Candles are some of the best mood-setters around. Not only do they smell great and offer a wide variety of aromas, but that little flame is a great way to light a room and help it look cozy. While your average candle is fine, if you’re looking to spice up your product line, you might be wondering if you can use essential oils in candles.
Thankfully, if you’ve been asking yourself, “Can you use essential oils in candles?” You’ve come to the right place. Read our comprehensive guide to answer all of the questions you may have.
What Are Essential Oils?
The first question you likely have is about essential oils themselves. If you want to incorporate them into your candle-making endeavors, it helps to know exactly what you’re adding to your product.
Essential oils are concentrated oils that come from plants. The leaves, roots, stems, and other parts of the plant are used to source the oil. Then, the plant matter is cold-pressed or heated up to produce the concentrated oils. For example, lavender oil is made via steam distillation by passing the steam through flowers from the plant.
While this may seem simple, the best essential oils use all-natural ingredients, refined oil-making processes, and leverage locally-sourced ingredients. For these reasons, you need to work with a reputable supplier if you plan on adding any essential oils to your candles. Luckily, online options are always a great choice, especially if you want some unique private label packaging or are looking to buy oils in bulk.
Can You Use Essential Oils in Candles?
Yes, you can use essential oils in candles. While you can use them in candles, the process is a bit tricky, and getting it right is essential if you want to have success. At the wholesale level, you also need to have the proper warnings in place, and these can vary depending on the oils that you use. You’ll also find that some oils are better than others for candle making, especially at the wholesale level.
Still, you can add some essential oils to candles without too many problems. You just have to make sure that they’re blended properly or that you’re using oils like lavender that don’t have low flash points. This is important because low flash points can result in fire hazards, and you don’t want your customers burning their home or office down.
What Are the Best Essential Oils for Candles?
Some essential oils are better than others for candle-making, but you’ll find that all the best options have one thing in common: a high flash point. Some essential oils that have a flash point high enough for candles include:
- Lavender
- Clary sage
- Cedarwood
- Patchouli
- Ylang Ylang
It’s important to note that these are only a few examples of essential oils that are good for making candles, and you’ll find that there may be lots of additional options out there depending on your needs.
Things to Consider When Using Essential Oils in Candles
While you can use essential oils in candles, you need to use them properly, especially if you plan on supplying them to lots of customers. We offer some tips to help you leverage them properly below.
Flash Point Means Everything
The most important factor is the flash point, so make sure you’re working with oils that have a high one. For use in candles, around 150 degrees Fahrenheit is your best bet.
Aroma
You also need to worry about the aroma because it may change depending on how it’s used. For example, essential oils can have weak hot throws, which means that they don’t smell as good or as strong when burned. Look for oils that have stronger heat throws.
Compatibility with Wax
Last but not least, you need to make sure essential oils are compatible with your wax. Typically, you’ll find that soy waxes tend to have the most compatibility with essential oils. Thankfully, you can usually find solutions during testing.
Can You Use Essential Oils in Candles? Our Final Thoughts
If you came here asking, “Can you use essential oils in candles?” We hope that you found the answers you’re looking for, especially if you plan on distributing them at the wholesale level. For the best results, make sure your wax is compatible, the oil has a stronger hot throw, and that it doesn’t have a low flash point. As long as you take these factors into consideration, you shouldn’t have any issues.
