How to make candles is a less known, yet important skill. Even though candles supply warmth and make a room feel cozier, they don’t last forever and can be costly.
However, with a few ingredients and a little know-how, you can manufacture them yourself. You also have complete control over what goes into them. If you’re allergic to fragrance, don’t use it. You can use soy wax if you’re concerned about keeping your home’s air as clean as possible. Candles come in various shapes and sizes, but they all have three fundamental components: wax, wick, and container.
After you’ve made your first candle, you can branch out and attempt making different sorts of candles; for a more complex project, make sure to use the proper wax and wick. Do you want to add a more personal touch to your order?
Or maybe you want to use them for these breakfast buffet ideas?
You can further customize your candle by picking a fragrance or essential oil to smell it—the kind of candles you can produce is limited by your imagination and desire to try new things. It is also an amazing staycation idea to try out!
Ingredients for Making Candles
Here are the supplies you will need before learning how to make candles.
1. Wax
You have three primary alternatives when shopping for the wax to manufacture candles;
- Paraffin wax is the most affordable and often used wax for candle production.
- Beeswax: Beeswax is excellent for producing natural candles, but it is costly. It comes in either blocks or sheets, each with a unique honeycomb pattern.
- Soy wax: Soy wax is an all-natural alternative to paraffin wax that is substantially less expensive than beeswax. On the other hand, Soy candles are believed to last up to 50% longer than paraffin candles.
2. Fragrance
Although candles do not have to have a scent, most individuals looking for components to manufacture candles intend to do so.
Try adding a few drops of vanilla extract from your kitchen if you’re just getting started and want a quick way to add scent to your candles. Because vanilla is a globally appealing scent that isn’t too strong, it’s a perfect way to save money while learning the basics of candle production.
Although some fragrance oils are acceptable for the skin like the charcoal face mask and can be used to make lotions and soaps, many people believe that oils explicitly manufactured for candle making would produce the most satisfactory results.
3. Dye
Candle wax is typically white or cream in hue. If you want colorful candles, you’ll need to buy some dye before you start working on your project. You can purchase candle dye in the form of chips, blocks, or small vials. When selecting the color of your candle, keep in mind that a little goes a long way.
When creating paraffin candles, you can use broken crayon parts to add color to the completed product. You won’t get the same brilliant colors as if you bought candle-making dye, but it’s a fun way to do economical candle-making with kids.
4. Container
When creating paraffin candles, broken crayon parts can be used to add color to the completed product. You won’t get the same brilliant colors as if you bought candle-making dye, but it’s a fun way to do economic candle-making with kids.
If you prefer to make your candle with a mold, you can either buy one explicitly manufactured for candle making or create your own with repurposed materials from around your house.
Muffin tins, cupcake pans, and novelty baking molds, for example, are ideal for candle production. You may also use old milk cartons to make candles because you can cut the carton off once the wax has hardened.
5. Wick
No matter what sort of wax, container, or scent you use, it won’t burn properly if you don’t use a suitable wick for your candle. In other words, the wick is critical since it is the candle’s fuel. The amount of propellant that a candle receives is determined by the type of wick.
How to Make Candles Step by Step
Making candles for someone who has never done so might seem like an arduous task, but it isn’t. You have to follow the steps explained below, and you’ll be up and running before you know it.
- Step 1: Measure the Wax
No matter what sort of wax, container, or scent you use, it won’t burn properly if you don’t use a suitable wick for your candle. The wick is critical since it is the candle’s fuel. The amount of propellant that a candle receives is determined by the type of wick.
- Step 2: Melt the Wax
Pour the wax into a double boiler and melt for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Step 3: Add good-smelling oils
It’s time to add fragrance oils to your melted candle wax. To determine how much wax to use, refer to the packaging directions. Pour it into the molten wax and whisk for a few seconds to incorporate it. While this step is not required, I highly recommend it for a beautiful floral scent.
