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You know you can trust
your nose to assess what smells good and what smells bad, but when we are
talking about scent throw, what we are really talking about is intensity. And,
chances are, you may be reading this article because you believe that your nose
can betray you at times. So, how do we compare scent throw or intensity? It is
very easy, but before we go into it I want to convince you to trust your sense
of smell and perhaps understand a little more about what it tells you.
All of your sensory systems (hearing, sight, smell, touch, taste) have some
common features. Basically, they take a stimulus and turn it into an electrical
signal that travels through some nerves to eventually reach your brain where it
is processed. With all those signals from all of the different sensory inputs,
your brain has a lot of work to do. Fortunately for your brain, there is
something called sensory adaptation.
Sensory adaptation is where, after being exposed to a constant stimulus for a
while, the sensory receptors reduce and eventually stop firing signals off to
the brain. They haven’t completely stopped functioning, but they have raised the
threshold of activation. So, if a more intense stimulus comes along, they will
be triggered to fire off a signal to the brain. But, lower intensity stimuli
will not trigger the receptors. So, sensory adaptation acts as a filter for our
sensory input systems and attempts to zero-out the constants in our environment.
To compare cold throw, take large whiffs directly from the surface of
each candle. Inhale candle A deeply into your nostrils a couple times. Then do
the same with candle B. Then go back to candle A. Go back and forth between the
two candles a couple times. Eventually, due to sensory adaptation you’ll only be
able to smell the more intense candle. The weaker one will fall below the
threshold required to trigger those receptors.
When burning a candle for the first time, it is important to give it a
"memory burn". You should burn the candle for 1 hour for each inch of its
diameter. Example: a candle 3" in diameter should be burned for three hours to
establish its "memory". This allows your jar candle to establish a full melt
pool increasing the scent throw. If a candle isn't given a proper memory burn
(meaning if your candle is burned for a short period of time), it will "Core
Burn" down the center and a good scent throw cannot be achieved. Also, you'll be
left with wax at the bottom and at the side.
Comparing hot throw is done in a very similar fashion, except we have to
exercise some caution to avoid burning the hairs in our nose. Light both of your
candles at the same time and let them burn for a few hours so that you have a
decent melt pool in both. Then, extinguish the flame by dipping it into the melt
pool (no smoke). Yep, extinguish the flame. Hot throw is emitted by the melt
pool, not the flame. Besides, we have just eliminated the hazard of burning our
nose hairs. Now, from a constant distance above each candle, take alternating
whiffs from each one. The weaker one will fall below the threshold for a sensory
response, and you will soon be able to detect only the more intense candle.
Make sure you are using the right sized wick. Some scents require a larger or
smaller wick. Only testing will determine which one you will need. How your
candle is wicked will have a direct result in how well and how much of a scent
throw you will get.
It can be difficult to smell your own candles for several days after you
have made them. This is also due to sensory adaptation and is a result of being
exposed to intensity of the scent while you were making the candles.
When I pour Cinnamon or Cinnamon Bun for a day my nose goes on overload for a
few days afterward. These scents are so strong that after I pour them I cannot
smell them but other people can. It is one of the most annoying things candle
makers struggle with. You think your candles are no good because YOU cannot
smell them when actually there is nothing wrong with them.
Scent Quantity
Using too little scent oil will decrease scent throw. Using too much may ruin
the candle.
Prevention - We find that using exactly 1 ounce (by weight) of scent oil works
best in almost all instances. If you don't have a scale, 2 Tablespoons of scent
oil is almost exactly 1 ounce.
Scent Quality
This is probably the most important factor in scent throw. Unlike humans, all
scent oils are not created equal. There are no scent industry standards.
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