We took a different approach to the product we work with, creating a unique artisan candle that is also a work of art. Our focus goes to what's outside and inside. Beautiful handmade vessels and aromatic high-quality wax and fragrances work together to create a truly wonderful combination. Today I'll tell you something more about working with wax, what a complex process it is and why we treat our candles as works of art.
We use a blend of coconut and soy wax manufactured from the highest quality raw materials. The coconut wax gives it a smooth finish and a slightly lighter colour than soy wax alone. I love the smooth surface we get, thanks to its properties. Making candles involves strictly following certain rules and indications if we want to deliver a high-quality product. I have learnt a lot from my mistakes and am still learning new techniques and methods that slowly but steadily give me more and more experience.
Here is the step-by-step I follow when making each batch.
We begin with calculating the amount of wax; there are certain formulas that prevent me from wasting it and melting the quantity I need only for the vessels I have available. Then, I continue warming the wax; each wax has its own melting temperature, and we need to monitor it in order not to overheat it. I heat my wax slowly to around 65 degrees.
While the wax is melting I wick my containers. You probably don't know this but I was amazed when I saw how many different wicks there are on the market. It took me a while until I found the one that worked best for our wax and containers.
I also prepare the fragrances. Working with fragrance is a beautiful experience, all our house is filled with wonderful scents, and even the neighbours get interested and tell us how nice it smells. It's probably my favourite part of candle-making. We use essential oils blends, botanical plant-based fragrances and high-quality perfume-like fragrances made in Grasse, France. Choosing our seven scents was difficult, we wanted them to be as natural as possible and contain no phthalates or toxic substances. Each fragrance, because of its unique nature, needs a different load. Essential oils need 10% load, for example, and the botanical rose oil we use, only 6%. Now, imagine the whole house smelling of roses once we add the fragrance to the warm wax. It has to be added at a specific temperature. Essential oils need a much lower temperature to keep their properties and smell stronger. Fragrance oils, in change, need a slightly higher temperature to mix better with wax. It's a science! And I love it.
The last part of the process is pouring. And like all the other parts, it is not just pouring the wax into the container, no, that would be too easy! A candle which was poured badly can get sinkholes, which need to be fixed afterwards. After lots of frustration and trials, I decided to use the most traditional method of double pour and make sure the Prati candles burn nicely at your homes. A well-made candle burns steadily, has no sinkholes, and if it's scented, the fragrance is not too overwhelming. Just subtle notes that gently move throughout the space. So, enough with the science, I hope you enjoyed this read and hopefully if you got till the end, you also enjoyed learning a bit more about the art of candle-making.
With love,
Magda