Aiming for natural scents

[Cmaraist]

Hello everyone! I just joined this forum after recently picking up candle-making as a hobby. I am striving for using natural scents in my candles and have been relying on essential oils to achieve this. However, I have already begun to notice that the scent of the EO does not carry as well as I had expected when I am burning one of my candles. So far, I have used 30 drops of EO to 8oz of soy wax. Should I be using more EO? Does the carrier oil in the EO affect how well it burns in a candle? Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated! Thank you

[chuck_35550]

Spend your money for quality fragrance oils and use essentials in soaps or bath and body. You aren't going to get a knock your socks off ht from that type of candle IMHO.

Steve

[Candybee]

I agree with Steve. EOs are not made for candles and don't perform well in them. On top of that you are very limited scent wise. FOs are made for candles and perform well plus you have a wealth of scents to choose from.

What carrier oil is in your EO? The only carrier oils I know of are used to cut EO/FO and typically not for use in candle applications. Also, some can clog the wick.

[emilyspoppy]

I agree with Steve. EOs are not made for candles and don't perform well in them. On top of that you are very limited scent wise. FOs are made for candles and perform well plus you have a wealth of scents to choose from.

What carrier oil is in your EO? The only carrier oils I know of are used to cut EO/FO and typically not for use in candle applications. Also, some can clog the wick.

Candy (and Steve) took the words right out my fingers!

ETA; You might find this worthwhile;

http://www.naturesgardencandles.com/candlemaking-soap-supplies/item/00eo/-Essential-Oils-Class.html

HTH

Dave @ Charlotte Hall Country Candles

Edited July 8, 2013 by emilyspoppy

[Cmaraist]

Thank you all for your advice! I am very new to this and am sort of trying things as I go. I checked out naturesgardencandles.com and their fragrance selection looks awesome and is so affordable too!

[emilyspoppy]

Thank you all for your advice! I am very new to this and am sort of trying things as I go. I checked out naturesgardencandles.com and their fragrance selection looks awesome and is so affordable too!

I'm glad you found the link to be of value to you in your search.

I've been a chandler for a lot of years, but it really wasn't until about 2005 when I found my first candle board that I really began getting a quality education.

The very best learning experience, however, was by finding and using this board at the end of last year. Don't overlook the archived information found here. Most of your questions can be answered by searching for them there. I think it's the most efficient way to learn. You'll also pick up much "collateral" information.

You're right on about the fragrances at NG. The prices and selection are good. Although, for many of us we cannot commit to buying fragrances from a single supplier, NG rates high on the most used source for FO. What I really like about their site is the very detailed information they provide on their products. Knowing the technical data on fragrance oils wasn't too much of a concern for me as a chandler-owner crafter, but since venturing into the world of B&B recently it has become extremely important. I wish all suppliers gave similar data and open feedback on the items they offer.

Don't overlook Peak! When you support them you also support this board. Their fragrances are really top shelf, too. I've used many of their fragrances for years.

JMO/HTH

DAVE

[ubure]

Hello,

while I agree to the others and prefer FOs in candles as well as I find it an absolute waste using eos in candles I do have a wholesale customer who wants such candles. There are companies selling natural FOs which consist of components of EOs like linalool etc. I have some really amazing scents here that come out really well in candles, I especially like using them in beeswax. A compromise would be using them in tarts/melts so the flame cannot burn the precious oils. In combination with the beeswax they build such nice, natural, warm scents I honestly can recommend this!

[Candybee]

Another company I know that uses EOs in their FOs is Candle Science. At least they post the EOs used in their oils on their website. I really like that. Plus they have a soy rating system that tells you how strong their oils are. Many here use CS for their FOs.

[Chefmom]

I will chime in and agree that high cost/high quality essential oils are best used in soap and B&B. You can source quality fragrance oils that are formulated with essential oils by reading the descriptions closely. I was just reading through the oils on the Candle Cocoon website and she lists many that are made with essential oils.

It would be more reading and research, but you could easily fill a candle line with source fragrances that are created with essential oils and still be able to market a more natural, aromatherapy product. It is impossible to state that a candle is fully natural, just based on the chemical cocktail that is used to make the wicking in the first place, then the processes to make the wax, and then the chemical cocktail of the fragrances, but you could build a natural scent line that used more natural scents vs the synthetic based scents.

I believe I read on here, that the best and most economical way to put the essential oils into the air is with the reed diffusion system.

Back in the day, before candle making I would put a little tab of oil into a tealight burner with a few drops of essential oils that I had on hand from soap making and fill my house with scent. It died down quickly, but it was a nice strong scent. I'm a frugal person, and after soap making I saw about four or five drops of essential oil left in the bottom of the empty bottles and I put in a little olive oil, swirled around and then poured that into the tealight burner. Voila, free scent! Now I have so many candles to test, that I pour that mix back into my soap.

Good Luck!

