Candle Fading Problem
Troubleshooting Guide

Candles fading can be caused by two things. One is easily remedied, the other is not.

Light Fading
Many candles dyes are notoriously unstable when exposed to light. When exposed to direct sunlight, a candle can lose all its color in just hours. The bad part is, it does not require direct sunlight. Reflected sunlight (such as being in a bright room) or even some fluorescent bulbs can fade candles. Any source of ultraviolet (UV) light will cause fading in candles.

Prevention - Use UV Inhibitor in your wax. The candles will still fade over time, but this will slow down the fading tremendously.

Oxidation
Certain candle dyes react with other ingredients in the candle, usually the scent. This is fairly rare and we see this most often with green dyes and pine / evergreen scent oils. If oxidation is your problem, the color of the candle will generally start looking odd within a week or two of making the candle.

Prevention - The only prevention possible is to use that scent oil with a different color dye, or that dye with a different scent oil.

If this does not help with your problem, please search our knowledgebase. If the answer is not in the knowledgebase, click here to submit your question.

Disclaimer: The information presented here is accurate to the best of my knowledge and common candle making practices as of the time of this writing - January 2006. The author and the publisher accept no liability for the use or misuse of any of the information presented in this article. This article is presented for informational purposes and is used at your own risk.

Author: Bob Sherman

Publisher: Bobby's Craft Boutique Inc.

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