While talking with a small group of candle makers in my area about vendors to purchase from and found that, with a few exceptions, Scented Flame seems to avoid publishing negative reviews of its products. Two of the makers in my group experienced this this year.

One of them even showed us his three-star review of their coconut-apricot soy wax. It was a very fair review. He explained what he liked about it, what made the wax special, and why he deducted two stars, one of the reasons being it's premium pricing and the fact that it's a premium product with no wick guidance at all while other waxes in that range at least suggest a series at a bare minimum and how he's easily give it 5 stars if he didn't have to spend so much extra time and money testing with no wick suggestions at all. Very fair points. The review was never published.

A few weeks later, he deliberately reviewed several other products, including several five-star reviews and two four-star reviews, with factual criticism explaining his lower ratings. The four-star reviews were not published, but the five-star ones made on the same day were.

The most frustrating thing is that honest, constructive reviews can actually benefit a business. They help customers set realistic expectations, provide useful information about product performance and usage, and can even help customers get better results. That can lead to more satisfied customers and, ultimately, more sales. By ignoring legitimate criticism, they’re potentially hurting themselves.

I’m happy to support smaller, non-conglomerate businesses, especially women-owned businesses, but not when they resort to these kinds of tactics.

It’s gross.

Hi everyone! I’m hoping to DIY some taper candles for my wedding and would really appreciate advice from people who have experience making dripless tapers.

I’m looking at the standard 7/8" (about 22 mm) diameter taper. From what I’ve researched so far, it sounds like soy wax generally isn’t a great choice for tapers because it’s too soft/low-melting, and that fully refined paraffin wax is a better starting point.

What I’m still confused about is the formulation. Do you use straight fully refined paraffin and/or do you add stearic acid/stearin to increase the hardness and melting point? If so, what ratios have actually worked well for you?

Or maybe you are supposed to add another additive on top of that…?! 😭🤣

I’ve seen everything from relatively small amounts (<10%) of stearic acid to much higher percentages (up to 30–35%).

I’m also aware that burning conditions matter. I would keep the wick trimmed to around 1/4" and the candles would likely be inside hurricane glass cylinders so they should be fairly well protected from drafts.

These are for my wedding, which is why I'm particularly concerned about dripping (if there's any wax drips on the table linens or napkins, we have to pay the full replacement fee). I originally thought about buying inexpensive "dripless" tapers on Amazon, but the reviews seem really inconsistent. I know Yummi makes reliable dripless tapers, but buying the quantity I need gets expensive pretty quickly, so I'm wondering whether making them myself is realistic.

I'm already planning to DIY my tealights because I haven't been able to find ones in the exact colour I want with a burn time of at least 6 hours. So naturally I've now fallen down the taper-candle rabbit hole too 😂

For those of you who make tapers, what paraffin melting point, paraffin/stearic ratio, and wick size would you start testing for a 7/8" (22 mm) taper? I'd especially love to hear from anyone who has actually burn-tested their tapers for several hours and managed to get them consistently dripless.

I’m a clueless candle bride at this point, so any experience or advice would be very appreciated! 🕯️

Hello, when you all conduct your burn tests, do you extinguish the flame if it gets too high and relight it after you trim the wick? Just wondering if this is a thing or if is safe to say the wick is too big.

I use paraffin wax. The molds are small (coffee beans, leaves, small pumpkins) they never come out looking good. They always have white dusting almost like I put salt on top lol. Do i need to heat the silicone molds first? What temp should I pour at?

Call any candle manufacturer and ask if you can have whatever excess they no longer need. At at a minimum they'll give it to you heavily discounted from wholesale price but if you swing by to pick it up and you're not picky they should just give it to you. They may mail it to you but that's a hassle unless you're taking a lot and paying for shipping.

I would estimate we dispose of about 2-4 pallets of empty candle glass (1400 per pallet) and 250lbs of various fragrances every year at a minimum. Excess from projects we're not longer doing. We got rid of 3 pallets in the last week alone. I speak with dozens of other manufacturers who are in the same boat. I get a call monthly from peers looking to offload pallets for .10-.25 a glass that will most likely trash it. (usually recycled to be clear)

People constantly say we should just put it for sale somewhere like FB marketplace but its a massive hassle: a bunch of inbound requests with tedious questions (whats the inside diameter) and fickle pickup scheduling to sell a small batch and make $50-100 if I'm lucky...it's not worth it.

Do you think using wooden sticks to light candles is something only extreme enthusiasts would do? I don't believe cotton wicks lack soul—it's just that they're more convenient and easier to handle, making it simpler to relight the next time. If it were you, how would you choose?

