Mixing candle fragrances is a skill that takes lots of practice, but the ability to create a uniquely appealing scented candle is in high demand. According to numerous consumer surveys, fragrance is one of the top factors customers look for when purchasing candles for use in their homes.
Aromatherapy Candle Making
Aromatherapy is a great way to experiment with interesting fragrance combinations. Aromatherapy blends can be used to create candles, scented soaps, body lotions, or other personal care products.
Here are a few ideas for making your own aromatherapy candles:
- Combat anger
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- Orange and patchouli
- Bergamot, ylang, ylang, and jasmine
- Chamomile, bergamot, and orange
- Help insomnia
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- Chamomile, clary sage, and bergamot
- Boost energy
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- Peppermint, frankincense, and lemon
- Rosemary and bergamot
- Basil, cypress, and grapefruit
- Grapefruit and ginger
- Reduce stress
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- Grapefruit, jasmine, and ylang ylang
- Clary sage, lemon, and lavender
- Bergamot, geranium, and frankincense
- Promote confidence
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- Orange and rosemary
- Bergamot and jasmine
- Grapefruit and cypress
- Happiness
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- Grapefruit, ylang ylang, rose, and neroli
- Rose, sandalwood, and bergamot
- Geranium, frankincense, and orange
Ideas for Creative Candle Fragrances
While aromatherapy is the most common application for mixing candle fragrances, sometimes people like to experiment to create candles that remind them of a particular season, food, or mood. Here are some ideas for mixing creative candle fragrances:- Apple spice: apple, cinnamon, vanilla, orange, nutmeg, and clove
- Apple pie ala mode: apple pie and vanilla
- Berry explosion: cranberry, strawberry, and mango
- French toast: cinnamon and vanilla
- Hearts and flowers: jasmine, lavender, rose, and baby powder
- Spiced punch: pomegranate and cinnamon
- Springtime: lilac, violets, and fresh linen
- Wedding cake: vanilla, almond, and clove
When looking for creative candle fragrance ideas, think about the scents that you associate with certain memories or events. Whether it's your grandma's kitchen or the perfume your mother wore when you were a child, inspiration for creating unique scented candles is all around you.
Tips for Mixing Candle Fragrances
If you're interesting in mixing candle fragrances to create your own unique scented candles, here are a few tips to make the process easier:
- Until you're sure what scent you want, make small batches of candles. Votives are a good choice for testing different fragrance combinations.
- Use a light touch when adding fragrance oil to your candles. Too much oil can create an overpowering scent with too much soot or uneven coloration in the wax. As a general guideline, use one tablespoon of oil per pound of wax melted or three percent of the candle's weight.
- Take careful notes of how much of each fragrance you used to create your candle. Once you find the results you like, you'll want to be able to duplicate the scent again.
- Before you plan to sell your handmade candles, have several different people burn your test votives to see what they think of the scent. Fragrance preferences are highly individualized, so it's important to get a variety of opinions before adding to your product line.
Resources for Additional Information
If you're interested in learning more about mixing candle making fragrances, LoveToKnow Candles suggests visiting the following helpful Web sites:
Investing in a good candle making reference book may also be useful. Here are a few titles to consider:
- Essentially Candles: The Elegant Art of Candle Making & Embellishing by Robert S. McDaniel and Katherine J. McDaniel
- Big Book of Candles by Sue Heaser
- The Everything Candlemaking Book: Create Homemade Candles in House-Warming Colors, Interesting Shapes, and Appealing Scents by Marie-Jeanne Abadie
