Teach Soap

Hello, everyone!

I'm pretty new to the world of soaping and candle-making, so I'm hoping I can get some advice from you all. I'm working on getting together my supply list for my DIY Christmas gifts (so I can start buying things little by little and watching for sales - college student budget over here!). Part of my gift basket for the women on my list is going to be a hot chocolate candle, but I'm afraid that I'm getting in over my head.

I will be making 12 candles that are supposed to look like a mug of hot chocolate (and smell like it too!). I'm typing out my initial plan below, and would appreciate feedback from you candle-making veterans! I've never, ever done this before, so any comments at all will be appreciated.

-These will be my containers:

-I will fill the mugs with 8oz of this wax: (Which means I need 10lbs of the stuff, right? A reference guide I found said that 1lb of soy wax melts to 18 oz of liquid wax)

-I plan to color the wax with the Cobalt Blue color block () and Orange color block () since brown can be made from blue and orange (Does this work the same with candle wax?). My goal is a rich chocolate brown.

-I think I will scent it with the Hot Chocolate fragrance oil from Brambleberry (). I read that I will need roughly 1oz per pound of wax. Do you find this to be accurate?

-I will whip some additional wax, leaving it plain white, and put a little on top of the mug to look like whipped cream. I have no idea how much wax I will need for this. I don't want to put too much and risk covering the scented brown wax, in case my recipients decide not to burn the candle (so there is some fragrance, at least for a while, if they choose not to burn the candle).

-I was thinking that I would use the Rrd 19 Nst 2 wicks from Brambleberry () since I don't know how fire-proof the dollar store glass mugs are, and I've read that these wicks produce a smaller burn pool (assuming that people actually burn the candle). But, I'm far from set on that. I don't actually have a clue.

Like I said, any feedback would be nice! I don't want to spend money on a project that is destined to fail from the start, and would like to make some nice gifts, so please feel free to comment on any part of my plan, and offer any suggestions or tips you may think of!

Thanks, everyone!

-Ciara

Welcome!
First of all, I would not use jars from the Dollar Tree. Those particular containers were not specifically made to be used for candles. I would use a vendor that has jars and containers specifically to be used for candles. Candle supply places test their jars and use quality manufacturers.

Soy wax tends to shrink as it cures. Always get more wax then you think you need. You will need to test different types of wicks to get the right melt pool, without mushrooming and a good hot and cold scent throw. Too small of a melt pool and you won't get a good scent throw. Too large and your wick could drown or make the container too hot; which could shatter.

I would start with a kit so you can get familiar with the process. Once you have that down, then work up to your intended project. At this point, I would not make something like this. It's a lot of trial and error to get a quality candle.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

Thanks for the feedback! I think you may be right - I have a tendency to see these great ideas and not acknowledge that I may not have the skill set to achieve a finished product. If I were to take the same idea and scale it back - say, a hot chocolate scented travel candle - do you think it would be manageable for a beginner?

Brambleberry sells these cute tins () with specific recommendations about type of wax and wick (, and ). That seems pretty close to being a kit, minus the coloring and scent - but, again, I'm new at this and have little understanding about what I'm talking about here.

If this does seem like a manageable project for a beginner:

-How much wax would you recommend I prepare (color and scent) for each 5.5oz tin, given that the soy wax will shrink? I want to make sure I buy enough, but I don't want to have a ton leftover.
-Do you think the hot chocolate fragrance I linked to in my previous post would work well, or should I look for something else?
-Does color blending work the same with wax as it does with paint (e.g. that blue and orange dye would combine to make a brown candle like it would with blue and orange paint)?

I know that my first project won't be perfect (it seems pretty clear that soap-making and candle-making are both combinations of science and art, which take practice - I imagine at least), but I do want to attempt something that I have a chance at succeeding at without wasting materials. I think that's exactly what I would've done if I'd gone with my original plan. Thank you for the advice! I really do appreciate it, and take it to heart.

The flashpoint of the hot cocoa fragrance is 160ºF.
The melt point for 100% pure soy wax is 122°F. The soy blend that Brambleberry sells is 111°F.
So that fragrance might work. The only true way to know that is to test it. Some fragrances can morph in candles.
Soy wax is harder to color. Melted, it can look brown when you add your color, but once poured, then let cool, the color might be more like tan. If you add to much color, it might clog up the wick and your candle won't burn properly.

5.5 oz. tin will more then likely hold 6 ozs. That's my educated guess, since you need to take into account how much color and fragrance you use. I blend yellow, blue and red to get brown.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

That sounds like good news! I will go ahead and get a few supplies to make a small batch of these candles and see how they turn out. Now that I'm not worried about the glass of the mug shattering (since I won't be using them) or the oil being unsafe to use, I feel good giving it a try. Thank you, again, for the quick responses and great help. I'm looking forward to gaining some hands-on experience!

I would make just one to test before you make a bunch. Candles need some cure time (like soaps do). Wait a couple of days before you do a test burn. If the melt pool is not big enough, take out the wick, remelt the wax and use a bigger wick. I would get a sampler wicks pack from an online candle supplier. I'm not sure if Brambleberry has a sampler wick pack. If you would like some candle vendor sites, send me a PM.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

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Amber D that'd be me!

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

Hello..!! Thanks for this post. I ma new to candle making, soap making and chocolate making. I have started making chocolates and candles to be packed as gifts to my friends. This discussion has helped me a lot learning about this topic. Will shortly share the pics. Thank you..!! '

Here is a link to a BB project. It's not hot chocolate fo but I am sure you can change it.

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Haven