Once ‘the concept’ of A Healing Mountain was in place (gift boxes), adding candles felt natural, despite never having made a candle in my life. lol
The learning was unrelenting, from wax to wicks, the scent itself seemed the easiest part looking back. First was the wax question, as everything I was reading retiterated parrafin being the preferred wax for scent throw. Well, scent throw is important to me…there is nothing more annoying then burning a candle that has no smell.
That said, soy is preferred for a clean burn – and so I knew I needed both for the result I was after. Because of all the supply chain issues we lived through recently, I did not want to rely on premix. Therefore I have always and will always measure my own blend.
Another quick (and expensive) lesson was fragrance oils vs. essential oils, of course I started with the latter and realized those small bottles on Amazon don’t go very far. 😅 So I needed a supplier even before nailing down any official recipe, enter Bulk Apocotherapy. They make great oils at fair prices, and the feedback I get on my scents is truly humbling.
I must confess there is one ‘secret’ ingredient in all of my candles (and forage) that really does bring them to life, and that is a small amount of Ponderosa oil ethically sourced from a small company in Oregon.Â
I knew ‘the brand’ I was creating had to reflect the mountain, afterall that is the inspiration. Well, for those who aren’t aware, this mountain is part of the worlds largest Ponderosa Pine forest. Adding this small amount of Ponderosa oil is what grounds every blend to the mountain with it’s depth, this keeps all of my scents from smelling to sweet or artifical in my humble opinion. While this is certainly an additional expense to my candles that most may never realize, for me it is irreplaceable, and no doubt a signature of A Healing Mountain.
Within a few short months I felt strong that I had two successful scents (Mountain Bloom only came in July of 26), but it seemed that rim to rim burn still wasn’t quite dialed in. 🙃
As with all my other products, I really wanted the wick to be natural and burn consistently – another hard and expensive lesson that turned out to be. 😬🤣
Despite now owning virtually every size cotton wick available, this too has offically been checked off the list, leaving just one last detail left to adress, the lids.Â
Since this business began as a ‘simple idea’ to forage the mountain in January 2026, it quickly became apparent that it is really about the details – all of them!Â
Burning the lid with a mountain silhouette just made sense, so why not learn pyrography. lol A custom plate for both the large and small lids was ordered, and I went on to ruin many lids that friends and family were happy to take off my hands. ha
Thankfully, even those skills have greatly improved, and my candles have officially become every bit as special to me as every other part of this new business. 😊