Soy Wax TroubleShooting Guide

Over-agitating melted soy wax can increase and/or speed up the crystallization process, which produces the frosting appearance.

Preheating your glassware can help reduce the rate of, and extent that, your soy wax candles may frost. You can easily preheat your glassware in a warm oven on the lowest setting. Be sure not to heat your containers over 100°F, and make sure to use caution when handling warm containers.

Pouring at a lower temperature can help reduce the crystal formations that form once the wax hardens. Begin adjusting your pour temperature in increments of 5°F.

Make sure your candles cool at room temperature (70-76°F is ideal) in a space that is free from drafts. Placing your candles on a wire cooling rack can also help the candle cool evenly, and avoids additional heat transfer that can occur if the candles cool on a solid counter or tabletop.

It's always a good practice to wash your containers with mild, soapy water and dry thoroughly before using. As with other appearance issues, pre-heating your glassware in a warm oven to ~100°F prior to pouring will allow the wax to cool more slowly and help avoid pull away.

Pouring the wax slowly into your containers minimizes the chances of additional air getting added to your wax and impeding an even rate of cooling. It's also helpful to tap the sides of your containers gently right after you've poured the wax to release any air bubbles.

While cooling your candles, space them about 4" or more apart. Glass containers placed right next to each other will hold heat on the adjacent sides. This causes those sides to cool more slowly than the rest of the jar. Allowing enough airflow around your candles as they cool will encourage an even rate of cooling. You can also set your candles on a wire cooling rack rather than on a counter or table top. Solid surfaces, particularly granite and marble, will pull the heat from the bottom of the jar and can cause the wax to cool too quickly so that it shrinks and pulls away from the glass.

Vigorous stirring can produce air bubbles in your melted soy wax that can lead to imperfections in the finished candles. If you notice air bubbles, tap the container gently right after pouring to help any air bubbles escape to the top.

It may take some testing to find the perfect pour temperature for your workspace, so begin by adjusting your pour temperature by +/- 5°. Finding the right temperature helps your candles cool more evenly, reducing the likelihood of imperfections.

When pouring your candles, especially if you're just starting out or commonly experience rough tops, it's always a good idea to keep some of your wax to re-melt and cover imperfections in your cooled candles. We recommend re-pouring about 1/8th of an inch of melted wax on the top surface of the candle to cover surface imperfections.

Minor imperfections can easily be fixed with a standard heat gun found at any hardware store. Turn the heat gun on low and hold it fairly close to the container where there is a flaw you'd like to correct. Allow the wax to melt slightly which will often fix any imperfections on the surface.

When you gently tap the container on your work surface, it will help release any air bubbles that became trapped in the wax. Make sure to be gentle—you don't want to shatter your glassware!

Elevate your candles while they cool by placing them on a wire cooling rack. Solid surfaces can pull the heat from the bottom of the candle, causing it to cool too quickly. Increased air flow below the candle will help with more even cooling.

It may take some testing to find the perfect pour temperature for your workspace, so begin by adjusting your pour temperature by +/- 5°. Finding the right temperature helps your candles cool more evenly, reducing the likelihood of imperfections.

Remelt leftover wax, or wax you set aside just for this purpose, back to your pouring temperature. Pour slowly over the top of your candle with enough of a layer to fill the holes and create a smooth top, about 1/8th of an inch. Poke the sink hole with a skewer a few times to release any trapped air bubbles. If you do not have leftover wax you can use a heat gun to melt the surface and fill the holes. This may take 1-2 passes to completely smooth out the surface.

Think of 185°F as the "Goldilocks Zone" of temperatures. It is hot enough that any fragrance oil you use will fully bind with the wax, but not so hot that any fragrance oil might be lost to the heat. Adding your fragrance at 185°F is particularly important if the fragrance oil is especially thick and viscous, as these fragrances require enough heat to disperse through and bind with the wax.

Two minutes might seem like a long time to stir, but it is important to make sure the fragrance oil has had enough time to bind to the wax. Stir continuously and gently to encourage the oil to incorporate fully.

It's also a good practice to give your fragranced wax a quick, but gentle, stir before you pour into your containers.

More fragrance oil does not necessarily result in a stronger scent, and can even have the opposite effect. All waxes have a maximum fragrance load, and it is very rare that using the maximum fragrance load is necessary. The vast majority of high quality fragrance oils will be quite strong at 6-8%, and we do not recommend using more than 10% fragrance—even if your wax states it can hold more.

While some smoke is expected, excess smoke is a sign you might be using the wrong wick size. If you see a thick, constant stream of smoke coming from the flame, large puffs of smoke, smoke that streams up from the wick continuously, or your container is collecting a dark film around the rim of your container, these are all signs that you need to size down on your wick. Be sure to double check that you are also using a wick in the recommended series as well. Check out our Wick Guide to get the best starting recommendations for your wax and container.

