Everything you need to know about oils

As you most likely know by now, the process of candle making is not as easy as it may sound at first. You have to purchase the right equipment and ingredients as well as researching the methods and details of it. The right amounts and temperatures are crucial in order to make good quality candles. You have to take into consideration safety hazards as your friends or customers will use it at their homes.

Apart from choosing the best type of wax, you have to think about what you need for colouring and for creating unique scents as well.  As making personalized and unique candles is the base of all successful businesses, you should spend some time researching the topic. In case you haven’t had the chance to familiarize yourself with the topic, this post is for you as you can find everything you need to know about oils: essential and fragrance oils, differences and ways of using. Let’s see together what you need to know!

Essential oils

As a new candle maker, you might want to start with the basics. Essential oils are natural ingredients extracted from plants with high concentration. They can be extracted from leaves, flowers, roots or even fruits of plants. As they are natural, they are popular in aromatherapy, meditation and cosmetics as well. Essential oils are pure, always carrying the essence of only one plant with the help of a carrier oil.  

As a candle maker, you might want to identify your brand and products in natural ways. In that case, essential oils are your go-to options similarly to soy wax instead of paraffin or beeswax. 

Fragrance oils

Unlike essential oils, fragrance oils are manufactured with natural but also artificial compounds. They are usually a mixture of several scents thus creating a unique scent. It is worth mentioning that fragrance oils have no health benefits – this is important to note as essential oils on the other hand do have several health benefits. This can be one of the most important aspects when choosing. But with their strong and unique scents, they can be the perfect choice if you don’t feel like mixing and experimenting with oils and scents for hours. With this, you can save time and make your process easier too.

Differences

After knowing the basics, let’s see the main differences. As mentioned, essential oils are natural while fragrance oils are made in the laboratory. Essential oils come with health benefits but with less strong scents – meanwhile fragrance oils have long-lasting fragrance without health benefits.

Lastly, essential oils tend to be more expensive than fragrance oils. The last aspect is important as it will define and affect your production costs. So if you make a bigger batch, you might want to go with fragrance oils. Not only are they less expensive, but with their stronger scent, smaller amounts can be used. So if you are just about to start your business, cutting costs will be one of your basic goals. In that case, fragrance oils could be used until you achieve a steady income.

All this information will be important when choosing the ingredients which best suit your needs in the candle making process. 

Choosing the right scents

Now that you know the basics and differences regarding essential and fragrance oils, you should be able to choose the right ones. For that, it is worth knowing which scent is used for which problem. As most people know, lavender is for example used for calming and reducing stress, whereas citrus can be used for boosting energy. These details will make your candles perfect for every occasion. The same goes for fragrance oils too. However, those are prepared fragrances for special occasions such as Christmas holidays or autumn.

Apart from that, it’s also worth knowing that oils can be categorized into top, middle and base notes. When you are mixing oils, it is worth adding all three types to create the best, long-lasting fragrance.

Moreover simply using one oil at a time, you might as well start experimenting with your oils. Getting creative with the different scents will make your candles more unique which is always a business advantage. For that, you will only need a cotton swab and a jar in which you can put the cotton after using a few oils on it.

Ways of using oils

When it comes to using the oils, the most important aspect is the correct temperature. It depends on the wax you are using as they all have different melting points. Whilst with paraffin and soy wax you can add oils at 180-185°F, palm wax has a higher point of over 200°F. When you reach the desired temperature, you can add the chosen oils to the wax. Keep in mind that the right amount is just as important as the right temperature. In general, you need to use 1 ounce of oil in 1 pound of melted wax. Adding less will make your scents too weak, but never add too much either! Make sure to measure your ingredients and stay accurate as it is one of the key aspects of the whole process. For that, you might want to purchase a good quality scale. Without that, measuring the ingredients properly will be close to impossible. After adding the chosen oils, stir well in order to let your oil combine with the wax completely. 

All things considered, both essential oils and fragrance oils are great choices when you are making scented candles. It is mostly up to your goals and needs which one you prefer over another. Moreover, you are free to experiment and use your creative side when choosing and mixing oils. Make sure to purchase good quality essential and fragrance oils to truly enjoy their benefits. With all this information, you can easily make the most unique scents for your candles!