During the epidemic, while working from home, I went through hundreds of fragrant candles. I usually have at least one candle burning, and because I get too enthusiastic about new smells, I can never complete one before lighting the next one. Large-scale scented candles, on the other hand, can be costly.
To save money without giving up my candle habit, I decided to make my own at home using natural wax and essential oils, and I was pleasantly surprised at how simple it was. While I’ll probably continue to buy a couple of my favorite seasonal candles, I’ll be switching out the DIY version on a regular basis because it’s so simple.
All you’ll need is a candle-making kit, your chosen essential oils, and a nice heat-resistant container to pour the candle into. It’s simple to produce many candles at once after you’ve got everything set up, making it a breeze to finish all of your DIY Christmas and birthday gifts for the year!
Supplies for Making DIY Candles
- Candle wax
- Glass jars that can withstand heat
- Pot with two boilers
- Spatula made of silicone
- Essential oils
- Candle wicks
- Chopsticks or a wick centering device
- Wick trimmer
A Step-by-step guide to make Candles
Step 1: Prepare your container.
You’ll need something to pour your wax mixture into before you start melting wax or blending aromas. We recommend manufacturing candles exclusively in robust glass containers for safety reasons. I used a set of four 16-ounce Mason jars, which are a nice size for the candle but not so enormous that you’ll burn up all of your wax in one go. If you already have a candle jar that you like, you may clean it out and reuse it by removing the wax. It’s time to melt the wax after your candle jars are clean, dry, and ready to use.
Step 2: Take Wax Measurements
You may buy all of the candle-making ingredients separately, but I found that buying a candle-making kit that contains all of the wax, wicks, and wick-centering devices for a full set of candles was the most cost-effective option. Furthermore, this kit makes use of natural soy wax flakes, which burn cleaner than many store-bought scented candles.
It’s simple to figure out how much wax you’ll need for each candle: Fill your container with wax flakes until it reaches the desired candle surface height. Fill a saucepan halfway with flakes and measure the same amount again. Because the flakes melt so quickly, each candle will require two containers of flakes.
Step 3: Melt the wax and mix in the scent
Melt the wax flakes in a double boiler over medium heat once you’ve metered them out. (If you don’t have one, a metal bowl on top of a pot of water would suffice.) Using a silicone spatula, gently mix the flakes. Once the wax has completely melted, add 10-20 drops of essential oils to the mixture. 6 drops of eucalyptus oil and 6 drops of lavender oil were used to make a 16-ounce candle.
Step 4: Put the Wick in Place and Pour Wax
You’ll need to connect the wick to the bottom of the vase before pouring the candle. Each wick should have a flat metal bottom; dip the metal portion into molten wax and insert it in the center of the jar or container’s bottom. Keep it in place until the wax solidifies and the wick is able to stand on its own.
Remove the wax from the heat and carefully pour it into your container. You may use the wick centering device from the package to keep the wick in place if it becomes dislodged from the bottom. (When the wax solidifies, the wick will be at the exact center of the candle.) You may also balance two chopsticks over the top of the container to keep the wick in place if you’re using a broad container.
Step 5: Allow Time For It To Set
Because it takes many hours for the wax to solidify completely again, I let my candles to set overnight. You’ll need to cut the wick when your candle has completely set. (Even store-bought candles should have their wicks trimmed before being burned!) You can use scissors, but the quickest approach is to use a wick trimmer. Your candle is ready to burn once you’ve trimmed the wick to around 14 inches.
Some Points to Keep in Mind
Cleaning up is simple if you do it while the wax is still liquid. Simply wipe the leftover wax off the stirring spoon, thermometer, and the interior of the melting pot with paper towels before washing as usual.
Remove the tape and reduce the wick to 1/4 inch once the candles have thoroughly cooled and hardened. To avoid the wick from “mushrooming” and smoking, keep it trimmed to this length each time you light the candle, and observe other basic candle-burning precautions: Keep them away from children, pets, and anything flammable, and make sure they’re on a firm surface. Never leave a burning candle unattended.
When burning soy candles, remember to match your burn times to the size of your candle. Too many short burns in a succession might result in “tunnelling,” which occurs when the wax only melts in the center of the candle rather than all the way to the edges. When you initially light a new candle, leave it lighted long enough for the entire top to be liquid, and avoid lighting huge candles for short periods of time too frequently. Choose a candle with a small diameter if you just have a limited amount of time.
Take comfort if all of this seems like a lot of troubleshooting—even my lumpiest candles have burnt brilliantly. Though it may take some trial and error to reach the exact smooth top or smell strength, each batch will almost certainly produce something lovely for you or someone you care about. Enjoy the learning and testing process, and keep warm!
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