The testing and wicking phase has literally taken me 2 years. I had to take a break for my own mental health. Safety is my number one priority, but like you said it has to have a good ht/CT too. These bigger companies IMO sell candles that smell good, but they are dangerous and often over wicked.
Hello Erica, I am curious where i can find the pouring level gauge I see you using when pouring your candles? That is so neat! I am still weighing my candles as I pour to be certain of my ounces. This would speed up the process so much quicker. And keep up the good work. Enjoy watching your videos and have been for quite some years now. You are an asset too so many of us.
I took almost almost a year of testing before I sold my first candle. I tried the 464 at 6 and 10% fragrance load and couldn’t smell a thing. I also didn’t not like the way it burned or the craters/ hang up of wax on the jar. I switched to coconut apricot wax and I absolutely love it. I feel as though I’m a chemist now and I love the journey.
I've been playing around with making candles for about 10 months. The last five months, I've gotten more serious about it. With that being said, those last five months I tested in containers that I had no interest in selling them in, ugh. Now I've purchased containers I think will work, so here I go, testing again. I use 464 and the two week cure time is SO long, but out of the various waxes I've tried, I like the 464 the best. I won't launch my biz until I feel confident that my candles burn the way I think they should. I'm guessing I'll be able to launch in 4-6 months though. I love your videos, they are very helpful and in layman's terms. Thank you!
I am actually testing my first double wick one today while watching this video, after watching one of your other videos on this topic a couple of week ago. Fingers crossed I have a good result.
I'm on my 2nd year of testing. I swapped from single wicking to double wicking and it has been a journey for sure. Testing the same fragrance over and over and over and over again to ensure safety + HT is mental torture but so worth it when everything just comes together.
I think it really depends on the person and how many you test, etc. If you have an idea what you are doing, etc. I don't believe it needs to be years or even several months. With that said, like you said it varies depends on the person. What have you tested, etc.
I use wood wicks, which are probably less complicated than trying to find the right cotton wick. My question is, once you land on the wick/wax/fragrance oil combination that you think works well, how many MORE candles do you test to make sure your good results are consistent every time? In other words, do you run through the favorable test more than once to make sure it wasn't just a one-off result?
Do you share in any of your videos how much beeswax and soy you use? I currently make unscented beeswax candles but am wanting to try scented soy candles.
Can you add a second wax to help with overall melt point? I mean other then beeswax. I have beeswax but I am also overran with several other waxes that I've been testing.
Hello. I just purchased my first candle making kit on Amazon Just wondering if you are currently selling candle making kits or considering doing so in the future Great videos very educational
It is very hard because I always feel insecure about my candles. However my customers love them 😅! The only complaint I get once in awhile is abot the HT like you said 😢. People really like STRONG candles and that is very hard to achieve with 464 soy wax.
I go from one of your videos to another asking a million questions. How do you avoid the temptation to sell candles before it's truly time. I often mention that I am going to start a candle business. Immediately people start asking for candles. I know I am not fully ready. I did sell a couple but that came out decent. But then I went back to testing and realized how much I didn't know and how things can go wrong from one candle to another. So now I am thinking I am months from a official launch. At the same time I don't want to NOT tell of my vision because I want to keep people interested until my launch.
This is a GREAT question and so hard to answer unfortunately because it can be a little subjective in certain ways. I would never NOT tell people that you are starting a candle business, especially if there's lot of interest (that's a great sign!) The best thing you can do is test enough to where you feel you have a safe candle and have "passed" the candle safety test: maximum flame height is less than 3″, Container is intact, not cracked or broken, black smoke isn’t excessively streaming from the wick, container hasn’t damaged the surface it’s sitting on and hasn't tipped or spilled over. You also want to check to make sure your jar isn't getting super hot (over 165-170 degrees). It can be challenging to know when you have created a safe and "good" enough product. It can also be really hard to burn a candle from an objective perspective because we tend to "fail" our candles so so easily. Keep going, you will learn so much through these testing sessions and become way more knowledgeable of your own candles!
