Using naturally scented substances like essential oils, and fresh or dried herbs, flowers, spices is a great alternative to commercially available fragrance oils.
Using Essential Oils Most fragrance oils used for candle making are actually synthetics, not natural ingredients.
Essential oils are different from fragrance oils in that they are steam distilled from natural substances like flowers, herbs, and spices.
There are two disadvantages to using natural oils for candle making - the first is cost as natural oils are more expensive.
The additional cost is due to the fact that it can take a lot of natural ingredients to extract a small amount of oil.
For example, two-hundred pounds of lavender flowers yields only one pound of essential oil.
The second disadvantage of using essential oils is that they are not formulated specifically for candle making and may not burn or combine well with the wax.
However the advantages of using essential oils in candle making are numerous.
What better way is there to capture the essence and healing nature of a plant in a candle? Using essential oils allows one to create candles with a therapeutic use as opposed to a purely cosmetic scent.
Only candles made with essential oils can be considered true aromatherapy candles.
If you choose to use essential oils in candles you create for sale, be sure to explain to your customers why you choose to use essential oils and why such products are superior.
This will help the customer understand why your candles are more expensive.
Creating Your Own Custom Blends The number of scents you can create is limited purely by your own creativity.
Start by choosing a selection of oils you think will work well together.
The simplest way to begin is by opening your scent jars and placing them next to each other.
See how the perfumes blend.
Do you like it? If so move on to step two.
You will want an extra clean empty jar and some cotton swabs for this project.
Take a cotton swab and lightly dip it in your first jar of scent.
Be sure to squeeze out any extra oil on the edge of the jar.
Now place the swab in the empty jar.
Repeat for each remain scent and then place a lid on your jar containing the cotton swabs.
Wait a period of time before you go back and open the test jar.
This will give the scent time to develop and your nose a rest.
Make notes on your thoughts when you reopen the jar.
Do you like the scent? Is any particular element too strong? Close your jar and repeat the process in a few hours and then again in forty-eight hours, making sure to store your jar in a cool dark place.
Once you think you have a working scent, give it a test run by making a batch of candles using the new blend.
See how the scent performs and be sure to take notes and wrote down your exact recipe so you can make modifications later.
Safety Precautions Just because essential oils are natural, it does not make them safe for all purposes.
Avoid using the following oils in candle making - bitter almond, chervil, cinnamon bark, bitter fennel, oregano, sage, sassafras, savory, red thyme, and wintergreen.
This list is by no means exhaustive so always make sure to do your research before using a new essential oil.
As always, start with a few drops of fragrance and gradually increase the amounts if you find the scent of your first batch of candles is too weak.
Using Essential Oils Most fragrance oils used for candle making are actually synthetics, not natural ingredients.
Essential oils are different from fragrance oils in that they are steam distilled from natural substances like flowers, herbs, and spices.
There are two disadvantages to using natural oils for candle making - the first is cost as natural oils are more expensive.
The additional cost is due to the fact that it can take a lot of natural ingredients to extract a small amount of oil.
For example, two-hundred pounds of lavender flowers yields only one pound of essential oil.
The second disadvantage of using essential oils is that they are not formulated specifically for candle making and may not burn or combine well with the wax.
However the advantages of using essential oils in candle making are numerous.
What better way is there to capture the essence and healing nature of a plant in a candle? Using essential oils allows one to create candles with a therapeutic use as opposed to a purely cosmetic scent.
Only candles made with essential oils can be considered true aromatherapy candles.
If you choose to use essential oils in candles you create for sale, be sure to explain to your customers why you choose to use essential oils and why such products are superior.
This will help the customer understand why your candles are more expensive.
Creating Your Own Custom Blends The number of scents you can create is limited purely by your own creativity.
Start by choosing a selection of oils you think will work well together.
The simplest way to begin is by opening your scent jars and placing them next to each other.
See how the perfumes blend.
Do you like it? If so move on to step two.
You will want an extra clean empty jar and some cotton swabs for this project.
Take a cotton swab and lightly dip it in your first jar of scent.
Be sure to squeeze out any extra oil on the edge of the jar.
Now place the swab in the empty jar.
Repeat for each remain scent and then place a lid on your jar containing the cotton swabs.
Wait a period of time before you go back and open the test jar.
This will give the scent time to develop and your nose a rest.
Make notes on your thoughts when you reopen the jar.
Do you like the scent? Is any particular element too strong? Close your jar and repeat the process in a few hours and then again in forty-eight hours, making sure to store your jar in a cool dark place.
Once you think you have a working scent, give it a test run by making a batch of candles using the new blend.
See how the scent performs and be sure to take notes and wrote down your exact recipe so you can make modifications later.
Safety Precautions Just because essential oils are natural, it does not make them safe for all purposes.
Avoid using the following oils in candle making - bitter almond, chervil, cinnamon bark, bitter fennel, oregano, sage, sassafras, savory, red thyme, and wintergreen.
This list is by no means exhaustive so always make sure to do your research before using a new essential oil.
As always, start with a few drops of fragrance and gradually increase the amounts if you find the scent of your first batch of candles is too weak.
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