Q. Which wick should I buy?

A. Choosing the right wick is a very important part of your candle making process. It all depends on the diameter and shape of your jar. We have created a wick guide HERE for you to use as a reference when selecting the right wick. It is important to test before committing too large batches. The right wick for you also comes down to your preference on aesthetic. Take a look at part two of our ‘your start up business guide’ blog series for more information on choosing which wick works best for your aesthetic.

Q. What wick options does NZCS offer?

A. We offer a range of cotton, eco and wooden wicks. These are all in a range of shapes and sizes to suit different aesthetics and container sizes. Watch below for a video of all our wick options to decide which is best for you.

Q. What are the wicks made of? And are they finished with any coating?

A. Our cotton wicks are made of 100% cotton and are finished with a soy wax coating. This makes that wick more rigid, therefore is easier to place into the container. It doesn’t affect the performance of the wick. The Eco wicks are made from a cotton and paper blend with a soy wax coating. Our wooden wicks do not come coated in any wax. However, if you want the wax to burn quicker in a wooden wick candle, be sure to pour the hot wax directly over the wick. They are made from 100% natural wood.

Q. How does the wick stick to the bottom of my vessel?

A. Before pouring the wax into your vessel, attach a wick stickum to the metal base of your wick. Place this into the centre of your vessel. We have three wick stickum options available.

Q. How short should I cut the wick?

A. The wick should be cut to 1/2 cm before lighting. This is important for candle care to reduce any soot coming off the wick and prevents the cotton wicks from mushrooming. The wick needs to be cut before each use. A wick trimmer tool is the most effective way for the wick to be cut, shop here. Watch below for the full overview of why the wick needs to be cut.

Q. How should I extinguish the wick?

A. The wick should be extinguished using a candle snuffer. This is the most effective way to extinguish the flame as it prevents debris from falling into the wax pool and avoids any wax splatters from blowing out the wick. Another benefit is the minimal soot that mixes into the wax pool, keeping the scent clean. If the candle jar comes with a glass lid, the wick can be blown out by putting the lid back on.

Q. When should a candle be double wicked?

A. Double wicked candles can be beneficial in certain cases to produce a more efficient burn. A few reasons why you may want to double wick your candles are:

● If you have an oddly shaped candle (not the standard rounded candle jar)

● To utilise all the wax in the jar, particularly reaching the corners of a square jar.

● Burn tests should be conducted to test the burn time, efficiency and effectiveness of your double wick. It also needs to be safe for your customers, making sure that the wicks aren’t too close to the edge of the jar and evenly spaced.

Q. How do I double wick my candle?

Divide the diameter of your candle jar in half and select the appropriate wick for that burn diameter (you can find the appropriate wick size for your diameter on our wick calculate). The two diameters combined should equal the total diameter of the jar. Place the two wicks in your vessel halfway between the middle and the outside edge.

Q. Why does my wick keep going out?

A. There are many reasons why a wick will not stay lit. Some reasons include:

● The wick size being too big or small for the diameter of your vessel.

● When additives are in the candle such as mica powder, the wick can clog. To fix this, use less additives or change the wick to a wooden wick.

● The wick was too long or too short when initially lit. The wick size needs to be no longer than 1cm.

Q. Do you sell wick sustainers?

A. No, we do not have these available. Our wicks are pre-tabbed.

Q. What are the differences between your candle waxes?

A. Each candle wax has its own properties. We offer soy, coconut, palm and paraffin wax.

Our Natural Soy Wax – Super Creamy is blended from 100% pure soybeans. This is a very easy to use creamy soy wax, with standard soy wax burn time. Resistance to blooming / frosting / white spots. Benefits include:

● Typically, 250mls burns at 50 hours.

● Blends well with other waxes.

● Perfect for making candles in fine china and smaller containers as this soy wax won't cause too much heat and stress on the vessel.

● Skin safe temperature great for massage candles.

Our Pure Coconut Candle Wax is made from cold-pressed Coconut meat, the same way Coconut Oil is extracted. It then goes through a hydrogenation process, where coconut oil is transformed into a creamy white coloured candle wax. Benefits include:

Incredible scent throw. If you’re looking for a candle that smells amazing this is it!!

● Burns slower and cleaner than soy wax, which means you will have a longer lasting candle.

● Made from a sustainable, easily renewable crop.

● Works well with essential oils and fragrance oils.

● Vegan.

● Blends well with other waxes.

Our Vegan Palm Wax is a natural vegetable wax derived from the fruit of the Palm tree, it is an eco-friendly wax that burns cleanly.

If you are new to Palm wax or a newbie candle maker, clickHERE to learn more about our Vegan Palm Candle Wax.

