If you've recently purchased a scented candle online or made some at home, you might be disappointed about the strength of the scent of the candle and wonder how you can make it better.
To make a candle smell stronger, you can simply add more fragrance oil once a wax pool forms on top, however, there are also other ways to preserve the smell of the candle and get the most out of your fragrance.
Down below in our guide, we will take you through what scent throw means, how wax type can affect scent throw, why your scented candle is weak and ways to improve it.
If you want to make your cheaper candles smell stronger or your homemade candle smell better, what you are trying to say in candle terms is that you want a better 'scent throw'.
Scent throw typically means how well a scent can travel in the air to fill a space, when talking about scent throw, you will come across a strong throw which means it can travel well and fill a large space as well as a weak throw which means it smells softer and can fill a small space.
You will also come across hot throw and cold throw when talking about scent throws.
Hot throw refers to how the fragrance diffusion is while the candle is lit, you will find luxury candles tend to have a better hot throw when lit. You should be looking for a stronger scent throw when a candle is lit in comparison to when it is cold.
Cold throw means how well your candle smells before it has been lit, on cheaper candles they can often smell very strong with a dominant smell, think Yankee candle (although not cheap, made from paraffin wax) and don't smell as good when lit.
Luxury candles might not have a strong candle smell when cold but you might be able to smell lots of different scents such as middle notes and top notes.
Apart from the kinds of fragrances used in candles, wax can also affect the strength of the scent in your candle.
Paraffin wax, for example, produces a much stronger candle smell than natural waxes, which is why it is widely used in cheaper candles by candle makers, this kind of wax however is very bad for you and releases toxic fumes when burned.
Natural waxes can hold scent well, like soy and beeswax, they are also better to burn in your home since they don't emit toxic fumes, plus they are biodegradable (we have a full guide on biodegradable candles here).
If you've recently just brought a high-quality candle or made some nice jar candles at home, you might be wondering why your scented candle doesn't have a good scent throw.
We've listed multiple reasons below.
If you've made a scented candle at home and find that the scent throw is poor then you might need to consider the temperature at which the fragrance is added.
When fragrance is added at very high temperatures into a candle it can cause it to vaporise and evaporate, resulting in a much weaker scent.
Always make sure you are adding your fragrance when the wax has cooled slightly to avoid this from happening.
Sometimes, the room you're burning your candle in can simply be too large for the size of the candle therefore the scent throw cannot fill the room properly.
The smaller the room, the easier the diffusion will be, so try getting a larger candle if possible.
Adding too little fragrance oil to your candle ingredients could also be a reason why it's not scenting your room properly.
Make sure you're measuring out the amount of fragrance you need according to the size of the container.
As we mentioned above, the kind of wax you use in your candle can impact its scent, paraffin wax candles hold scent well, so natural alternatives such as coconut can have a weaker scent throw.
If you want to try and remedy the scent of your candle and make it smell better, we've got some tips to try and improve your candle's scent throw below.
Before judging if your candle has a good enough scent throw, you first need to allow the candle to burn for long enough, at least so as a wax pool can reach the edges of the candles and diffuse the fragrance properly.
Candle toppers can help melt wax faster and retain the amount of wax in the candle when burning, diffusing fragrance better, also keep the lid on the candle when not in use.
Choosing a larger candle can help diffuse a stronger scent or light multiple candles in a single room. You can also choose a candle with multiple wicks to help diffuse the scent.
When making your candle, you have to make sure it has the right amount of curing time, this might be around two days for paraffin candles and up to two weeks for soy wax candles.
What size should my wick be on a candle?
You should always make sure your candle is trimmed to half an inch before burning so that the fragranced candle can burn properly.
Can I spray perfume into candle wax?
We would not recommend spraying perfume into candle wax since it is flammable and can emit toxins when burned.
How do I get a better scent throw from soy candles?
To get a better throw from soy candles you need to make sure your adding enough fragrance and allow the soy candle to cure for enough time.
Overall, if your shop-bought candle is not giving out enough fragrance when burned or your homemade candle smells weak, we suggest buying a bigger candle or following our hacks above to boost the scent like adding more fragrance oil into the wax pool.
Always try to keep the lid on your candle to retain the scent and trim the wick before use, we've got a great guide to making your own scented candle here.
I habe,always purchased Gold Canyon candles because they have an amazing scent throw. A smaller one can fill my large home in minutes . They went out of business and I'm not sure their " new business" is anything like the original. You seem to be an expert on this,I'm hoping to purchase one of your candles and have it be my new favorite! Where do I shop? Thank you
I habe,always purchased Gold Canyon candles because they have an amazing scent throw. A smaller one can fill my large home in minutes . They went out of business and I'm not sure their " new business" is anything like the original. You seem to be an expert on this,I'm hoping to purchase one of your candles and have it be my new favorite! Where do I shop? Thank you