One of the most crucial parts of DIY candle-making is how much fragrance to add to candles. This is to say that you can’t rely on guesswork when it comes to the appropriate quantity of fragrance oil. Making a candle is surely an art, but at the same time, it is no less than a science project. You’ve to be careful with the quantities of the items you’re adding and the timings of adding them.
So when you might think that the more the better or just a little bit will do, this supposed work can ruin your whole creation. In this post we’ll discuss the intricacies of adding fragrance oil to the candles and the right quantity to add to it.
Decoded: How Much Fragrance To Add To Candles
Candle scent throw is a major concern for anyone engaged in a candle-making project. And it should be because:
- overuse of fragrance oil can ruin candle texture and performance, and
- underuse of fragrance oil can spoil the scent throw of the candle.
Attaining that perfect ratio isn’t an easy task. It can take several trials and errors before you actually achieve the balance of the right mix. But with this guide, you’ll know how much fragrance to add to candles. So let’s begin:
Ideally, you should add fragrance oil between 6-8 percent of the melted wax solution. This means that you should use 6-8g of the fragrance oil in 100g of the total melted wax solution. Though this percentage will do fine, the fragrance load can be increased but not more than 10% for someone who intends to get a strong aroma. More than that can either cause issues with your candle performance or reach the flash point.
Calculating Fragrance Oil
To calculate the amount of wax, you need to consider the following two aspects:
- Number of candles you’re going to make.
- Container size of each candle.
These two will give you the percentage of oil to be added to your candle.
Now if you’re measuring your wax and/or oil in ounces (oz) or millimeters (ml) you need to convert it into grams (g) because once your candle is set, its weight will be described in grams. It’s not that hard, you can do this! We’ll understand this one step at a time:
(I) Total Quantity Of Wax/ How Much Wax You Need To Use
Let’s say we’re making 5 candles of 8 oz each, then we first need to figure out the total quantity of wax in grams:
Since, 1 oz = 28.35g, it gives us,
8 oz = 28.35 X 8 = 226.72g of wax for each candle.
Now multiply this by 5 to get the total quantity of wax in grams (g):
226.72 X 5 = 1133.6g
As per the above calculations, we need 1133.6g of total wax to produce five candles of 8 oz each.
(II) Calculating Fragrance Oil Percentage
As already mentioned earlier, the ideal quantity of fragrance oil that should be added ranges between 6-8 percent of your wax mass. However, if you want the scent to be stronger, you can add a maximum of 10 percent oil of the total wax quantity.
Assuming that you want a stronger scent, we’ll calculate the quantity of fragrance oil with 10%:
= 10% of 1133.6g
= 0.1 X 1133.6
= 113.36g
This means we need to add 113.36g of fragrance oil in 1133.6g of total melted wax to make five candles of 8 oz each and with this, every candle will have a 10% fragrance load.
If you’re using an online fragrance oil calculator, it too will give you the same results.
NOTE: If your wax packet or oil bottle has mentioned a specific quantity of fragrance oil to be added, ensure to follow that. Also, note that to add the accurate quantity of fragrance oil, you’ll most definitely have to go through a testing procedure. It is important to figure out whether a certain fragrance oil works with a particular kind of wax. In some cases, adding only 6-7 percent might do whereas in others you might need to increase the ratio to 9-10 percent.
How To Fix No Scent Throw In Candles?
Scent throw is the strength of the candle to spread its aroma. It is of two types:
- Hot Scent Throw: A standard aroma that spreads after a candle is lit.
- Cold Scent Throw: This refers to how strong a scent travels when you first buy and a candle, i.e., before burning.
Now this depends from person to person how they find a particular scent. Someone might love a strong scent whereas it might feel pungent to another person and they prefer light scents. This variation in preferences can make it a little hard to evaluate how much fragrance to add to candles.
Nonetheless, if you’re starting manufacturing candles for selling, start with small quantity batches. This will help you develop an understanding of how different fragrance oils work with different types of soy wax. Then you can make candles based on how your customers like them.
Possible Reasons Behind Poor Scent Throw In Candles
- Low fragrance load
- Fragrance oils work differently in wax
- Essential oils aren’t always great for candles
- Adding fragrance oil at the wrong temperature
- Insufficient time for curing
Adding fragrance oil in an extremely small quantity will adversely affect the candle’s hot throw and it won’t produce any aroma as it burns.
