Scented candles are very popular among candle makers, other hobby enthusiasts, and people in general as great gift ideas for every occasion. Many candle makers approve of putting fragrances and scents into candles which can stimulate many emotions, from calm to motivation. However, even though many people add scents to the candles, adding fragrance oils to the mix has raised a couple of eyebrows.
Is fragrance oil safe for candles? Fragrance oils are indeed safe in making candles, provided that you are using them correctly. Most candle makers use fragrance oils because the scents last much longer than other scent agents.
Let this article enlighten you on all you should know about putting fragrance oil on candles. You will also learn the different benefits of putting scents and fragrances on your candles if you do not have a lot of ideas about them. Lastly, I will be giving you a couple of tips in using fragrances and scents to candles.
Fragrance Oils on Candles: The Real Deal
Candle scents are appealing because they give off different smells or aromas. The fragrance oils are one of them. As you can already tell, these oils are specially made for candles and another wax-based formula.
When it comes to adding scents to your candles, you need to know that there are two types: natural and synthetic. Natural fragrances like essential oils, while synthetics use chemicals that produce similar effects to the organic counterpart. However, while some individuals prefer using natural fragrances in their products, not everyone wants these because they could be too overpowering or simply because the scents dissipate quickly.
Natural fragrances are created from distilled flowers, tree bark, roots, and other parts of organic materials. However, synthetic fragrances use chemicals to create scents that mimic natural ones.
On the other hand, fragrance oils are usually made of chemical compounds derived from natural and manufactured substances. They cannot be exactly considered “chemicals,” but they act just like one. These types of oil do not only smell good; they also contain very strong properties that could last longer than most natural ingredients.
Candle makers can use fragrance oils and essential oils in candles, but some individuals choose to use fragrance oils because of the latter’s longer-lasting and more concentrated scent. Since they are made from chemicals, they can last up to a couple of months, while some natural fragrances last only for weeks.
The things you should know about adding fragrance oil to your candle formula are that even though these oils contain very strong scents, many of them do not irritate when applied to the skin directly, except for those who have allergies or hypersensitivity.
Some can be harmful if inhaled, but this rarely happens during candle making. We add fragrance oils in candles just like what I’ve mentioned: stronger and long-lasting compared to natural ingredients. Using fragrance oils is safe for candle making. Many people prefer using it because the scents last longer compared to others.
Fragrance Oils vs. Essential Oils in Candles
There are no hard-and-fast rules for using fragrance or essential oils in candles. You need to know that there will always be a difference between the two whenever you add scents to your candle formula.
Most of the time, people who make candles usually approve both types depending on what they prefer, but some individuals would choose one over the other.
For example: while many people like adding lavender oil and vanilla extract for relaxation and calming effects, others prefer using eucalyptus and other minty scents because they find them invigorating and refreshing instead.
Adding these oils can often give off different results, so various people like it. If you do not want to be surprised with the finished product, you might stick with one oil type when making your candles. Still, if you do not have any particular preference, you should try both to see which one works better in achieving what you want.
Extra tip: If your fragrance oils are too strong (this may happen most of the time), it is highly advisable that before adding them to your candle formula, dilute these oils first by mixing them with a vegetable oil or mineral oil. You can also use water, but most people don’t prefer this method because they find out later that their scents are not as long-lasting as before they added water.
If some people complain about your candles being too strong, you can tell them that it has a particular scent and that they need to get used to the aroma.
How to Make Your Candle Scent Last Longer
If you want your candle’s scent to last for a long time, then another trick that you can do is to add some Epsom salt to your formula. This will enable you to make your scents stronger and longer-lasting compared to when you do not add any of these ingredients.
Of course, this does not always happen, especially if either your fragrance or oils are very strong from the beginning. However, many people claim that adding Epsom salt enhances their finished product.
There are various ways to use Epsom salt to make your candle’s scent last longer. First, you should mix one part Epsom salt to half-part scents before adding them to your formula. You can also add one cup of Epsom salt directly into the wax or essential oils and fragrance oils.
Benefits of Using Scents and Fragrances in Candles
Scents and fragrances, in general, can give you a lot of benefits in candle-making. It can help you in many different ways, especially if you want to achieve certain effects in your finished product.
Most of the time, people use them according to their preferences, but there are still times when adding scents or fragrance oils is necessary depending on what they want to accomplish with their candle-making.
For example: if someone wants their candle’s scent to calm and relax, then lavender oil can do the trick. Putting up a refreshing scent will need peppermint oil, while you can achieve relaxing aromas by using orange oil or eucalyptus essential oil. Another thing is that these ingredients make it easier for you to get rid of unpleasant smells in your home because they neutralize even the worst odor available.
The scents you choose to put in your candles also depend on the season or time of day you are making candles. You cannot expect to achieve great results if you use eucalyptus oil during the summer because these aromas are usually associated with winter and colder weather.
You can achieve other effects by using different scents like bringing good luck, attracting money, increasing concentration levels, love affairs, business success, etc. Some candle-makers would mix two or three oils at once to make an even stronger scent, so they should not do this since they might end up having issues with their finished products, even though most people say that these hardly happen.
You can also use scents depending on the material you are using to make your candles. For example, if you plan to use dried flowers as embellishments for your candle, then roses should be the scent of choice because they suit the theme well.
Similarly, for those who want to incorporate skin-safe dyes or pigments, tea should be used as a favorite fragrance because it is one of the most effective ingredients in achieving this purpose.
Although there are so many available fragrances and scents in general nowadays, not all of them are safe to be used by everyone. Thus it’s very important that before making any candle formula that contains these items, find out first whether or not you can use them safely on the skin and in the air.
