You go to a store and pick out an aesthetically pleasing candle, with an attractive packaging. You smell it and fall in love with the scent.
Yes! It checks all your desired boxes. So naturally you decide to purchase and take home this candle. You get home and get to burning your candle.
To your disappointment, you realize that the scent is not so strong. Or if you are going into the candle making business and are in your testing phase, but you cannot seem to figure out why you are not able to get a strong smelling candle.
The main reason for a weak smelling candle is a poor scent throw. Scent throw is the strength of the fragrance that a candle release.
Candles will have scent throw both when they are both lit and unlit. The best candles are ones that have a strong hot and cold scent throw.
There are several things that can cause the scent of a candle to not be strong enough to fill up a room when it is being burned.
For starters if you spent a very small amount of money on your candle chances are that the ingredients used to make the candle are not the best quality on the market and so that would in turn impact the quality of the product.
Another reason that your candles can smell weak is either because the candle maker used mild or low scented ingredients, or they did not use the correct proportions or ratios is the candle making process that will make the fragrance strong enough.
Cheap ingredients
The hard truth is that the cheaper the ingredients used to make a candle is the more likely it is that the scent of that candle will not hold up long enough or be strong enough to fill up the room you bought it for.
So, when you are purchasing your candles or are purchasing the ingredients to make your own, always read the ingredients and be on the lookout for those ingredients that are considered luxury to better ensure that your candle fragrance will be strong.
You may ask the question “How do I know which products are more expensive?” You will have to do research but here is a list of a few key ingredients to look out for. Using any one of the following ingredients will help with scent throw.
- Beeswax
It is important to use a good quality wax when making candles, even if you use the most expensive fragrance oil but use a cheap wax, chances are that the scent throw will still be weak.
Beeswax is by far the most expensive wax for candle making and it is also one of the oldest known ingredients. Some researchers have said that it was found in one of the Egyptian pyramids.
Talk about ancient! Beeswax also has a natural sweet fragrance which adds to the aesthetic in the scented candle making process.
If this type of wax is used, then the price point for your candle will definitely increase. It is a natural ingredient as it is a by-product of honey. It takes about six to eight pounds of honey to produce a single pound of wax.
So can you imagine if you need teen pounds of wax? No wonder its retail cost is so expensive.
- Paraffin Wax
Paraffin wax is one of the most commonly used wax in candle making in the world today. While it is one of the cheapest types of waxes and not the most environmentally friendly, it has one of the best scent throws and it is known for creating a strong fragrance.
This wax when used will fill up some of the biggest rooms with its fragrance. Many candle makers create wax blends with paraffin and soy wax, as soy wax provides a weak scent throw.
- Concentrated Essential Oils
The best oils for candle making are ones that are highly concentrated. Essential and other fragrance oils have become very popular in the candle making process because not only are they all natural and good for the environment, but they are also very concentrated and give a very strong fragrance to candles.
This is because these oils have not been diluted and their fragrance is long-lasting. Oils such as lavender and vanilla are very popular in the candle making industry.
Mild Ingredients Used
The individual strength of the fragrance of the ingredients that are used in the process will have an impact on the overall strength of the candle’s fragrance strength.
In candle making or purchasing you want to be on the lookout for ingredients that are strong and ensure that those are included in the list of ingredients.
One ingredient that you may want to avoid is soy wax. Soy wax is a candle making ingredient that is made from soybeans.
This wax is often considered to be one of the more environmentally friendly wax types, and for that reason is one that is preferred by most eco-friendly businesses. It is also one of the cheaper wax options.
However, while soy wax is more environmentally friendly, it does not have a high scent throw and does not hold as much fragrance as say beeswax or paraffin wax.
Another thing that will impact the scent throw of a candle is if enough ingredients were not used in the process.
In candle making it is very important to ensure that the correct proportions are used. The correct percentage of fragrance oils need to be added to the wax to get a strong scent.
These percentages will vary based on the amount and type of wax being used.
The Candle Making Process
The candle making process also plays a huge role in whether or not the finished product will have a strong scent throw or not.
There are certain candle making tips and guidelines that must be followed in order to achieve a good scent throw. Many professional candle makers give the following advice:
- It is important to add the fragrance oil at the correct temperature. If the wax is too hot when the oils are being added, then they will burn and give the candle a weak and/or awful scent.
Research has shown that the best time to add fragrance oils to the melted wax is somewhere between 180℉-185℉.
- Using the correct blend of ingredients is also important. Some candle makers blend waxes and fragrances to create their unique candles.
However proper testing should be done to ensure that these blends actually produce long lasting, strong scents.
- Ensure that candles are properly cured before they are sold and used. If a candle is burnt before it has enough time to cure, then changes are they will affect the scent throw of a candle.
The maximum cure time for most candles is two weeks.
Materials and Ingredients Used
Many people do not realize that the wick of a candle, if not correct, will impact the scent throw of a candle. Using current size wick for your candle is important.
If the wick you select is too small, it will create a burn pool which will cause a poor scent throw. On the flip side if the wick is too big for the candle, then the risk is that it will burn too hot and burn out the fragrance of the candle.
The size of the candle container should be considered when purchasing a candle for use. If you buy a 4oz candle to uplift the fragrance of a big room then you will think that the scent throw of the candle is poor.
However, if you take that same candle and use it in a smaller room like a bathroom, you will come to find that the scent throw is indeed strong.
Sometimes, candle makers use additives in their mixture. The most popular additive in candle making is vybar which is a polymer that enhances fragrance retention. So many soy candle manufacturers use this to enhance the scent throw of their candle.
So using this ingredient can be beneficial to your product. However, before adding this ingredient it is important that manufacturers check that this additive is not already mixed into the wax, as pre-blending the wax with this is a custom that is becoming popular.
Candle Care
After you purchase your candle, the way you care for it in your home can affect the scent throw of the candle. Here are some candle care tips that will help your candle to maintain a strong scent throw:
- Avoid blowing out your candle, instead use a snuffer. The smoke created when a candle is blown out can get trapped in the melted wax, cool and then change the fragrance of the candle.
- Keep the wax clean. When lit the wax will melt, ensure that no debris gets stuck and dried into the wax.
- It is better to keep lit candles in an enclosed space, that way the fragrance is able to penetrate the space properly as open doors and windows with cause the scent to escape and not stay in the space.
Final Comments
Candles are very intricate and unique products. Their main purpose is to enhance the aromatic aesthetics of a space.
However, there are times when they do not do this job properly. Several things need to be considered in making, purchasing and using a candle for you to get the best performance results of that candle.