However, below are a few fixes to no scent throw in candles:
- Increase The Quantity Of Fragrance Oil: If you’ve added very little fragrance oil, then you’re surely not going to get a strong aroma. Thus, increasing the percentage of oil added is the only feasible solution in this case.
- Attain The Right Temperature To Add Fragrance Oil: Watching out for temperatures is a key component while creating candles. For adding fragrance oil, you must ensure that your wax has reached a temperature between 180-185℉ (82-85℃). Then take your wax off the heat source and give it a nice stir. Now add in the fragrance oil and stir it gently to mix it well.
- Cure Candles For Longer: An alternate solution to improve scent throw is letting candles cure well. Generally, 1-2 weeks are recommended for letting the candle cure so that the oil particles disperse themselves equally after setting. Nonetheless, if you don’t have that long and want to enjoy your candle soon, curing it for a couple of hours before using it is a must.
Cons Of Adding Too Much Fragrance Oil
Here are the problems that can arise when you add way too much fragrance oil than the recommended quantity:
- Fragrance Leaching: The undissolved oil will seep out of the candle from its top, bottom, or sideways. This will result in a situation called fragrance leaching or candle sweating and ruin its aesthetics as well as performance.
- Sooting & Large Flames: Large flames and too much sooting is another problem that happens due to the enormous oil in candles. This will also hurt candle performance and burn time. The excess oil when burned too much will smell like fuel rather than oozing out a pleasant aroma.
- Candle Won’t Stay Lit: Sometimes overuse of fragrance oil clogs the wick which doesn’t let the wax reach up. This ultimately results in the wick going out again and again.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How Much Candle Oil Per 100g Of Soy Wax?
For every 100g of soy wax, you must add around 6g to 8g (between 6-8%) fragrance load of the wax mass/solution. In case you are willing to make a stronger load, you can increase the percentage to no more than 10%.
How To Test Candle Oil Scent?
Candle oils can be tested using various methods but never judge a fragrance by merely sniffing it which is also referred to as the “out of bottle impression” (or OOB) method, the reason being, its strong composition which will be unfair to assess in comparison to when added in the candle wax solution. Go for dipping the clean and untouched part of a blotter/fragrance strip into the fragrance oil, let it dry for about 10-15 seconds, wave it in the air, and then try sniffing the aroma from a distance of 1-1.5 inches from your nose.
Alternatively, you can drench a few Q-tips in the fragrance oil, keep them in a sealed jar for some time, and smell it later to draw conclusions about the aroma. This also effectively works for testing a combination of 2 or more fragrances.
Why Does My Candle Have Little/No Scent Throw?
There can be multiple reasons for this problem, the foremost one being adding too little fragrance oil to the candles. In addition, mixing in fragrance at the wrong temperature or not allowing proper time to cure, can also result in diminutive fragrance throw. To stop this problem from happening, you can try out some ways of no/little scent throw troubleshooting.
What Is Flash Point?
Flash point is the temperature of the fragrance oil/essential oil after which it becomes combustible to an ignited flame. This happens because after crossing that certain temperature, the oil starts to turn into vapors. Now this is a matter of concern because although the oil itself won’t burn to produce a fire flame, it’ll be risky to ignite a flame (for example using a matchstick) over it. Most fragrance oils have a flashpoint of (141-200 degrees Fahrenheit), however, it can depend on the wax quality, type or blend.
When Should I Add Fragrance Oil To Candle?
Ensure that your melted candle wax is melted, the heat source is turned off once the solution reaches between 180-185℉ (82-85℃), and then start adding the fragrance oil.
Wrapping Up
Adding too much or too little fragrance oil to candles can turn bizarre for candle makers.
That’s why it is imperative to be aware of how much fragrance to add to candles. Although it requires a little math, it isn’t a biting a bullet kind of a task. The above article has covered all the necessary aspects including the right quantity of oil mix that should be used and how to fix issues related to scent throw.
Hope it helps!
NOTE: It is strongly advised to use sample quantities of different fragrance oils and see how satisfied you are with the resulting aroma and scent throw. Only after that, you should decide to invest in them heavily based on your requirements. This will not only allow you to test different variations with different types of candle waxes but also save you money.