essential oils in candles

[Pinkkenni79]

have any of you had bad experience with essential oils in your candles? specifically cirtus. i poured some last night and the last one was lime eo. i leaned in and smelled it and there was nothing. the wax was 160 degrees, which is nowhere near the 200 flashpoint of most citrus eo. i used a full oz in a lb of wax and there is no smell whatsoever. i have had the worst time finding a lime fragrance oil. just lime, nothing else so i turned to the eo (which costs a little more) and still no success. am i doing something wrong os is lime just not for candles?:bunny:

 

[jcandleattic]

Flashpoint means nothing when combining fragrances to wax. All flashpoint means, is the lowest temperature at which vapors above a volatile combustible substance ignite in air when exposed to flame or spark. Unless you are pouring your candles near an open flame or fireworks, you really have nothing to worry about where that's concerned, even if you heated your wax/eo combo to well above 200°.

What wax are you using? Soy needs a cure time of at least 7-10 days to be at it's best throw wise.

However, in my experience, I have never been able to get EO's to throw in my applications. Not like FO's anyway. If they throw at all, they are always very light, even when used at 8-10%. That is just not cost effective enough for me, so I stopped using them in my wax applications about 16 years ago. Just not worth it.
I use paraffin and palm, where almost anything you put in those waxes is going to throw, and I still couldn't get EO's to work for me.

I stick with FO's now.
Lime is a citrus though, and even with FO - I always add a touch of vanilla to my citrus oils to offset the fuel scent I can sometimes get when burning them.

 

[LilyJo]

Essential oils are really tough to get right in candles as the temperature of wax can often burn off the oils - dont forget that the quality of EO can vary and less reputable sellers have been known to dilute the oils.

That being said they are tricky to get right and the costs are often prohibitive given the quantity needed - we only offer a couple of variations and have avoided citrus because of the fuel smell.

 

[Parfumerie]

I dont know anything about what works in candles but i do know Lime eo is very volatile (evaporates quickly) maybe the most volatile I've found

 

[shunt2011]

There's a difference between volatile & evaporation. Most candlemakers don't use EO's due to them not working well in candles. Heck, most don't work in soap either. Best for leave on products.

 

[Parfumerie]

Oh interesting, I always thought volatility was directly correlated with evaporation rates and atmospheric pressure on atoms but I don't know much about chemistry

 

[maya]

I use exclusively EO's. in soaps, I don't make candles but I was the aromatherapist for a large chandelier company. The load is high, they had a couple of candles that the EO load was 13 or 14 percent.

 

[lyschelw]

Not sure if you are referring to cold throw or hot throw. Citrus in generally can cook off very quickly and may not even give a cold throw. But with essential oils the molecular structure is generally so small that even if it does smell good in the cold candle that when warmed it will quickly travel to the wick and burn off. And since you want the molecule to vaporize and not burn in order to smell it EOs don't usually work. There are a few that have larger molecules that work ok. Patchouli is made from resins and sometimes work. Basically, to get an EO to work in a candle it needs to bound to a larger molecule. But them it is no longer called an EO. Even if that other molecule is a natural oil. It is then called an FO.

 

[Heatherw]

some essential oils disperse (evaporate) quicker than others, the thinner the oil the quicker it evaporates, In aromatherapy you have top, middle and bottom notes, Top notes like Citrus oils disperse very quickly hence why you could not smell them. Thicker oils such as Sandalwood and Patchouli are bottom notes and disperse at a slower rate and there fore work a lot better with wax.

 

[Beatrice]

In my experience, essential oils without a synthetic binding agent cannot be used for scent throw in candle making. Vybar comes to mind, and is usually added to premixed wax blends. The binding agent could be natural resins or clays, but those binders impede the burn. They also don't suspend evenly in the wax. So, generally they aren't utilized in candle making. Also, many candles are labeled improperly because the industry is unregulated. Meaning, most candle makers who state that the scent is only an EO are being deceptive. I think that's where a lot of the confusion lies.

