Candle Making Fragrance

Sooner or later most candle makers will want to add scent to their candles. After all, a pleasant aroma adds another level of enjoyment to the candle. For that reason it's good to know a little bit about candle making fragrance right from the start.

Most candle makers will use purchased fragrance. However, it is possible to make your own from flowers, herbs or spices. I explain one method of doing that on Make Your Own Candle Making Fragrance.

On this page I'm going to talk about using commercially produced fragrance to add scent to your candles.

The first thing to realize is that you can not add just any fragrant material to candle wax and expect to get a good result.

I'm a little embarrassed to admit this, but the first time I tried to add scent to a candle was on a bit of a whim and I tried to mix some aftershave into the wax. That didn't work at all, and if I thought for a moment I never would've tried it.

Alcohol and water don't blend well with wax so any scented material that contains them, such as aftershave, won't do well in candle making.

The easiest way to be certain that the scent will be compatible with wax is to buy fragrance made specifically for candle making from a reputable supplier. The choices available are truly astounding and should meet any needs you have.

In addition, you can combine to a more fragrances to make your own custom blend. For example, you might like the idea of vanilla and cinnamon together. Though you can usually mix scents from different manufacturers successfully, to be absolutely on the safe side you might want to only mix fragrances from the same manufacturer.

Candle making fragrance comes in several different forms. It is very frequently supplied as an essential oil. You also will commonly see it in the form of wax chips or flakes, which some people find more convenient.

You may note that some suppliers who offer candle making fragrance also sell fragrances for making soaps, cosmetics, perfumes and incense. Some essential oils can be used in multiple applications, while others cannot. The suppliers generally make it clear which oils are appropriate what application.

For example, many essential oils are very irritating is placed directly on the skin and so would not be suitable for perfume. Such oils are sometimes referred to as "manufacturer grade", indicating that they are suitable for manufacturing products such as soap or candles, but not placing directly on the skin in a concentrated form.

Essential oils that can be used in perfumes are referred to as "cosmetic grade".

You also need to be aware that the different grades of essential oils are available. Some suppliers offer oils that have been diluted with glycol or other cheap diluents. This makes the oils less expensive per ounce, but the scent would not be as strong. In most situations, I believe that buying a premium oil is a better bargain in the long run.

The amount of scent added to a candle is generally determined by weight. Each wax and wax blend can absorb only so much essential oil successfully. Most wax suppliers will suggest a maximum amount that you should add and you should keep that in mind.

As a general rule of thumb, 1 ounce of essential oil per pound of wax works well. With some wax as you might be able to go as high as 2.5 ounces of essential oil per pound of wax, but consider adding that much an experiment.

Just so you know, if you do over the do it with the amount of fragrance you add, the candle may develop shiny or blotchy areas on its surface and burned poorly.

One of the "secrets" that will let you quickly become a master candle maker is to keep accurate notes every time you make a batch of candles. That definitely holds true when it comes to adding scent. Keep track of just what type of oil you use, where you got it, how much you added, how hot the wax was when you mixed it in and so on. Then make notes on the results.

Having these notes available will help you duplicate your successes and avoid your not-so-successful experiments.

Gel candles are a special case. A gel candle wax is actually not a true wax. It is mineral oil that has been polymerized to make it into a semisolid gel. Not all essential oils will mix with.

Again, the easiest way to be certain that you have a compatible oil is to purchase fragrance made specifically for gel candles. However, if you want to try to use an essential oil that you already have, it may work. You can test it by trying to mix a few drops of gel wax with a few drops of the oil and seeing if they blend well.

I want to close by mentioning the term "throw". In the world of fragrance, throw refers to how strongly a scent is given off. In candle making, cold throw refers to the amount of fragrance noticeable when the candle is unlit and hot throw refers to how strong the aroma is when the candle is burning.