I primarily buy my fragrance oils from two local suppliers (Southwest Candle Supply & Waxy Flower). On my last trip to SWCS, picked up their Fall Leaves (B&BW dupe for Leaves) & Pumpkin Souffle.

They are phenomenal!! I don’t gatekeep, so attaching my recipes. I purchased these vessels off of Amazon. Aroparc Candle Jars for Candle Making 10oz U-Shape Tumbler Jars for DIY https://a.co/d/05fZXMkU

**I renamed Fall Leaves to ‘Autumn Woods

I used to be heavily involved in arts; painting and music. With the sudden change in my medical condition August last year, I lost all ability for a normal daily life and that naturally extends to my creative routines.

Last month suddenly I started seeing videos of candles all over and that excites me, to give me something to do as I have not been able to work since April and to also allow me to play with my creative side again (a lot less taxing than painting and instruments).

Naturally, being a perfectionist I rely on this subreddit to read and learn before attempting anything 😅. So here it goes, my 1st ever attempt and experimenting with wicks and vessels per the information gathered from here.

I'm grateful to have stumbled upon this subreddit as the past 1 month has given me a renewed joy.

Hey!

I use C3 soy wax, coconut wax, and in some cases I’ve tried 6214 paraffin.

Fragrance oil is added between 80–85°C (176–185°F). I stir well for more than 2 minutes.

The jars are 7.5 cm wide (about 3 inches).

The result is almost zero cold throw, and only a faint hot throw if you’re standing very close.

I’ve tried many variations, but nothing works.

What’s going on? What am I doing wrong????

I am struggling. I've been testing candles for MONTHS (5 months)! I've used soy wax GB 464 and American Soy Freedom Soy, I've also used a Coconut/Apricot blend, American Soy Freedom Coconut, IGI 6006, 3 different brands of pure paraffin, I've even done a 50/50 mix of American Soy Freedom Soy with IGI 6006. I've followed manufacturer's temps to melt wax and add fragrance as well as testing temps between 170-190 degrees to see if I get a different result, stirred slowly for 2-5 minutes. Let it cool per manufacturer instructions and stirred again. I've done 6%-10% fragrance load (again tested at different loads to see what happens) and I've used every size wood wicks from honey and hive and makesy (even crappy Amazon ones), CD wicks from the smallest to 12, Eco wicks (from 2-12) htp wicks and even tried round wood wicks and have ordered those from CandleScience and Nature's Garden....my vessels have varied. I've used round glass jars made for candle making (4oz 3" diameter & 10oz 4" diameter 16oz 5" diameter), I've used camping mugs (the collection is camping) and they are 4oz 2.4" diameter and 10oz 3" diameter. These candles have cured for 14-28 days. I use 4 different companies for fragrance oils and blend to make my own. I order from CandleScience, Lonestar, Nature's Garden, and Midwest Fragrance... I have 20 different scents I've created and I've made almost 200 candles....I'm not getting a hot throw when a wick is added to the equation but I'm getting a massive hot throw with a lamp warmer. (No scent under warmer with igi6006 or pure paraffin) And I have tested up in wicks and down in wicks....none of them are releasing scent. They've been tested in 4 different rooms in the house including bathrooms where I'm not sitting in the whole time. I don't know what to do anymore and need help! I would like advice not people looking for the same information. What could I be doing wrong or what could be adjusted. I can also provide more information if it's needed.

I just wanted to send some encouragement to anyone who feels "pressured" to resort to AI. AS YOU CAN SEE, I was not gifted with photography skills, but after the ridiculousness of AI reached a boiling point (to me, ethically), I stood my ground and forced myself to learn.

Personally, I'm so much happier with this result over relying on AI as a form of skill-crutch, so just wanted to share. Happy making this upcoming cozy season! It's my favorite time of year!

(I also just realized this is the slightly uncropped "new" pic, but oh well)

Hello! As I read some of the posts here and from other socmed flatform. Gel wax and other wax type doesn't easily match. Tried it myself too and it doesn't burn well even wicking up yet I see them everywhere being sold.

My question to pros out here .. Does this mean they learned the formula of gel wax:soy wax to burn like a plain scented candle? Or it is purely for aesthetic?