[chuck_35550]

Essential oils have been used for centuries for medicinal purposes. Certain oils can be toxic and should be used with caution. Some people may have an allergic reaction to an oil or combination of oils and that's serious business. Its best to buy a good handbook explaining the oils and their properties and what levels are recommended for safety purposes. I guarantee that when some company states that their fragrance oil contains an essential oil(s) it's a pretty small percentage of the formula. Essentials are too blasted expensive to make much profit and a little goes a long way. The "natural" label is a hot button topic and some folks kinda think its marketing hooey and some folks market their product as an all natural product that has some kind of health benefit (sinus candles, ear candles, lotion candles); it all takes a knowledge of your raw products. HTH

Steve

[emilyspoppy]

Essential oils have been used for centuries for medicinal purposes. Certain oils can be toxic and should be used with caution. Some people may have an allergic reaction to an oil or combination of oils and that's serious business. Its best to buy a good handbook explaining the oils and their properties and what levels are recommended for safety purposes. I guarantee that when some company states that their fragrance oil contains an essential oil(s) it's a pretty small percentage of the formula. Essentials are too blasted expensive to make much profit and a little goes a long way. The "natural" label is a hot button topic and some folks kinda think its marketing hooey and some folks market their product as an all natural product that has some kind of health benefit (sinus candles, ear candles, lotion candles); it all takes a knowledge of your raw products. HTH Steve

You're on a roll, Steve!

More great advice.

Dave

[ChrisR]

Some essential oils do very well in candles and their cost is very comparable to good quality fragrance oils. The few that I do in candles are eucalyptus, lavender and peppermint and I use them right around 1 oz./lb. I also add many essential oils to my FO blends to 'kick up' the scent. Many citrus EO's fade fast in candles or have a fuel smell when burning. Not all suppliers list the essential oils that may be in their FO's, but you can usually tell by the cost of the oils, the more EO's, the higher the cost.

[rctfavr3]

Fragrance oils are vastly more complex in their scent and are much easier to work with as they are generally "balanced" in scent strength and offer top to bottom base notes blended harmoniously together to create an ideal fragrance. Because an EO is linear or one note, you'll find that it's scent lacks depth. The initial scent of an EO will lingers until it's burn is complete. It may be natural, but it lacks a complexity or uniqueness that FOs can offer. Fragrance Oils utilize essential oils along with aroma chemicals and complex base carriers blended in such a way as to contribute to it's overall aroma profile. It can still smell natural or naturalistic and is usually more moody, offering scent "character" and body, something many EOs lack.

On the flip side, their are also singular scented fragrance oils like: Grapefruit, Lavender, Cedarwood or Amber(absolute) that mimic their EO cousins for reasons of cost (natural vs synthetic) Even in these situations...FOs are still ideal as the specific aroma chemicals that make up the fragrance can be taylored to fit a specific need.

EOs "can" be used in candles but only if they are diluted (IPM or DPG is common though neither are really good for candle wax). Even then... the amount of EO needed in a specific candle would depend upon the type of essential oil being used and the regulations set by the IFRA, which opens up a whole 'nother can of worms that I'd personally not want to deal with such as allergins and toxicity issues.

Because fragrance oils can be made as complex or as simplistic as intended * and can be made to smell of natural aromas or synthetic ones (Leather for example)...they are more universally accepted for candles.

But that's just my two scents. Results may very. BTW welcome to the forum!

Edited July 9, 2013 by rctfavr3

[Cmaraist]

This is amazing advice, everyone, thank you! I am a novice at candle making and don't intend to sell my products any time soon, but I will use this advice as I navigate my way through becoming serious at this craft.

[ChrisR]

EOs "can" be used in candles but only if they are diluted (IPM or DPG is common though neither are really good for candle wax). Even then... the amount of EO needed in a specific candle would depend upon the type of essential oil being used and the regulations set by the IFRA, which opens up a whole 'nother can of worms that I'd personally not want to deal with such as allergins and toxicity issues.

Actually this is totally incorrect, as EO's don't need to be diluted with anything to be added to candle wax.

[Candybee]

Chris-- I think you are the one I was thinking of that uses EOs in their candlemaking. I remember someone mentioning a long time back that they had good success with a few EOs. Must have been you.

So the oils you mentioned above work well. May I ask what wax you use them in? And will you share which ones (EOs) that didn't work out?

Also-- isn't DPG used to dillute FO/EOs for use in reeds. I know reeds can get clogged if you use the straight scent oil.

[ChrisR]

Candy I've used EO's in my candles for years with no problems. The 3 I listed above are about the only ones I use straight in candles. I've tried many citrus EO's straight, but they either faded real fast or smelled like fuel burning. The ones I won't use because they just won't burn without a torch for a wick are patchouli, sandalwood & anything with amber. However, patchouli in a melt is heavenly!! I have used many others like basil, rosemary, pine(s), etc. in some candle blends with FO's. I use a parasoy wax that I blend myself 80% paraffin 20% soy. In my sinus candle I use straight eucalyptus, peppermint and melted menthol crystals. Hope this helps some!!

Forgot to say: yes DPG is used to dillute FO's in reeds or smelly jellies.

Edited July 11, 2013 by ChrisR

[Candybee]

Thank you! That sinus candle formula sounds awesome. I usully use CS Mistletoe. It has eucaluptus oil in it and it always works to open my sinuses. Plus it's my fav candle scent. Will give your EO sinus recipe a try sometime but probably with tarts. EOs I use sparingly or in soap nowadays and I think tarts give me more scent throw than candles.