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Liquid vs chip dye: which is best for me?
When it comes to crafting candles and wax melts, there’s so much room to explore your creativity. Whether you’re interested in making something that stands out or you’re looking to layer up your candles, it’s important to know which dyes work for you. Two of the main contenders in candle making are liquid and chip dyes. Let’s take a closer look at which dye is best for you.
Liquid
Liquid dyes are the most popular choice amongst candle makers due to their incredibly easy to use nature. Coming in a small and simple bottle and already being in liquid form, liquid dye is super easy to use, all you have to do is just add a few drops to your creation, stir and there you have it! It’s also worth noting that with liquid dye, a little goes a long way. Liquid dyes are also very highly concentrated and are available in a wide variety of colours, which means you have the ultimate creative freedom as you can mix different liquid dye colours together for an endless palette. Liquid dyes are best used if you like consistency; they come in 15ml dropper style bottles, so it’s very easy to record your measurements which means when it comes to repeating your candle making process, consistency will never be a problem. You can use liquid dyes in all vegetable waxes & paraffin wax too, but you may find you need to use more colouring if you’re making soya wax candles as opposed to paraffin wax candles. With liquid dyes, there’s also no need to worry about temperature as it already comes in liquid form which means you don’t need to worry about melting it!
Although liquid dyes are simple to use and give you choice, they can be rather messy to work with, so remember to keep your surfaces covered, use gloves and always have some kitchen tissue to hand when using liquid dye.
Chip
If you’re looking for a less messy alternative to liquid dyes, chip dyes could be exactly what you’re looking for. First and foremost, chip dyes, especially Bekro, are considered some of the best in the industry due to the minimal impact on burn performance. Chip dyes also offer a stable colour which can be replicated time and time again, however, to ensure consistency in your colours, you need to accurately weigh your chip dyes each time you make your candles or wax melts. Chip dyes are also super easy to store and maintain, often liquid dyes can become messy and if they haven’t been used for a long time can clog and leak, opting for chip dyes will ensure a much less messy outcome! Most people find that chip dyes offer a more intense and richer colour compared to liquid dyes, so it’s worth exploring your colour palette.
Colour
Choosing your colour is straight forward. At Supplies for Candles, we stock a variety of colours from red to black, violet to orange, we have the whole rainbow. You can mix our dye colours together to create your own colours and shades, which means when it comes to choosing your candle colour, the possibilities really are endless. You can also create pastel shades and less intense colours by using less dye or chips in your wax. Playing around with the weight of your chip dyes and the amount of droplets you use with liquid dyes will allow you to experiment with your colour to find your desired shade.
Like all aspects of candle making, finding the right dye for you and your business is heavily down to trial and error. Each dye has its pros and cons, but it’s about finding the one that works for you, but there’s no reason why you opt for both depending on what it is you’re making and what outcome you’re trying to achieve. At Supplies for Candles, we stock a wide variety of both liquid and chip dyes for you to explore. If you’re into wax melts, why not explore our other creative components such as mica powders and bio-glitters to really add some personality to your creations. Shop the range online now and as always show us what you’ve been up to when making your unique candles and wax melts via our social media channels using the hashtag #sfcfeatureme.
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