Archive for June 2010
Nu-Scents Wholesale Product Reviews
June 16, 2010 | 
Author Occasionally, we will be doing product reviews of the products that we carry. Since we are a distributor of numerous candle, soap, bath, and body making supplies, it is impossible for us to test all of the products in all of their applications or in every possible creative combination. Therefore, we will write reviews of the items based on customer opinions and based on our employees’ personal creations. Stayed tuned next week for Natrasorb!
Posted in 
4th of July Fireworks Candle
Celebrate our Nation’s birthday with a 4th of July Fireworks Candle! The wax has a crystallized finish that echoes the sparks of an Independence Day Firework.
Materials:
- 1 pound Feather Palm Wax
- 1.5 ounces Fizzy Pop Fragrance Oil
- 6 drops Red Liquid Candle Dye
- 703035 Star Pillar Candle Mold
- #2 Square Braid Wicking
- Molder Sealer
- Clamp or Binder Clip
- Small Stick
- Wick Rod
- Scissors
- Box
Directions:
- Follow the instructions in our How to Wick a Mold blog and wick the mold.
- Preheat the Mold to 158-167 degrees F and keep it at that temperature until it is needed.
- Melt the Palm Wax in a double boiler.
- Completely melt the wax and get it to a temperature of approximately 180-200 degrees F.
- Completely stir in the Red Dye.
- Thoroughly mix in the Fizzy Pop Fragrance Oil.
- Carefully pour the wax into the pre-heated Mold.
- Tap the sides of the mold to release any air pockets.
- Immediately cover the Mold with the Box to ensure proper cooling and the crystallized effect.
- Allow the candle to fully cool.
- Once the candle has cooled, undo the Clamp and remove the Wick Rod.
- Flip the Mold over, take out the Small Stick, and remove the Mold Sealer.
- Carefully pull the Wicking at the open end of the Mold and release the candle.
- At the bottom of the candle trim the Wicking flush with the Wax.
- At the top of the candle trim the Wicking to 1/4 inch.
- Allow the candle to sit for 24 hours before burning.
- Enjoy the patriotic look of your fireworks candle!
Creative Ideas:
- Use the 703035, 703065, and 703095 Star Pillar Molds to make a star candle grouping of varied heights.
- For a festive look use one or all of the following colors: Red Dye, no dye, and/or Blue Dye.
Top Selling Fragrances for May
Here is a list of the top selling fragrances for the month of May:
- Vanilla Walnut
- Spiced Mandarin Pommander
- Patchouli Honey
- Sweet Grass
- Cucumber Melon
- Gardenia
- Strawberry
Nu-Scents Tip: Equal Layered Candle
Here is a wonderful and simple way to create a layered candle with equal layers!
- Measure how tall the part of the Container is that you want the layered sections to show through. For example, for the candle below we used the 9 oz Hexagon Jar and the height that the colors would show through was 3 inches.
- Take some Mold Sealer and tear off two pea-sized amounts. If you are making a 3 layer candle like we did, you need 2 pieces of mold sealer. It’s always one less than the number of layers you want. Another example: if you want to make an 8 layer candle, you need 7 pea-sized pieces of mold sealer.
- Roll each piece of mold sealer into a small log.
- Measure out the first layer from the bottom of the container and place a piece of mold sealer onto the container. For example, we wanted to make a 3 layer candle in a 3 inch height…divide the 3 inches by the 3 layers and you get 1 inch. Therefore, we measured 1 inch from the bottom.
- Now measure out the next layer from the piece of mold sealer you just placed on the container. For example, we measured 1 inch from the newly placed piece of mold sealer.
- Continue measuring until you have used all of your pieces of mold sealer.
- Use the mold sealer as your pouring points for each layer of the candle and you’ll have an equally layered candle!!!
Friday Closings Abound
A little over a year ago, we decided to be closed on Fridays. The whole reason behind the drastic change was an effort to go green. We wanted to help the environment by conserving energy, using less electricity and water, and giving our cars and the ozone a break for the day. It has been a tricky transition, as long term customers were used to placing orders and picking up orders on Fridays. We’ve found, too, that many people when leaving a voicemail do not listen to our outgoing message that informs them that we are closed on Fridays. Even though we’ve had this schedule for some time now, it’ll probably still take a little more time for customers to adjust to this regimen, but we, at Nu-Scents, feel that every little part we can do for the environment can have a big impact.