 

[Heatherw]

I agree many people do not label correctly add extras etc.
However I am a aromatherpist and I DO make Soy candles using only essential oils, and having the right blend and oil that disperses at a slower rate than others is key.
Yes you will not get the same smell as a FO but that is down to synthetics and not something I would personally use.

 

[Beatrice]

Oh yes, @Heatherw . Most, but definitely not all, candle makers are being deceptive when they make "EO only" claims. I should have also said that some makers are unwittingly deceptive, because wax production is also unregulated. It sounds like you've found a supplier of soy wax that you trust, though. Excellent!

 

[karon L adams]

Best way, IMHO, to use EOs and candles is to have a candle warm a dish of water with a few drops of oil r blended oil in the water. you don't risk burning the oil that way, which NEVER smells good. Make beautiful,natural, well made candles and incorporate a method of warming water & oil. another good way is to put a few drops of the EO in the wax well once the wax creates a pool. the fragrance will be slightly different as the EO will be burned along with the wax, so make certain it is an EO that smells good, that way. you can also customize the flame by using powdered metals in the wax that will change the flame color. that makes an interesting sale point.

Remember, you highlighting quality wax that isn't dangerous to breate (so be careful which metals you use for flame color) and quality, interesting and original.

 

[Beatrice]

Ah, nice! Great ideas, @karon L adams. Here, I add pure EO’s to the pool of wax while the candle is burning. I use large diameter pure unscented beeswax candles. Or, if the flashpoint of the EO is lower than beeswax’s 142 degreeF (or so) melting point, I’ll add olive oil (burns beautifully) to the beeswax to lower the overall melting point of the wax, and just make container candles. Either way, I think it’s important to use large diameter candles though, so that the EO isn’t drawn into the flame too quickly and combusts. I’m able to just change the scent of the candle to suit my fancy, that way. As far as the candles go though, I just make unscented with primo waxes and oils. Lol.

 

[Eveline]

I really wish EOs worked, I find fragrance oils give me a headache to work with and smell stuffy and fake in candles. FOs are synthetic after all.

 

[SV8LANA]

@Heatherw

I agree many people do not label correctly add extras etc.
However I am a aromatherpist and I DO make Soy candles using only essential oils, and having the right blend and oil that disperses at a slower rate than others is key.
Yes you will not get the same smell as a FO but that is down to synthetics and not something I would personally use.

Hello heatherw, I know this is an old post, but if this pops up can we chat regarding essential oil candles? I am having some wicking issues and wanted to pick your brain .

 

[Relle]

@Heatherw

Hello heatherw, I know this is an old post, but if this pops up can we chat regarding essential oil candles? I am having some wicking issues and wanted to pick your brain .

This person hasn't been here in 3 yrs, so not likely to see your post to them.

 

[wicksy]

Okay everyone a few points of note to mention first. Do not use Essential Oils you'd buy in the small 15ml bottles at the chemists they are not the right item to use and flash point does have bearing - perhaps not in the way you'd envisage initially.
The flash point issue - most Essentials that have a low flash point will just turn to vapour when you try to add the oil at 180 degrees or it you add at a lower temperature they may not mix well and bubble to the top of the candle during setting.
Never add above 5% of essential oil to a candle unless you specifically knwo it's a cheap highly cut down blend with carrier.
Using any candle with more than 10% Fragrance Oil or 5% Essential Oil can see the entire wax on the top of the candle go into flames (not just the wick!)

Essential oils are very dangerous and neat oils can significantly affect people is a number of ways - breathing, and mood. Having made 10's of 1000's of essential Oil candles I know that a blend called 'happiness' just did the exact opposite to our chief candle maker.
If you want to use essential oils please use them wisely, use a blend that has full SDS data and is IRFA and Reach safe.
My final point is that UK and EU syntheic fragrance oils are very heavily regulated, they all have a significant level of essentials in their blends and they can give wonderful effect and smelling candles. Essentials in my own view are not a superior product, they are a different product that can actually be more dangerous than a fragrance oil and you should think carefully.