What wax is best. I buy only D&W and Sensational, lots of D&W, i have never had a problem with thise 2 brands, the scents is also great last the whole candle, i have tried thousands of candles durning my life i am in my 70 and i stay with those 2 brands.❤
Just a tips!: I recently bought are candles from you, The golden state. Way too much FO. Had to throw out half the light. Both my husband and I felt nauseous and had headaches.
Thank you for the feedback! That candle scent is very strong, ironically though, that’s what people love most about it! Sorry you weren’t a fan of that one.
Do you ever share your ratio on how much beeswax and soy? I make beeswax & coconut oil candles and I tested like 40 candles before I found my perfect burn. Now, I am wanting to make soy to add fragrances and not looking forward to the test phase again 😅
I recommend this as well! If you strategically give your products away you are guaranteeing they will end up in the hands of your target market. Instead of putting your money towards paid ads, for instance, where you are trying to get people to purchase, you can MAKE SURE your target customer gets your product by giving it directly to them. If your product is "good enough" it will leave them wanting more!
@@MemoryBoxCandleCo How do you explain to customers that all scents will not have the same HT? I gave a sample candle to someone and she loved it. It has very strong HT but most of my candles for some reason get an average HT. I am still testing but she wants to order and I am not confident in what I have in inventory.
The testing and wicking phase has literally taken me 2 years. I had to take a break for my own mental health. Safety is my number one priority, but like you said it has to have a good ht/CT too.
These bigger companies IMO sell candles that smell good, but they are dangerous and often over wicked.
Hello Erica, I am curious where i can find the pouring level gauge I see you using when pouring your candles? That is so neat! I am still weighing my candles as I pour to be certain of my ounces. This would speed up the process so much quicker. And keep up the good work. Enjoy watching your videos and have been for quite some years now. You are an asset too so many of us.
Testing definitely attributed to me taking a break from candle making… ready to start back up and the info helped.
I tested for 4-6 months before i started selling and I’ve been making candles for about 3-4 years now
I took almost almost a year of testing before I sold my first candle. I tried the 464 at 6 and 10% fragrance load and couldn’t smell a thing. I also didn’t not like the way it burned or the craters/ hang up of wax on the jar. I switched to coconut apricot wax and I absolutely love it.
I feel as though I’m a chemist now and I love the journey.
I'm about to switch from soy 444 to Coconut Apricot. I'm so glad you're having a better time with that one. Cuz whew Chile! I'm tired!😂😂
lol testing omg! I thought about changing my wax. After starting the wick testing process, I quickly decided to stick with my current wax.
I've been playing around with making candles for about 10 months. The last five months, I've gotten more serious about it. With that being said, those last five months I tested in containers that I had no interest in selling them in, ugh. Now I've purchased containers I think will work, so here I go, testing again. I use 464 and the two week cure time is SO long, but out of the various waxes I've tried, I like the 464 the best. I won't launch my biz until I feel confident that my candles burn the way I think they should. I'm guessing I'll be able to launch in 4-6 months though. I love your videos, they are very helpful and in layman's terms. Thank you!
I am actually testing my first double wick one today while watching this video, after watching one of your other videos on this topic a couple of week ago. Fingers crossed I have a good result.
I'm on my 2nd year of testing. I swapped from single wicking to double wicking and it has been a journey for sure. Testing the same fragrance over and over and over and over again to ensure safety + HT is mental torture but so worth it when everything just comes together.
I think it really depends on the person and how many you test, etc. If you have an idea what you are doing, etc. I don't believe it needs to be years or even several months. With that said, like you said it varies depends on the person. What have you tested, etc.
I use wood wicks, which are probably less complicated than trying to find the right cotton wick. My question is, once you land on the wick/wax/fragrance oil combination that you think works well, how many MORE candles do you test to make sure your good results are consistent every time? In other words, do you run through the favorable test more than once to make sure it wasn't just a one-off result?