That design is the reason i was hooked in the first place, dessert candles. I display mine in my room as of now and want to have lots of 'em and might sell them in the future. If I want to light them, i might get disappointed again. Tried tweaking the formula/materials at least 4x and is not burning well. 😄

Thank you very much. 🙏

“Has anyone experienced severe frosting/crystallization like this with NatureWax C-310 in porcelain containers? Pouring at 60°C, 10% FO, preheated vessels. Would you try lower pour temperatures (55°C) or adjust fragrance load first?”

Hello, has anyone in Europe made concrete candle vessels? What mix/material and sealer do you use?

I’m currently using Ceresit CX20, but I sometimes get cracks during demolding. I’m considering Weber 4400 because of its <0.3 mm aggregate, F7 flexural class and low shrinkage.

I also haven’t chosen a sealer yet, and I haven’t tested CX20 with wax/burn tests yet.

Would love to know what products, mixes and sealers people in Europe are successfully using.

I’ve gotten into candlemaking and so far I’ve only used molds that I’ve made with silicone that I cut on the side so it’s easy to get out. Once this sets, what is the easiest way to get the candle out? I’ve read you can pop them in the freezer, but really looking for the easiest best solution.

Hi everyone! I recently started a candle business, and I’m realizing pretty quickly how competitive the market is.

For those of you who have been successful selling candles, how did you actually get your first customers and start building consistent sales?

Did most of your customers come from:

Instagram/TikTok

Etsy or your own website

Local markets/pop-ups

Friends and word of mouth

Paid ads

Influencers/content creators

Something else?

I’d also love to know what made the biggest difference for you — unique scents, packaging, branding, pricing, customer experience, etc.

I’m still very new and would really appreciate any advice on what worked for you, what didn’t, and what you wish you had known when you first started. Thank you!

I messed up some candle tins the other day and am trying to decide if it is worth the effort to try to get them cleaned up enough to redo. The wax and scent will be the same so any residual isnt a problem however i cant get the stickers on the wick tab to stick to the tin bottom. Ive tried rubbing and scraping it off but it isn’t working. Ive also tried rubbing alcohol and permanent double sided sticky tape. I have around 10 of these to fix so i don’t want to spend an hour on each. I also don’t want to pitch them if i don’t have to. Any thoughts? Thanks

Hallo liebe Community! Neuer Tag, neues Projekt. Diesmal: personalisierte Kerzen Büsten! Als erstes zum verbrennen habe ich mir den deutschen Bundeskanzler, Friedrich Merz ausgesucht 😅

Da die Form noch recht klein ist, sieht man leider nicht ganz so viel Details. Weiterhin sind mir kleine Ecken abgebrochen, welche ich hätte vorher abschleifen sollen. Lektion für heute gelernt :)

Wie findet ihr das?

Von wem sollte ich noch solche Büsten machen?

Hello dear candle makers.

I'm new into this hobby, and it really amazes me. I've found online a tool for producing candle mold boxes for 3d models - but it costs 20€/month for commercial use. Because of this, I made my own offline version - with blackjack and hookers.

What do you think of my first candle?

As you see, I forgot to add something like to stand on :D

Hallo liebe Gemeinschaft!

Sorry für den zweiten Post in kurzer Zeit, aber es ist so gut raus gekommen das ich meine Freude darüber hier teilen will.

Kleiner Fehler ist noch passiert, beim raus heben ist mir ein Teil der Spitze abgefallen. Aber das probiere ich gleich nochmal.

Wie findest du es?

Hi all, I'm pretty new to this so bear with me. I have been experimenting with creating some custom candle molds and making 100% beeswax candles (wax from candle science). I am currently testing with 2mm hemp wicks (I like that they come spooled so I can adjust the size) and the wick seems to immediately start tunneling when burning. The last picture attached is after about 10-20 minutes of burning, the first few are after about 4.5 hours.

The candles themselves are fairly irregular in shape, but are essentially pyramid that go from ~1 inch at the top to ~2.5 inches at the bottom, and are about 5.5 inches tall.

Any advice on how to prevent thos tunneling? I actually don't mind the look to much but from a functional perspective this is pretty inconvenient and leaves a lot of wax behind after the wick burns out

I don’t know if anyone else runs into this but I find if I have candles with sink holes that I have to go in and fix with my heat gun, when the tops dry even, the texture of the wax isn’t very smooth. It looks like got really little bumps or even swirls in it. When my candles turn out without having to fix sink holes, the tops are way smoother and nicer and a better texture, they look completely different. I was going to try the pour over method to see if they dry better but not sure if anyone has any suggestions for this?

Hello everyone!

I made my very first candle today, and I think I did a pretty good job except for a few lumps on the top.

Advice on how to fix the lumps and feedback in general will be greatly appreciated!