Candle Making Fragrance Basics: The Path To Great Smelling Candles

Candle making fragrance oils come from a variety of different places. Much of what you choose will have to do with the type of candle you are attempting to produce. Most of us learned very early that oil and water do not mix. This simple rule should stay in the back of your mind as you decide the candle making fragrance that you are choosing to use.

First, if you are attempting to make candles for use in aromatherapy, your candle making fragrance will come from essential oils because this is the only way to receive the benefits of aromatherapy. These oils are naturally based plant extractions, or “virgin oils”. That is important when you remember that wax, and the fragrance and dye that you put in it is a suspension. As such, essential oils will not work well with anything other than a naturally occurring wax. This will limit your wax choices to soy, beeswax, and palm wax. Conversely, if you are using an oil that has been chemically produced to smell good like the ones they use in the big factories, then paraffin may be the most suitable and economical base.

And this highlights the next point about candle making fragrance and candle production in general. Before you begin any venture, you must decide what the end product will be. Candle making fragrance, wax, and dye work together. If you don’t plan ahead, you can marry together 2 or more materials that are not intended to interact with one another and your candle will not be a success. In the same way that you must learn the science of how candles work before you produce one, you must also learn what material works best with what product. If you want to make a pretty candle that smells pleasant, it may not be necessary to go the more expensive route of using all natural products. On the other hand, if you intend to use the candle as therapy, you should begin with the fragrance oil and build to the right type of wax.

Another thing to consider when discussing how wax and candle making fragrance coincide is the “throw”. The throw is the distance you can smell a candle based on how far away it is. The perfect throw is aroma that is even and smells equally as strong 10 feet away as it does when you are standing next to it. Remember, when you burn a candle you are releasing wax, smoke and fragrance oil. The wax acts as a sort of carrier for the aroma. This is why you can pick up a candle, smell it, and scent is apparent, even in the solid wax. While obviously some candle making fragrance is stronger than others, wax again becomes the catalyst for a successful scented candle. This is because the weight of the wax as a carrier determines how far the scent will be carried. Imagine pressing scented mist spray. Candles work the same way at a much slower pace. Choosing a plan and the right wax and candle making fragrance makes all the difference to your end product.

The Many Advantages of Candle Making Fragrance Oils

Making candles today is not only easier than in past eras, but adding scent to them has become easier and naturally more popular. Today's scents used in candle making are limitless. You can make a candle scent with a huge variety of scents with fragrance oils.

There are many uses for various candle making fragrance oils like aroma therapy for healing, setting a particular mood, repelling mosquitoes or simply for odor control in the home. If you are just beginning the craft of candle making, keep in mind that choosing the right fragrance oils is vital as some may cause eye irritations or allergy outbreaks in those with allergies. Here is a simple guide to fragrance oils you can use for making candles.

Candles used to be just a way to provide light for reading and seeing at night. Today candles have many uses. The addition of a vast variety of scents for candles provides a way to create whatever mood or atmosphere you want or need.

It is also believed that different candle scents can stimulate, balance and heal the body and mind. Different fragrance oils used in candle making can help with relaxation, stress, sleep disorders, energy and peace of mind. Here is a quick list of how candle making fragrance oils are beneficial.

* Refresh your senses - eucalyptus and peppermint
* Relax your body and mind - lavender, vanilla, grapefruit and lemon grass
* Sooth your spirit - French vanilla and green tea
* Serenity for your soul - ginger and citrus
* Tranquility for balance - vanilla and lavender
* Release your sensuality - rosemary, cedar and sprice
* Find your positive attitude - Moroccan rose and chamomile
* Get happy - patchouli, frankincense and labdanum
* Energy to succeed - clove, nutmeg and cassia
* Heal emotional pain - orange, tangerine and lavandin


These are just a few of the many various scents and scent blends used for various reasons. There is so much more to fragrance oils and candle making that it just can't be fully covered in one article. There is plenty of valuable information available online on the subject as well as where and how to buy candle making fragrance oils, candle making equipment and other candle making supplies like dyes and waxes.