This is seriously the most fun you’ll ever have making candles. The combinations of coloured micas, dyes, fragrance and candle jars are limitless. There are a few things that you need to be aware of when making paraffin candles, and I have outlined themHERE with the instruction guide.

Q. What’s the difference between a soy candle and a soy massage candle?

A. Massage candles are like normal soy candles, except the wax can be used for a massage once warmed. The wax consists of all-natural oils and nourishing ingredients, including Shea butter and almond oil. We have candle jars available with a pouring spout particularly for massage candles.

Q. Can your waxes be used for massage candles?

A. Soy wax is the most used wax for massage candle making. Our super creamy pure soy wax has a lower melting point and is the only soy wax that is smooth and skin safe.

Q. How much wax do I need to fill up my candle jar?

A. A simple way to measure how much wax you need is by multiplying the grams needed per container by the number of candles you wish to make. Once you calculate this, divide it by 1000 to calculate the number of kilograms of wax you need. For example, if you were making 20 candles in our macaron glass jars. These jars quantity to fill is roughly 90g. 20 x 90 = 18000. 18000 / 1000 = 1.8 kg. This means you’ll need 1.8kg of wax to fill the 20 candles. Our wax calculator is available on our website, this can be used to calculate the amount of wax you’ll need.

Q. How do I melt the wax?

A. There are many different methods that you can use to melt candle wax. These methods are as followed:

● Stove top: all wax types can be melted on a stove top in a pot. Heat the wax at a medium heat, stirring continuously till it reaches the desired temperature of your wax.

● Microwave: soy and coconut wax can be microwaved in a microwave safe bowl. Heat in 30 second increments to control the temperature. Heat to desired temperature. Paraffin and palm wax cannot be heated in the microwave due to the high melting point.

● Commercial grade Melter: all waxes can be melted this way. They are beneficial for makers creating candles at a large scale. They will regulate at your desired temperature.

Q. What temperature are different waxes melted at?

● Soy wax: has a melting point of 47 degrees and can be heated up to 70 degrees. The wax should be poured into the candle container between 48 - 52 degrees.

● Coconut wax: has a melting point of 38 - 42 degrees and has a heating range of 65 - 70 degrees. The wax should be poured into the container at 40 - 46 degrees.

● Palm wax: has a melting point of 53 degrees. It can be heated up to 80 degrees and poured into the jar at 70 degrees.

● Paraffin wax: has a melting point of 56 - 58 degrees and can be heated up to 90 degrees. The pouring temperature is around 75 degrees.

Q. How strong is the fragrance in your coconut candle wax?

A. Our candle waxes have gone through a hydrogenation process where the oil is transformed into wax. This process strips the scent out of the oil leaving the wax with no scent.

Q. Are your clamshells recyclable?

A. Yes, our clamshell soy melt moulds are made from PVC which is 100% recyclable. We recommend these moulds to be single use, then recycled after use.

Q. Can I use your clamshells be used in soap making?

A. Yes, our clamshell moulds can be used for melt and pour soaps.

Q. How do I use the tea light holder and oil burners?

A. Our tea light holders with the oil burner are used by lighting a tea light below the wax melts to melt the wax on the wax tray. This is an effective way to diffuse your fragrances. Our clamshell moulds are used to make the wax cubes to melt in an oil burner. We recommend adding around 2-3 cubes of wax. Remember to have fun with this! You can add multiple fragrance cubes to create a unique scent.

To clean out the wax from the oil burner, we recommend waiting for the wax to set into a puck shape. Once it's at the point of being still warm but mostly set, the wax should be able to slide out of the dish. If it has already set, light the tea light from below, allow to melt for around a minute so just the bottom edges melt. This will enable you to slide the wax puck out easily. Once most of the wax has been removed, wipe out with a paper towel. To sanitise and remove scent, spray with isopropyl alcohol and wipe out with a cloth.

Q. What wax can I use for pillar candle moulds?

A. Pillar candles work well with certain wax types and blends. We have had success with our paraffin wax. Other wax types have the tendency to crack when taken out of the mould.

Body-care:

Q. What equipment do I need to get started with body-care?

A. We offer two body care kits including a body butter kit and a hand and body moisturiser kit. For these kits we recommend using a whisk to whip the bases up and combine the fragrance oils well. We also recommend using a silicone spatula for transferring the mixture into jars.

Q. What can you add to body-care products?

A. Colourants such as mica powder can be added into body-care to add colour and shimmer. Fragrance including fragrance oils, natural fragrance oils and essential oils should also be added for aromatic purposes. Extra butters can be added into skin and hair care for hydrating, nourishing properties without the greasy feeling.