Pretty Palms!

Bitter Creek North offers Palm Waxes that are sustainable, Eco-friendly and virtually soot free! Palm waxes are one of the most beautiful waxes. What many don't know is they can be made into a container candle that looks beautiful as well as in a pillar or votive and even used as melts! Palm has excellent scent throw and an even more incredible appearance making it a win/win in a selling environment! Palm wax creates a unique crystal structure within the candles interior and exterior during the cooling process that creates patterns that look similar to the star burst pattern of natural granite or the soft sweep of a feather. Our palm waxes come from RSPO sources and are made from 100% natural palm based raw materials and contain no paraffin/polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon. Both come in granular form for easy weighing and storage. A very versatile wax with an exceptionally unique look

Shown to the left is a photo with both the Feather and Granite Palm waxes. Bitter Creek offers both. Both have a unique look to them but both are equally beautiful. For this container demonstration I used the Feather blend. What you will need is: 




Shopping List:
Feather Palm
CD 14 wick. This will work well in a Jelly Jar with most scents and this wax.
Fragrance, for this I used Persimmon Spice
Liquid Dye, I used Burgundy
Wick Stickums
Jelly Jar
Round Black Wick Centering Holder (Standard Mason Jar) 

Instructions:

Palm wax is best suited for use in seamless aluminum molds and clear glass containers. Liquid, chip and powdered dyes seem to work best in palm waxes. Other dyes may interrupt the crystalline structure and appearance of the wax.

Heat wax to 205-210* add dye, blend well and then add fragrance and blend well. Feather palm wax will hold up to 6% fragrance by weight. Pour the wax between 200-205* into heated molds for best results. This wax will require re pours. Wait until the surface of the candle has crusted over, poke multiple relief holes through the surface of the candle around the wick and about 3/4 of the way down the candle, the candle center will still be fluid at this point and fill with reserved wax heated 10* hotter than the first pour. Repeat this process as needed. Palm waxes should be cooled a slowly as possible to inhibit the crystal structure to form fully. This can be done in a Styrofoam cooler or other insulated box. It is advised to use mold release when making palm candles in any mold.

As the candle cools you will begin to see the crystals forming. It's really pretty to watch! These candles are so beautiful! They also are very durable in terms of shipping and shelf handling in a retail climate. 

If you have not tested out our palm waxes, give them a try! They are certainly wonderful attention grabbers!

Tip: (Feather Palm Pillars shown here) Try making some palm wax candles for the upcoming Christmas Holiday season! These would be beautiful on display using Christmas colors, dancing under the lights!
Some ideas are:
Mistletoe: Green
Spice: Red
Frankinscense & Myrrh: Gold
Just think of the new doors you will open with candles this beautiful to look at! :)

Happy Candle Making!
Flicker!

Squeezable Scented Wax!

With the continued use of electric candle warmers and electric melt warmers I kept thinking about a product that I saw MANY years ago, a squeezable wax melt. Of course you have to be able to "squeeze" it out of a bottle and let's be honest, wax is hard and doesn't squeeze. So my quest began to figure this out. So this week I've tested out a few various waxes I had in my shop and voila, found a winning combination! It looks smooth, it feels smooth and best yet, it really DOES squeeze out!

These are pretty simple to make really and use a lot of products you most likely already have.








Supply List:
IGI 6006
*Soybean Oil OR Mineral Oil (this can be purchased locally or through BC North)
Fragrance (I used Red Hot Cinnamon! mmmm!)
Dye
**HDPE Bottle

*Using Mineral Oil vs. Soybean Oil will GREATLY extend the shelf life of your product. If using Veg Oil the shelf life will only be about 1 year. If using Mineral Oil it will not have an expiration date. I'd use veggie for personal use and mineral oil for retail sales myself.
**Because of the higher fragrance concentration I would recommend HDPE bottles. Also HDPE is not as "hard" as PET and thus will "squeeze" better. 

To make, melt your wax as usual, then while still hot, add the fragrance & Color, blend and then add the oil. You may find you need to warm this up slightly to get it all incorporated well. These are very quick and easy to make! Allow the mixture to cool to about 145-150* and pour into the HDPE bottles.

I found that mixing 1 part wax with 2 parts oil worked well. If it is a bit stiffer than you'd like, add a bit more oil. If it is a bit too liquid for your taste, add a bit less oil. I did use about a 12% fragrance load in this product. I used 1 weight oz of fragrance for a combined 8 oz of wax & oil mixture. You could also use soy wax, Ez Soy would be a great choice or any other single pour container wax should do well. It would just be a matter of adjusting the amount of oil to wax.

To use, simply squeeze a little into your warmer and watch it melt! The scent will last a long time and clean up is easy! This product will store easily on a shelf in a cabinet. Give this a try! Your customers will love it!

Be sure to check out the AWESOME selection of warmers now available at Bitter Creek North for all your melting needs. There is something for everyone and with prices like ours, you can compete with the big party plan! :)

Happy Melt Making!
Flicker!