Forgot to say..please e-mail me direct@riddle249@tds.net for some reason I don't get my messages forwarded from GW. Thanks, Carolyn

I make candles- have only recently began soapmaking. I purchase my candle wax (Astorlite J223) from candlesandsupplies.com. I get all of my supplies there, with the exception of fragrance oils. Although I purchase fragrance oils from several different places, my main supplier is Bittercreek (candlesupply.com). A lot of fragrance oils are safe for wax and bath and body products, but you have to read and make sure. I try to purchase oils that are wax and body safe. I have found that the oils will smell different in soap than they do wax. (I do melt and pour soap.) In soap, the fragrances are pretty much the same as they smell in the bottle. Wax alters the fragrance some, and so do certain soap bases like goatsmilk and oatmeal. You cannot use the same colors for soap as you do candles- you must use a soap colorant, and most are water based whereas the wax colorants are wax-based. I use food coloring for my soap. As far as adding botanicals to the candles- I have never done that so I don't have the faintest idea about that subject. I am including a link to a great newsgroup called "The Scent Review". I have learned ALOT by reading it. Susan Here is a link that might be useful: The Scent Review

Trish, The scent throw from the oil you use also depends on the quality of the oil itself. What Susan said she uses, 1-1 1/2 oz is considered by the candle making industry, what is used for high scent by indusrty standards. 1 oz.oil per 1 lb is what is considered a 7% pour. 1 1/2 oz per pound is considered a 9% pour. Anything higher than a 9% pour is not considered safe for burning as it could catch fire. People do use higher concentrations, especially homemade candles, because they are not using a GOOD quality oil, so they need MORE for a good scent throw. You are better off buying good quality oil, since you will need to use LESS for the good scent throw, it will be more economical. And a good quality wax, combined with the right size wick will make for a great candle! Alot of folks use vybar in the candles as supposedly it helps the harden wax & the scent. Some waxes come with it already in. If you use good quality ingredients leaving the candles unwrapped shouldn't be a problem. you may lose a bit of scent from outside, but nothing major. Dye chips used to be the way to go because they were cost effective & came in many colors. But now the liquid dyes are reasonably priced & long lasting. I think the dyes are easier to control color with. You know if you used 3 drops of red & 4 of blue to get the exact shade of purple you wanted, it's going to be easy to replicate that a 2nd or 3rd time where your shades would vary more with dye chips. Have fun making candles & enjoy them! hazel

Yankee Candles are my favorite, has perfect look and fragrances. It added amazing beauty to my room, you can try. They have good candle supplies. http://www.yankee-candles.co.uk/