Frequently Asked Questions
ARE YOUR CANDLES SCENTED USING ONLY ESSENTIAL OILS?
We've tested with straight essential oils in candles and have found that they are just not compatible. Through our testing we have found that they have a good cold throw before you light them, but once they start to burn you will either get very little scent throw or a fuel-like smell. Not pleasant at all! By infusing the essential oils into a high-quality fragrance carrier the scent throw is perfectly balanced bringing the beautiful aroma created in our candles.
The reason we started making soy candles is because the primary component of a candle is the wax and most candle wax is petroleum based. Those were giving Sarah headaches and these don’t. Sarah is the biggest test for our fragrances, if it bothers her, we don't make it!
WHAT BRAND OF ESSENTIAL OILS DO YOU USE?
Our high-quality fragrance oils come premixed with the essential oils infused into the fragrance carrier to ensure that they’ll burn well. They are not doterra or Young Living, they are specially made for soy wax.
CAN I CUSTOMIZE THE CANDLE LABEL?
Yes! If you can describe it to us, we can make it happen. We offer free customization on any regular priced candles. Sale candles and bundled candles cannot be customized. Let us know in the "Buyer Comments" at checkout what you'd like on your candle label. All customized artwork goes on the candle lid, and is printed in black ink on brown kraft labels.
ARE THESE CANDLES 100% SOY?
Absolutely. Did you know that a candle can be called a "soy candle" even if it has just 1% soy wax in it? At Modern Forestry, we don't blend our soy. It's 100% American-grown soy with no additives or paraffin fillers.
WHY IS MY CANDLE TURNING WEIRD COLORS?
100% soy candles have no additives to protect the candles from UV rays. These rays have a tendency to bring out the natural colors of the fragrance oils. It in no way affects the scent or chemical makeup of your candle, it just makes them look a little different. If you don’t like it, we recommend keeping your candles out of the sunlight. We view discoloration as fun proof that we don’t put additives in our candles.
CAN I USE THIS CANDLE AS A "LOTION CANDLE"?
Totally! Because all Modern Forestry creations are made with 100% soy and essential oils, you can use the candle and the wax melts as natural and soothing lotion. As your candle or melts create a burn pool, you can dip your fingers into the melted soy. Don't ask us the science behind it, but soy wax never gets hot enough to burn skin - unlike paraffin wax. In our home, we use our candles as lotion, hair conditioner for split ends (just a little), and beard balm.
*NOTE: There are a few of our scents that are not lotion safe because they include skin irritants such as cinnamon. This is noted in the listing of each non-lotion safe scent.
WHAT IS THE WICK MADE OF?
All Modern Forestry wicks are made of either lead-free cotton/paper or cedar wood.
HOW LONG WILL MY CANDLE BURN?
With a higher melting temperature, soy candles last 30-50% longer than traditional paraffin candles. The 4oz will burn for 20 hrs, the 8oz for 40 hrs, and the 16oz for 80 hrs. These burn times are minimums. Soy wax burns 6 - 7 hours per 1oz of wax. Duration of wax melt scents vary depending on the melter.
I CAN'T BURN CANDLES BECAUSE OF ALLERGIES
Our soy candles are clean burning and do not emit toxins or chemicals making them less likely to trigger allergies. Many of our customers can't burn any other candles because of all the added chemicals. When you burn a Modern Forestry lavender candle, you're smelling real lavender and your brain can recognize it. When you burn a synthetic lavender candle, for example, your brain can't recognize it and puts up barriers to protect itself. These barriers manifest themselves in headaches and other allergy-like reactions. We recommend testing our candles carefully in case of allergies, but it’s doubtful that they will affect you the same way as paraffin candles.
HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO RECEIVE MY ORDER?
Your retail order will ship in 3-5 business days so that you can begin enjoying your Modern Forestry soy candle as soon as possible! Wholesale orders ship in 8-10 business days.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN THAT MY CANDLE IS “HAND-POURED”?
“Hand-poured” means that we make candles the old-fashioned way. With time. Great care. And with our own two hands. Other than our wax melter that melts 50lbs of pure soy wax at a time, everything in the Forestry Studio is done by hand - from the wicking to the pouring of your 100% soy candle.
WHERE IS THE FORESTRY STUDIO LOCATED?
We're located in Powdersville, SC. All Modern Forestry products are produced and shipped from our garage turned studio in the Blue Ridge foothills.
WHY WON’T MY WOOD WICK LIGHT?
One of the most common candle myths is that you don’t have to trim the wicks. No matter what kind of wick you have, you should always remove the top layer of the burnt wick before lighting it. The leftover charred bits of burnt wick can inhibit your candle from burning properly. We recommend either breaking off the loose bits with your fingers or scraping the charred wick with scissors. Trim the wick down to one fourth of an inch using nail clippers or cutting a small “v” shape in the center of the wick.
WHY WON’T MY CANDLE BURN OUT TO THE EDGES?
This issue is one that is very common with paraffin candles, but with 100% soy candles like ours, proper burning technique should eliminate this problem. When lighting your candle, you should always think to make sure you have enough time to let your candle melt all the way out to the edges before blowing it out. This usually takes about an hour, but can vary depending on the size and scent of your candle. If you burn your candle for short periods of time over and over again, not letting it burn to the edges, you’ll find that you begin to form a ring of unused wax around the edges and your candle will tunnel down into itself as it burns. If your candle has started this process, we recommend scooping out the layers of wax around the edge, making a flat surface even with the wick, so that it can burn cleanly the rest of the way down.
WHY IS THE GLASS JAR GETTING BLACK AS I BURN MY CANDLE?
This issue is the opposite of not burning out to the edges. When you burn your candle for too long (it should never be burnt for more than 4 hours at a time as this breaks down the health of your candle), it will superheat the jar and cause it to turn black. This can also happen if you do not trim your wick. A little bit of soot is a natural byproduct of any flame, but given the correct burning conditions, out of drafts, proper wick length, you should be able to keep soot to a minimum. If your jar does get black and you want to fix it, the soot can easily be removed with a paper towel once the candle has been extinguished.
DO YOUR CANDLES SMOKE?
When you blow them out they do smoke, but they don’t smoke like petroleum. Smoke is a natural byproduct of fire, but we have found that our candles rarely smoke while burning, it’s primarily when they’re blown out. If you burn your candle too long without trimming the wick it is significantly more likely to smoke both while burning and once you’ve put it out. If you extinguish your candle and feel like it just won’t quit smoking, your wick is probably too long from either not having been trimmed or having burned for too long. Give your wick a quick trim as soon as you blow it out and that should resolve the issue.