If your fragrance load is too high, the flame can burn off the excess oil that was not able to bind with the wax, creating heavier-than-usual, dark smoke. The maximum fragrance load is rarely needed. Most fragrances will be plenty strong at 6-8%, but no more than 10% should be used even if your wax states it can hold more.

If you have tried sizing up and down a size in your wick series and are still having issues, try changing your wick series.

If the wick is too small it cannot efficiently burn off all of the fuel (wax+fragrance) and generate enough heat to form a good melt pool. Try increasing your wick by one size in the same series.

If the wick is too large, the wick will consume too much fuel too quickly, causing it to generate too much heat and melt right down the middle of your candle. This is a less common occurrence and often a harder form of tunneling to recognize. If you have tried going up a wick size and the melt pool size gets smaller, try sizing down instead.

Using less fragrance and dye helps ensure that the flame of your candle properly consumes all the material flowing up through the wick. Remember, you don't necessarily need to use the maximum fragrance oil load to achieve a strong scent throw—and that doing so may even have the opposite effect and hinder your throw rather than boost it.

Some wick series are more prone to mushrooming than others. Be sure to trim your wick to 1/4" each time you burn the candle.

If you have a very deep melt pool soon into your burn time, more than ½" in 30 minutes, and see excess smoke or soot build up on the container, try going down a size in the same wick series.

If the clumping you see in your wax is due to excess moisture or humidity, heating your wax to 185ºF - 200ºF and holding it there for about 5-10 minutes will help it evaporate out.

Clumpy wax happens from time to time and the longer you work with soy wax, the more familiar you'll become with this issue.

Slowly stir the wax to help release any trapped air. Continue until the popping noise stops and there are no visible bubbles.

Stirring the wax too briskly will create air bubbles. Stir slowly to avoid adding any extra air.

If you hear a lot of popping, heat the wax to 190-200°F to help release the trapped air.

Holding the wax temperature between 185-200°F will allow any trapped moisture to evaporate.

If the cloudy wax is caused by trapped moisture, keep the bag open and unsealed to allow moisture to evaporate.

Storing wax in a cool, dry area will allow excess moisture to evaporate and ensure that more moisture is not collecting in your bag.

Sunlight will cause dyed candles to fade. A UV inhibitor acts like a sunscreen for your candle, blocking the UV light to prevent fading and yellowing. It is important to note that a candle yellowing due to the vanillin content in the fragrance oil is a separate issue and will not be prevented by the UV inhibitor.

If your candle is yellowing due to vanillin in the fragrance oil, use a small amount of ivory or cream color candle dye to help counteract the yellow tint to give you a more natural, uniform soy color.

Vanillin is known to cause discoloration in wax. If you are finding that the UV inhibitor or ivory dyes aren't working to your liking, or if you don't like adding them to your workflow, consider minimizing your use of fragrance oils containing vanillin.

Small melt pools are caused when the candle is not generating enough heat. The wick is not burning at the temperature needed to create the melt pool size that indicates a well-made candle with a strong scent throw. Try sizing up a wick in the same series.

Trimming your wick too short can prevent the candle from generating enough heat to create a proper melt pool. Be sure to keep your wick trimmed between 1/4 - 1/2 inches.

A full melt pool can take some time. Burn your candle an hour per inch of your container diameter to allow the candle to have adequate time. If you have a 4 inch diameter container, this would be 4 hours of burning.

Reheat leftover wax, or wax you've set aside for this purpose, back to your pouring temperature. Pour slowly over the top of your candle with enough of a layer to fill in the holes and create a smooth top. Poke the sinkhole with a skewer a few times to release any trapped air bubbles.

If you do not have leftover wax you can use a heat gun to melt the surface and fill the holes. This may take 1-2 passes to completely smooth out the surface.

Monitor the wax as it melts to spot any visible air bubbles, and stir gently to help bring them to the surface. After you pour the wax in your candle, carefully tap the container on your work surface to release any trapped air.

Using a wick setter in your container is an easy way to make sure your wick is placed in the center of your jar. These can also be used easily wick candles with multiple wicks, and will ensure that the spacing between wicks is even.

If you don't have a wick setter, you can create your own wick placement guide. For clear containers, your guide can sit under the jar. For non-clear containers, use a thicker piece of paper like card stock or cardboard to make handling easier. Trace your container on a piece of paper and find the center by drawing a vertical line and a horizontal line down the middle. Place your wick over the center point on your guide and trace the tab. For clear containers, put your new custom placement guide under the jar and use it to place the wick into the center of the jar. For non-clear containers, follow the same process as above. After you've traced the outline of the tab, use a skewer to poke a hole in the center large enough to fit the wick through. Thread the wick through the hole from the bottom up so that the wick tab is at the bottom beneath your placement guide. Place the wick and guide down into the container and press wick down. Carefully remove the guide.

When you set your wick, be sure to pull it taut. If it is too loose, it can cause the wick to bend and shift away from the center as the candle sets.