Taking The Mystery Out Of Making Scented Candles

The wonderful thing about scented candles is that the fragrance is noticed even when the candle is not lit. They make wonderful gifts and are appreciated even more when they are handmade.

Fragrance oil or perfume?

It may be tempting to use your favorite perfume as the scent of candle. You love the smell so it will make a wonderful scented candle. Well, maybe.

Most perfumes are alcohol or water based. Recall back in high school chemistry class that water and oil don’t mix. The water based perfume will sink to the bottom of the candle wax. Alcohol based perfumes will vaporize in the hot wax.

To add a scent to a candle you need to use fragrance oil or oils. Craft stores and online retailers carry a variety of fragrance oils that can be used in a candle.

Mixing your own fragrances

Who says that you have to only use a single fragrance oil in your candle creations? Experiment with mixing and blending different fragrance oils together to create your own unique scent.

Work with really small portions while testing out your creations. Write down how much of each fragrance oil you used in a particular blend. Make a very small test candle with the fragrance loaded into it. Burn the test candle to see how the newly created scent smells. Sometimes the fragrance oils don’t always smell as good as you would hope when mixed and burned!

I like to make a really small candle about an 1 1/2 inches in diameter by 1/2 inch in height. If the concoction stinks to high heaven, I do not want to have wasted a bunch of candle wax testing it out.

Selecting the wax

Fragrance oil can be added to all of the various candle making waxes (beeswax, soy, palm, paraffin and gel). The amount of fragrance oil that can be added to a given candle wax does vary. This is especially true for gel candles. The higher the density of gel wax used can hold more fragrance oil.

Fragrance oil loads

For natural and paraffin wax candles the usual fragrance load is 6%. Add one ounce for each pound of wax.

Gel Candles

Use fragrances that are specifically made for gel candles. The fragrance must have a flashpoint above 170 degrees F. Recall that gel candles burn at a higher temperature than natural and paraffin wax candles do.

Unfortunately there isn’t a standard guide to know what the flashpoint of a fragrance oil is. The only way to know is to contact the manufacture and verify that the product is indeed gel candle safe.

Low density (CLP) has a low fragrance load of 0 to 3% by weight.

Medium density (CMP) and high density (CHP) has a low fragrance load of 0 to 5% by weight.

Testing fragrance oil compatibility

Most all candle fragrances are supposed to be oil soluble. If I have not used the particular fragrance oil, I test its oil solubility. Mix one part fragrance with three parts mineral oil. Let it sit for at least 30 minutes. Check to see if there is any separation.

Making a scented candle

Melt the candle wax as per the manufacture’s guidelines. Once all of the wax has melted it is time to add the fragrance oil. Add the wick to the mold.

Remove the wax from the heat source. Now add the fragrance oil to the wax. Stir it into the wax so that it is blended well.

It is now time to add the fragrance oil. You can add one ounce of fragrance oil to one pound of wax. This will give you a 6% fragrance concentration. Make sure that you do not add too much fragrance.

Problems with adding fragrance oil to a candle

Although it may seem like the more fragrance the better, right? This is not always the case. There are several problems that can arise from using too much fragrance oil in a candle.

  • The candle may not burn properly due to the fragrance oil preventing the melted wax from being pulled up the wick.
  • The fragrance oil may begin to pool in the candle.
  • The candle may begin to ’sweat’. Were some of the fragrance oil oozes out of the side of the candle near the top.

You should always test out a new scented candle recipe with a very small candle first. Keep detailed records of any changes you have made to the candle recipe.

Using things like scents and colors gives you much more creative variety in candle making. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to give a loved one a gift of a candle with the essence of relaxation and a calming scent to go along with it?