For your information, some scents and fragrances can also cause health issues or allergies like migraine headaches and even asthma attacks. It doesn’t mean that you cannot use them, but you need to know more about their effects so these things will not happen to you while making candles.
Likewise, before buying any essential oil or fragrance oil, please find out more about its origin to know whether or not it is safe for you to breathe in. Suppose the oil is made from natural ingredients. In that case, this is considered safe but if it was synthesized by using chemicals, then be careful because this might affect your health and wellness during and after candle-making.
It would be best if you also made sure that the scents and fragrance oils you will use are made from high-quality ingredients so these will not affect your candle’s scent when burning. It may sometimes happen that cheap kinds of oil can create a very strong scent when they are burning, but it is due to their chemical formula which makes a person uncomfortable with its smell even though it smells good in the bottle or cold process form.
Finding Quality Scents and Fragrance Oils
There is no specific way you would find quality scents and fragrance oils because most suppliers usually provide them at moderate prices regardless of whether they were synthesized by using chemicals or not. This also varies depending on the supplier where you buy these items.
But if you are looking for quality scents and fragrance oils, it should have a label that states that it is skin-safe, especially if you are using these items to make candles that the whole family or even friends will use.
Candlemakers can also state that not all scents and fragrance oils are added to candle formulas because there are some raw materials where you cannot extract aromas no matter how hard they try. This makes the candle scent lighter but does not give desirable effects when burned.
If you want your finished product to smell differently from its cold process form, it would depend on whether or not you will use essential oils since these cannot be reproduced once they are mixed with other ingredients.
Downsides of Using Fragrance Oils in Candles
Of course, there are downsides when you use fragrance oils in making your scented candles. Some candle crafters refuse to use these synthetic scents because they believe that natural ingredients are more effective.
Even if some suppliers claim that their products are 100% pure, it is still possible for them to mix other chemicals to make the oils perform better. This may cause serious health problems not only for those who are using candles but also for those burning them.
Those downsides are that these oils are not made for candle usage. If the oil is artificially made, it might cause serious health problems, especially when mixed with other chemicals.
Another downside of using fragrance oils in making scented candles is that their smells will become lighter once the candle is melted. Thus if you are trying to make sure that your candle has a strong scent when burned, choose essential oils instead since they do not need additives to boost their scent further.
Lastly, there might be a possibility that the scent you want to infuse into your candle is not available. Some suppliers offer more than 200 varieties of scents and fragrance oils. Still, there will always be limitations when making candles, especially if you need customized jars and labels.
In terms of health issues, there is nothing serious about using these chemical-made scents and fragrance oils in making scented candles. Like everything else, always make sure that you check the labels and know what they contain.
If you want to make sure your health is not at risk, use essential oils instead since these do not have chemicals in their formula that can cause side effects when burned or mixed with other scents such as lavender oil.
As you can see, fragrance oils offer a wide range of benefits when making candles, but it also has downsides. No matter how positive or negative you view this situation, it’s your choice whether or not the scent will affect your wellness and safety during and after candle-making.
Useful Tips and Tricks for Scents and Fragrances
Fragrance oils are known to be expensive, so you must be able to use these for your candles in the most efficient way possible. You can do this by adding large amounts of fragrance oil into your mixture then waiting for the candle’s top to dry. Once it does, you can then apply more scented materials with your desired colors to achieve an attractive appearance.
The longer you allow the wax to remain after adding scent oils, the stronger its scent will become when burned. You can also use these items as additives to your candles, just like how you would mix them with dyes and pigments to produce a better effect after burning.
One very important tip for those who want their candles to have a strong aroma is to refrain from using water as a base because even if water can absorb scents easily, this may cause other problems when burning your candles.
It is extremely better to use melted wax as a base for scented candles because this will make the fragrance last longer, and it allows the whole candle to become one with the scent. This is known as “throw” by all candle makers, which means that you can smell your candles from a far distance away, even if they are unlit.
Some suppliers or manufacturers would recommend adding small amounts of fragrance oils into their products since these will not affect when used in smaller amounts. However, they do not realize that customers want strong scents, so if you add more oil into your mixture, this can help create a stronger scent once the candle has been burned.
Another great tip in using fragrance oils in making candles is that it provides you with the freedom to create your scents. You can conjure up any scent you like by mixing different oils, adding other additives, and even mixing this with water for added effect.
It’s best to test out different mixtures before pouring them into your prepared candle jars, so do not just assume that a certain mixture would be perfect because chances are it may cause unwanted problems when burned.
Many suppliers sell fragrance oils online, making this product readily available in just about any store or supplier worldwide. It is important to go through the label carefully because these products have chemicals in their contents that can cause serious health effects when used inappropriately.
If possible, always try buying only from well-known suppliers so that you know they have been in the industry for a long time and have already passed all safety tests. A great benefit of fragrance oils is that you do not have to worry about their effects since it’s just a chemical mixture with scents because they are manufactured.
However, if you ever want to mix your scent using essential oils or other natural materials, this can be a risky move, especially if you do not know what you’re doing because adding the wrong oil can harm your skin when burned.
While fragrance oils may also produce harmful particles when burned, the FDA considers these chemicals safe when used correctly. If you feel nauseous from smelling certain scents, mix it with water to get rid of the excess oils.
Fragrance oils may be a little more toxic than regular candles, but these are still considered safer compared to other sources. If you want your candles to smell nice and not cause any harm in the process, then using fragrance oils is a great idea if you know how to use them correctly.
Even if certain suppliers were able to create strong scents in their products, they do not know what goes into making strong scents that will last long when burned. It requires mixing different oil materials and knowing when enough is enough when adding scent because too much can affect your candle’s appearance and even its burning properties.
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