CandleScience.com is a good starting point. They have wax, containers, fragrance oils and wicks. They also have a lot of info on their site. Some general advice. Buy small containers of some fragrances you like and test them. Every manufacturer is different and a scent you like may or may not work well in a candle. Measuring and temperature are important. Most fragrance oils work well at one ounce per pound of wax. I like to add scent when the wax is at 170-180 degrees F, and pour at about 110 degrees F, for soy wax. Soy is my favorite for container candles, because it holds scent well and cleans up well. Here is a link that might be useful: CandleScience

I have been making and selling candles for ten years now. When I started, I was using parafin but within a year I switched to soy. That was about the time they had introduced soy. I use a crock pot. My husband drilled a hole near the bottom, on the side, and put a spicot on it. I melt the wax in the crock pot. I have it set on the dial where it wil heat the wax to 150 degrees. I then pour the amount of melted wax that I want (let's say 14oz) into a glass measuring cup. I then add the scent. Usually about 1oz. It also depends on how strong the scent is, so take a wiff while your stirring. That will be about how strong it will be when the candle is burning. Then I add the coloring. I've tried different ways to color and I liked the liquid color the best but now I don't use any coloring. My label for my jars are the color the candle would be. As soon as I have added the sent and color, I pour it right into the jars.(I use 8oz mason jars) I don't heat my jars first but I do have my wicks already 'glued' into the jars before I pour in the wax. I put a dab of hot glue on the wick tab and attach it to the bottom of the jar. That way it stays centered and in place while the wax is cooling. The 14oz that I mentioned above plus the scent will fill two 8oz jars just right. Once the wax cools, I cut off the wick and put on the lid. I have not had any problems with the scent of my candles. I have repeat buyers. My question to you is what kind of wick do you use. I use a hemp core wick that is already tabbed and dipped in wax to stiffen it. It sounds as if you might be using a zinc core wick. The zinc core wicks will cause alot of the same problems you're having. I tried to use up the zinc core wicks that I had left over from when I made parafin candles and they do not work in soy wax. I was trying to save myself some money but that didn't work. I buy my supplies from Bitter Creek Candle Supply. A link to their site below. I would recommend them to anyone. They have alot of helpful ideas and they do have live help on their site. I don't know what time of day but they usually have someone on there everyday. You can also call them on the phone and there is always someone available. They love talking about candles. I hope this has helped you. Keep trying, you'll get the hang of it. Cindy Here is a link that might be useful: Bitter Creek Candle Supply

Do you make candles now? If I can make "x" amount of candles in a day of production, it is because I have my set up designed for that production. I am comfortable with my system and it flows for me, but it's because I have been doing it for 5 years. It also took me 18 months of pouring and testing 4-5 days a week to perfect my wax/scent/wick system in the one jar that I chose to test with about 40 scents coming out tested and a salable item. Your production is limited by how much wax you can get melted, then scented and poured. The jars need a place to sit undisturbed for 8-12 hours, so your space is important too. Your question might be something that I can answer because I know my space, give me a jacketed 100 pound wax melter and triple my space and I can really up my production. You need to look at your system and study your space and production abilities.

Here is a link to some molds you may like. http://flexiblemolds.com/Crystals%20Gems%20Molds.htm