Just recently, we discovered that two of our vendors have decided to follow suit. They are closing their doors on Fridays. These companies are stepping up to try and save energy. We’ve noticed that other companies across the country are doing the same thing. All of these closings may not be immediately ideal for customers, but overall the customers are benefiting in many ways from companies being closed on Fridays. There’s less pollution added to their breathing air, more energy saved up for future years of use, and the employees get a small break to re-energize so that they are raring to go to assist customers when they re-open.
Here are some helpful tips when dealing with a company that is not open on Fridays:
- Know the company’s hours of operation
- Plan ahead as much as you can
- If you forget about the Friday closings, be gracious to the company employees. The employees you talk to on the phone and through email are not the ones who made the decision to be closed on Fridays; they are merely workers following the orders of the owners.
- Try to place your order at the beginning of the week
- Always allow for in-house processing times in addition to the shipping time
Votive Candle Labels – Spring Collection
If you liked the Spring Collection of the Container Candle Labels, you’ll love the Spring Collection of the Votive Candle Labels! They are the perfect size for a votive candle and feature the same beautiful colors as the container labels. Print the labels on your home computer using paper, card stock, or full sheet adhesive labels for a quick and wonderful way to jazz up your spring candles!
The Spring Collection highlights soft, pastel colors.
Click on the colors below to download the labels.
Pale Yellow Votive Candle Label
Daughter’s Gift to Her Father
School’s out and my daughter has wanted to come to work the last couple of days. Today, trying to not be come the procrastinator her mother is, she decided to get a head start on the Father’s Day gift to her father. She chose the mold she wanted to use to create the personal gift and below is her wonderful creation. She even came up with the packaging idea. Nice job Katlyn, he’ll love it !!
Katlyn
Ingredients:
- Melt and Pour White Soap Base
- Golf Soap Mold – MMW050
- Moss Green Oxide
- Brown Oxide
- Fragrance (optional)
- Thermometer
- Other equipment needed: microwave or stove (double boiler method), measuring spoons and digital scale.
Microwave Directions:
- Place the glass measuring cup onto the scale and zero out the weight. Cut the soap base into small chunks and place them into the measuring cup until you have the amount of soap that your mold will hold (a few tenths of an ounce under or over will not matter).
- Cover the measuring cup with plastic wrap and heat the soap in the microwave for 30 seconds on High. Remove the soap and stir. It will be a thin liquid with chunks in it. Heat the soap base again, checking it every 10 seconds. After several 10 sec. melting intervals, remove the soap and stir gently to completely melt any remaining pieces of soap. Be careful! Most soap bases will be about 150-160 degrees when completely melted. (You will do this 3 different times. One time for each color).
- She poured the golf ball section first, which did not require adding any colorant. Spritz with rubbing alcohol. Let that cool completely approximately 10-15 minutes, since it wasn’t much soap.
Katlyn pouring white soap
- Next she poured the tee section. This required adding some brown oxide to the melted white soap. Spritz with rubbing alcohol. Let cool completely approximately 10 minutes.
- Last was the green section. She added moss green oxide to the white soap. Spritz with rubbing alcohol. Let the soap cool to approximately 140 degrees F. If poured to hot, it will melt the white and brown sections. Once the green section has been poured, let it cool completely for at least 2 hours.
Pouring green soap
- When the soap is completely hardened, you should be able to pop the bars out of the mold. Some molds will release easily; some will be more difficult.
Finished Golf Ball Soap
Tapping the mold firmly with the palm of your hand or a large spoon sometimes helps. For a really persistent bar, you can turn the mold over and run hot water over the back of it. The soap should fall easily out of the mold. You can rub off or trim any imperfections with a cloth or a small knife. Since the melt ‘n’ pour soap base is already cured, there’s no waiting. You can use it right away!
Packaged Gift
If it is not going to be used right away or given as a gift, it should be wrapped in plastic wrap so that it won’t lose its moisture.
Container Candle Labels – Spring Collection
Here are some container candle labels that you can print at home. Print the labels on your home computer using paper, card stock, or full sheet adhesive labels for a beautiful addition to your candles!
The Spring Collection highlights soft, pastel colors.
Click on the colors below to download the labels.
Baby Blue Container Candle Label
Pale Yellow Container Candle Label