How to Get the Strongest Scent Throw

If there’s one thing that candles are known for, it’s definitely their scent! While it’s understandable that you’d be frustrated if your candle underperforms in the aroma department, don’t consider it a lost cause just yet! Keep reading below for tips on how to troubleshoot some common scent-related issues.

Let’s start off with some basic terminology…

Scent throw is used to describe the strength of the aroma given off by a candle.

Cold throwrefers to the candle’s scent when unlit, while hot throw refers to how much aroma is given off while the candle is burning. Think of cold throw as what gets people to initially buy a candle, while hot throw is what keeps them coming back!

ADD FRAGRANCE OIL AT THE RIGHT TEMPERATURE

A common problem with scent throw can be attributed to the candle maker adding the fragrance oil to the wax at the wrong temperature. You should always follow the directions of your specific brand of wax, but in most cases, 185°F is considered to be the optimal temperature. 

185°F isn’t so hot that you would end up burning off significant amounts of fragrance, but it is hot enough that the fragrance oil will bind to the wax. If your fragrance doesn’t bind properly, it can start to separate from the wax and can either rise to the surface or settle at the bottom of your candle.

CANDLE CURING

Candle curing is a necessary step in the candle making process and refers to the amount of time between when a candle is poured and when it finally burns. Longer cure times are what allow the fragrance to fully bind with the wax in order to give off the strongest hot throw possible.

Soy wax naturally takes longer to cure (ideally 2-4 weeks), so if your candle has a weak scent at first, try setting it aside for a few weeks. Keep in mind that any candle purchased in store probably spent a few weeks with the manufacturer, plus transportation time, plus another few weeks at the store, prior to you even smelling it and deciding to take it home. You worked hard on your candles, so give them ample time to cure so that they’ll perform at their best!

OOPS I BURNED OFF THE TOP LAYER OF FRAGRANCE

When smoothing out the top of your candle, did you maybe spend a little too much time melting the surface with a blow dryer or heat gun? If so, you could have unknowingly created what is known as a dead candle.Dead candles occur when most of the fragrance in the top layer has been burned off, resulting in little to no cold throw. We don’t recommend selling these candles, but they’re perfectly fine for personal use since once you’ve burned through the top layer, the rest of the candle is perfectly fine!