Sorry to burst the bubble of the natural beeswax candle fans: Take it from a beekeeper, virtually all the beeswax on the market today is contaminated with agricultural pesticide residues. And that's just the US beeswax. Stuff imported from Asia is really problematic. It comes either from pesticides put in the hive by beekeepers to try to suppress varroa mites and diseases or from agricultural pesticides that the bees themselves bring in when they bring in pollen and dust from their foraging. Beeswax straight from a hive has lots of stuff in it. Most of the non-wax solids, coccoons, dead bee parts, etc. is removed when it is rendered. (What's left after the cleaned beeswax is separated out is called "slumgum" - a great Scrabble word!) But many of these pesticide chemicals are lipophyllic, meaning that they enter - and stay - in the beeswax, permanently. They are not removed by the melting, straining and bleaching that takes the hive product and makes it into beeswax cakes. It's a big issue these days in the beekeeping world, because beekeepers recycle cleaned wax as base layers for new honey comb, year after year. It is now being learned that over time the chemicals are building up in the wax, and are believed to be causing some of the problems affecting bees right now. Something to think about it, as well, if you are using beeswax and mineral oil on your soapstone or wood counters. Liriodendron

I should've posted to that i have bought from different places to make all 30 of these candles. Everything wasn't bought at just by nature. So it's not that there products arn't good its something that i am doing. I've had a varity of products from different sellers and still no result......Thanks

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

It is imperative to practice making soy candles or any candle for that matter before you give them away. Sure it's as easy as melting wax, adding fragrance oil, candle dye (if you choose) and pouring that into a container. However, that's not safe. You have to know what wick to use, how to get a proper burn, how much fragrance oil your wax will handle, how much total additives the wax handles.. How hot a wax needs to get to open up to receive the additives you are mixing with it. I've never used craft store wax. I'm sure you can make an ok candle with it. Or it wouldn't be able to be sold. And yes you can melt the wax in the microwave, but it's not the most efficient or best way to do it. What wick are you planning on using? How do you want this candle to burn? What fragrance oil are you going to use? You need a scale, so that you are adding the correct amount of fragrance oil to the right amount of wax. What size is the tin you want to use? But most of all, yes it is imperative that you know the temps of your wax. Time to head to the store and get a thermometer from the kitchen department. You are giving someone something that is dangerous, and has high risks. It's your responsibility as the maker to make the safest product you can. It takes months to get it right, it takes years to perfect it. It's not just another craft project.