Jessica Wilson has success selling soy candles & melts
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Being a mother and a Respiratory Therapist during the pandemic would be stressful. For Jessica Wilson, she found a way to relieve some stress.
“I’m a huge crafter and working during the pandemic was very difficult and I needed to find a way to de-stress,” Jessica told us. “Candles were always something I thought would be neat to make, so I decided to learn how.”
In April, Wilson had many people wanting to buy her candles, so she made the decision to make a Facebook page to sell her creations.
For her candles, Jessica uses soy. “They are bio degradable. The wax is made from the oil that comes from soy beans. They create a cleaner burn with less black soot,” she said. “Soy candles are known to burn thirty-five to fifty percent longer than your normal candle.”
Paraffin wax, which is used in most store bought candles, are derived from petroleum, coal or oil shale. The burn on paraffin candles create a lot of black soot and release toxins as it burns.
Scents used in the candles are bought from a company called ‘The Flaming Candle Company’. “They have a great sampler package where you can choose the scents you’d like to try,” Jessica said. “From there all scents must be approved by my assistant, who happens to be my eight year old daughter. She takes it very seriously.”
When making the candles, the amount of wax and scent have to be measured. The wax is then poured into the ‘pot’ to melt it down. Once the wax melts and reaches a high enough temperature, the scent can then be added. The wax has to reach a specific degree in order for the scent to be able to bind to it.
Once the scent is added, the heat is then reduced, allowing the wax to cool. “While the wax is cooling, I like to get my jars ready, which is mostly just centering my wicks, but it can be time consuming,” Wilson said. “By then it’s normally time to pour my wax into the jars and let them rest. I allow my candles to have at least two weeks of curing. This allows the scent to have plenty of time to bind to the wax. I can have at least four candles made in less than two hours. It’s just the curing process that takes a lot of time.”
Jessica prefers to use cotton wicks due to their ability to stick with a clean and even burn for the candles. Mason jars are also used to cool the candles due their ability to handle the head.
“Choosing a vessel has to be given a lot of thought and must be tested first,” Wilson said. “If you use a vessel not appropriate for candles that can’t handle the heat, there’s a possibility the candle vessel could break while burning.”
In addition to the candles, Jessica also makes wax melts. “Making melts is the same process, but you don’t have to worry about using expensive jars and messing with wicks. You just pour into the packaging of your choice and let them sit in the same amount of time as you would your candles.”
Jessica adds her own touch to many of her candles with decorations. Each candle is made with her own spin.
“Decorating candles is the fun part. It’s the icing on the cake. I’m in a lot of candle making groups online and talk back and forth with a lot of different candle makers from all over,” Wilson said. “I get my ideas from doing a lot of research. I always make sure to put my own spin on things so I’m not copying another maker.”
The changing of the seasons is a time that Jessica is excited about. “There are a ton of scents that I can’t wait to try, especially for fall. The top scent on my list is Apple Cider Doughnut. My best seller has been Coffee House. It’s my favorite and everyone gets a kick out of the wax coffee beans I place on top,” she said. “There will be new scents and a couple of fun Halloween inspired candles and melts. I will also be introducing car freshies that will be the same scent as my candles.”
For now, Jessica just sells her candles on Facebook. If you would like to purchase a candle, send her a message on Soy Candles by Jessica Wilson.
“I make these candles because I strictly love making them. It’s a great way to de-stress, but I don’t need to have hundreds of candles to myself and if someone else can get joy out of my candles, then that makes me even happier.”