This! I’m stuck here. Do I keep what’s working or keep trying new things
I’m still testing. It’s been about 6 months. I THINK I’ve figured out my tins and now I’m on to my jars! 🤪
I dont like that the fragrance don't smell like I want it meaning once the fire is added it smells different than the wax melts or reed diffuser
Hy. Dear Erika, My research takes me almost a year.. I still test. 🙌 ❤
Do you share in any of your videos how much beeswax and soy you use? I currently make unscented beeswax candles but am wanting to try scented soy candles.
Can you add a second wax to help with overall melt point? I mean other then beeswax. I have beeswax but I am also overran with several other waxes that I've been testing.
Hello. I just purchased my first candle making kit on Amazon Just wondering if you are currently selling candle making kits or considering doing so in the future
Great videos very educational
It is very hard because I always feel insecure about my candles. However my customers love them 😅! The only complaint I get once in awhile is abot the HT like you said 😢.
People really like STRONG candles and that is very hard to achieve with 464 soy wax.
I go from one of your videos to another asking a million questions. How do you avoid the temptation to sell candles before it's truly time. I often mention that I am going to start a candle business. Immediately people start asking for candles. I know I am not fully ready. I did sell a couple but that came out decent. But then I went back to testing and realized how much I didn't know and how things can go wrong from one candle to another. So now I am thinking I am months from a official launch. At the same time I don't want to NOT tell of my vision because I want to keep people interested until my launch.
This is a GREAT question and so hard to answer unfortunately because it can be a little subjective in certain ways. I would never NOT tell people that you are starting a candle business, especially if there's lot of interest (that's a great sign!)
The best thing you can do is test enough to where you feel you have a safe candle and have "passed" the candle safety test: maximum flame height is less than 3″, Container is intact, not cracked or broken, black smoke isn’t excessively streaming from the wick, container hasn’t damaged the surface it’s sitting on and hasn't tipped or spilled over. You also want to check to make sure your jar isn't getting super hot (over 165-170 degrees).
It can be challenging to know when you have created a safe and "good" enough product.
It can also be really hard to burn a candle from an objective perspective because we tend to "fail" our candles so so easily.
Keep going, you will learn so much through these testing sessions and become way more knowledgeable of your own candles!
What wax is best. I buy only D&W and Sensational, lots of D&W, i have never had a problem with thise 2 brands, the scents is also great last the whole candle, i have tried thousands of candles durning my life i am in my 70 and i stay with those 2 brands.❤
I tested for about 7 months before I sold my first candle.
Just a tips!:
I recently bought are candles from you, The golden state. Way too much FO. Had to throw out half the light. Both my husband and I felt nauseous and had headaches.
Thank you for the feedback! That candle scent is very strong, ironically though, that’s what people love most about it! Sorry you weren’t a fan of that one.
Hello, what type of wax do you use? Candles on your website?
we use a blend of soy 10 and beeswax :)
Do you ever share your ratio on how much beeswax and soy? I make beeswax & coconut oil candles and I tested like 40 candles before I found my perfect burn. Now, I am wanting to make soy to add fragrances and not looking forward to the test phase again 😅
Year and half of testing and only launched 3 candles at the start
Several people suggest giving away candles before you start to sell. What is the purpose of giving them away?
I recommend this as well! If you strategically give your products away you are guaranteeing they will end up in the hands of your target market. Instead of putting your money towards paid ads, for instance, where you are trying to get people to purchase, you can MAKE SURE your target customer gets your product by giving it directly to them.
If your product is "good enough" it will leave them wanting more!
@@MemoryBoxCandleCo How do you explain to customers that all scents will not have the same HT? I gave a sample candle to someone and she loved it. It has very strong HT but most of my candles for some reason get an average HT. I am still testing but she wants to order and I am not confident in what I have in inventory.
wiiking is a nightmare :/
It’s definitely challenging!!