Making candles at HOME using recycled candle jars!! Talking calculations of wax and fragrance oil!
Hey guys!
Today is a different share. I’ve never shared my little obsession with candles so today was the day!
I’ve been wanting to make candles again….I say again because the last time I made candles was over a year ago. So, I took a day a made 9 of them using some old candle jars I saved! I knew they would come in handy for when I was ready to make some.
This has become something I’ve really enjoyed doing. Especially since I went into business with my sister-in-law and niece. Before this I had never made a candle but oh how I love it! Mixing scents and pouring wax into a jar….ahhh….it was just so satisfying!
BTW! I’ve learned so much from a very talented candlemaker on Youtube, her name is Erica at “Memory Box Co” . The fragrance oil ratio with the wax was hard for me to figure out but when I saw her video on the calculations HERE, my light bulb turned on! It’s a must see!
My niece Alissa and sister in law Lisa started a company called “Know Label”. We make skincare and aromatherapy products. I make our candles and wax melts and Lisa my sister-in-law formulated the body butter and deodorant. We came up with 4 scents for now for each product and make them in small batches. They are “Black Amber and Lavender”, “Vanilla Oak”, “Pineapple Coconut” and Coco Butter Cashmere”! We hope to bring in a couple of more scents sometime this year and some Seasonal ones at some point. If you’d like to follow us on Instagram you can find us HERE Now, we aren’t the best at posting but we’re trying😉. We are out of Los Angeles and we aren’t shipping just yet but when we do we will announce it there.
Just in case you have some questions about candle making I jotted down some important info below. Or you can leave a comment below. 😁
IMPORTANT INFO:
There are just a few things I want to mention about candle making. While some of us are a little carefree when creating, I do understand that there are some facts about the behavior of candle making elements that are without a doubt sometimes better to pay attention to. All of the elements involved really react to each other differently until you find the right combination that works for you and what outcome you want in your candles.
Combinations of wax to fragrance oil and/or essential oils to cotton wicks or wooden wicks will take some research. I worked for a little over a year or so trying different wax samples and many different wooden wicks with several different %’s of fragrance loads to see what worked for us. Keep in mind that each wax already burns differently from each other and brands of oil from each other that you do have to be responsible and test. ESPECIALLY if you’re going to sell your candles. It’s up to you to make it safe for whom you sell them to.
In my video I shared a wax from Shay and Co that I thought would be very similar to what I already use from The Wooden Wick Co because the name was the same, “Coconut Soy”…. not true. The blends are very different in terms of how they melt, cool, burn and even look. The reason I was also testing is because I didn’t know which wick would burn the wax well enough. I mean yes it will burn it but will it burn it and create a lot of soot? There’s a chance the wick is too thin and burns out. Will it burn only in the center where the wick is and not around the glass leaving a lot of wax? or will it burn too hot and explode your jar?! Then it’s a safety issue!! Will you need 1 wick or 2 or 3? This is why I feel I need to be responsible and share what I know.
Each company/online shop that sells wax may or may not make their own blends but nonetheless should always have the precautionary guidelines of each wax they sell and have it posted in the wax description so you’ll understand the behavior of that wax. The first time I bought the Shay and Co wax their description was a little vague and so I went with the little info they had on their site and what I’ve done before and it didn’t work well because the wax was very different. The 11% fragrance load I used back then held ok but the melting process and the cooling process was off. I should have done my due diligence and called for more info but I was busy with my dad during that time and I didn’t make candles at home again until now. The website was updated with more clear instructions on how to melt the wax and it has improved the look of the wax tops. Maybe the coconut oil I added helped too!
Each kind of wax also holds a different amount of fragrance oil. I did go over the amount suggested on their site using 14%. I’m just being a little carefree with that but again, I’m testing but I’m also being watchful with these candles because I feel I need to study the reactions they’ll have.
All of this to say, read the instructions, read the limitations and do some testing. Trust me, you’ll learn a lot in the process and you’ll have some fun!!
Well, there it is! I hope I’ve shared all of what I know so far for this testing phase. If you have a question at all please leave me a comment below, I would love to help!!
↓↓ All the links to products, specific scents, online shops and my gear below ↓↓
//Candle making supplies:
🕯 Wax I used in this video is from Shay & Co. Soy wax blend
🕯 Fragrance oils sample bottles from Candle Science
🕯 Digital Thermometer like mine
🕯 Tin cups
🕯 Candle jars: I recycled my used jars but you can use canning jars or jars from any candle supply shop, even jars at thrift shops and Goodwills. You can find tons on Amazon
🕯 Food Scale similar to mine
//These are all of the scents I used in my video:
✔ “Coco Butter” & “Sensual Sandlewood” from Brambleberry
✔ “Eucalyptus & Cotton” “Meyer Lemon” from Brambleberry
✔ “Ginger Patchouli” & “Grapefruit Glow” from Brambleberry
✔ “Sea Salt and Lily” & “Pink Peony” from Brambleberry
✔ “Apricot Freesia” & “Crisp Cotton” from Brambleberry
✔ “Orange Peel” & —Dumb me didn’t write it down 😩 buuuut, it’s possible it’s the only solo.
✔ “Spiced Honey and Tonka” & “Very Vanilla” from Candle Science.
//Some Candle supply companies (for your reference)
//MY CURRENT STUDIO GEAR I ❤ AND USE:
❤ Blue Yeti Pro Microphone HERE in Silver
❤ Laptop stand in silver HERE
❤ Cell Phone Stand HERE
❤ Headphone stand HERE
Thank you so much for stopping by and hanging out! Have a great weekend!
xo, Jules
Disclaimer:
There may be affiliate links in which I will gain a small commission if you decide to use those links to make a purchase. Your support is very much appreciated and we thank you!
Everything I’ve shared in this video is my own personal experience and is meant only for educational and informational purposes. I am not liable for any injuries or safety issues made by anyone who recreates my candles. Thank you!
