I have been very happy with CDN so far, but I am still new to corded wicks and haven't tried them all yet (I made the mistake of starting with wooden wicks). Different FOs require different wick properties so having other types handy is worth the investment.

When getting started, it is generally best to pick one jar type, one jar size, a few fragrances and an assortment of wicks. Don't overwhelm yourself with too many options. There is plenty to learn from that small number of options.

And some gentle advice, hehehe... the word "natural" used in reference to soy wax might incite some animated discussion here, but you may have come across some of those threads already in your reading.

Best of luck to you!

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being the more natural route

As Jonsie wisely said, the use of the term "natural" and soy wax are mutually exclusive. There is nothing natural about it. If you want REAL natural, try beeswax or bayberry wax. THOSE are natural.

Do you prefer Fragrance Oil or Essential Oil in soy wax?

Kindly name if you will, your reasoning and wholesaler/scents you have tried and loved!

Fragrance oils outperform Essential oils in soy-based waxes. My reasoning is my sense of smell and the cost differential between EOs and FOs. As far as the suppliers and fragrances - WOW!! You really ARE new!! The list is too long.

In the General Candlemaking forum, there is a sticky called "Helpful Links for New Members." One is he listings says "Abbreviations and Supplier links" Click on the word "Links" It will take you to this page: http://www.craftserver.com/forums/showthread.php?5492-Supplier-Abbreviations-and-Links

From there, you can see what's offered, where they are located, etc. If you read the threads here, particularly in the Fragrance area, there are many listings which should help point you in a direction about what suppliers are preferred and why. HTH

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Thank you so much for all your help you guys ! Yes I am a quite the newbie ! Shows that bad huh? LoL! Well thank you all for being so helpful and so kind! I am doing this for the fun of it but just trying to keep the cost down - these threads are EXTREMELY helpful !! sooo many questionsss ! hehehe

Oh, and I will make heed of your advice on "natural" soy - Yes I did read up on that - and now I know :) and I'll be sure to check out the Newbie Section !

Thanks for the help!!! Much appreciated!! :smiley2:

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