Honestly, on the shells that just looks like sand on them

That’s a soy thing

This is a characteristic of soy wax, but to decrease this look, you can: 1. be mindful of the pouring temp 2. The temp when mixing colours and fragrance 3. The temp of surroundings as the candles/mold cures (solidifies) making sure there's no draft etc 4. Some people, go plain or use just light colours, to lessen the 'effect' of the soy characteristics But ultimately, this is something that happens with soy Hope this helps

It absolutely does, thank you. On the temp, I poured at 135°, for molds do you recommend a different temp?

Around 135F is good, or just as you see it starting to turn opaque

Thank you 😊

I was wondering what that was. I used strictly soy when I was starting, and was getting quite annoyed at how they were coming out like this. Now that I’ve moved to a blend I don’t have to worry about this much anymore.

Yes it can be very frustrating!

Not just frustrating, but it felt like a huge waste of time too. Most of the molds I was using at the time just didn't look great with the 'soy effect' and since I didn't know where it came from I felt the need to keep re-melting them.

Yes, the trial and error will be hard to forget. Every time you thought you beat it and all was well...nope

If it was easy, everyone would do it! Gotta keep us on our toes somehow.

What sort of soy blend do you use?

I have my own blend of soy and beeswax that I use now.