Melting
Updated
The least interesting step and the one where two avoidable faults are introduced.
Indirect heat
A double boiler or a proper wax melter with a controlled element. Not a pot on a burner.
Wax on direct heat scorches locally long before the bulk is hot, and scorched wax discolors and smells faintly burnt in a way that does not lift.
It is also the fire risk in this workshop: wax heated far past its melt point on an uncontrolled element can reach its own flash point.
To what temperature
To the supplier's recommended melt temperature, which is above the melt point and below anything dangerous.
Fully liquid and clear. Any remaining solids are seeds that affect how the candle sets, and a fragment clinging to the side of the pot will find its way in.
Then let it fall to the fragrance addition temperature, and then to the pour temperature. Three numbers, all from the data sheet, all worth a thermometer rather than a guess.
What overheating costs
Discoloration, which shows most in white and pale waxes.
Degradation of the wax's additives, which can change how it behaves in the jar.
And, if fragrance is already in, loss of exactly the volatile notes you are selling.
Keeping it clean
Dedicated equipment. Wax holds scent, and a pot used for a strong fragrance carries it into the next batch at a level the customer notices and you do not, because you have been smelling it for an hour.
Either dedicate pots to scent families or wipe out while warm and accept that very strong oils may need a pot of their own.