- Step 4: Place the wick
Before you pour in the wax, make sure the wick is linked to the bottom of the container. Dip the wick in the melting wax and immediately glue it to the bottom of the container to secure it. Allow the wax to solidify for five minutes. It’s also possible to superglue it.
- Step 5: Pour the Wax
Allow the wax to cool for a few minutes before pouring it into your container. It’s time to start running when the thermometer registers 140 degrees.
Then pour the wax into your container slowly. Keep the wick in position without pulling on it. Allow a small amount of wax to remain in the boiler for subsequently topping off your candle.
- Step 6: Secure the wick
It would help if you fixed your wick to prevent it from swinging in the molten wax. Place two chopsticks across the container’s top. The wick should be sandwiched between them to keep it centered as the wax solidifies.
Allow four hours for the wax to cure at room temperature.
- Step 7: Add more wax
Reheat and add your remaining wax if your candle solidified with an ugly top (think cracks or holes). Allow hardening.
- Step 8: Adjust wick size
The wick of your candle should be no more than half an inch long. Trim the wick if the candle flickers or has a tall flame when lighted.
How to Make Candles with Essential Oils
Although essential oils have been utilized for thousands of years, they have only recently become popular. We used numerous herbs to treat ailments before there was traditional medicine and pharmaceuticals. They are still utilized today to aid our physical, mental, and emotional healing.
Plants have incredible power. They are capable of far more than we give them credit for. Essential oils are nothing more than natural plant compounds. They are the life power of nature and have exceptional medicinal powers and capture the plants’ remarkable healing qualities. If you are in doubt, check my true botanicals reviews or how to make elderberry tea.
Tips for Making Candles with Essential Oils
Choose A Wax that Burns Slowly
While you may not realize it, waxes uniquely keep their aroma. Some, such as beeswax, burn slowly and emit a subtle fragrance. Others, such as paraffin wax, are cheap and unscented but burn quickly.
Pick a Wick that Burns Hot
Soy wax is excellent in retaining smell and gradually releasing it. However, because it doesn’t get boiled, it doesn’t produce a lot of aromas when the candle burns. You’ll need a wick that burns hot for this.
Because hemp wicks burn hotter than cotton wicks, the candle releases more oil into the air as it burns. Choose all-natural wicks that don’t have a metal core or a paraffin coating, such as these.
Choose Potent Essential Oils
When it comes to manufacturing them, personal preference is crucial. However, the potency of your oils is also essential.
While mellower oils like ylang ylang and sandalwood are excellent for aromatherapy, their scent may be missing in candles. Instead, go for oils with a robust and recognizable aroma that won’t fade as quickly as others.
When Adding Oils, Be Sure You Do So at The Proper Time
If the wax gets too hot, the active compounds in your oils will be destroyed, and the aroma will be diminished. If the wax is too cold, the oils may not disperse evenly.
185 degrees F is the perfect temperature for applying essential oils.
Place your wax in a double boiler over low heat and slowly melt it. Remove the wax and set it on the counter until it reaches a temperature of about 185 degrees (you can either use a candy thermometer or an infrared thermometer).
Ensure The Fragrance Doesn’t Fade
After your candle has fully cured, I recommend carefully sealing it with a lid between usages to prevent the aroma from fading.
Melt the candle and add more oil if the fragrance needs to be refreshed. Set the candle in the freezer until the wax separates. Then, carefully melt the entire block of wax (wick and all). Remove the wick, re-fill the jar with oil, and replace the wick.
How to Make Candles Last Longer
Here are five pro tips to make your candles last longer:
Do Not Light A New Candle For A Short Period.
Allow a container candle to develop a complete pool of melted wax across the surface of its container, from rim to rim, the first time you burn it.
This is because wax has a memory, and successive lightings will struggle to extend beyond the preceding burn’s diameter. From there, the candle will most likely tunnel down into the wax.
Trim Your Wicks
A trimmed wick will provide a lovely, bright flame that will last longer.
It Would Help if You Did Not Place Burning Candles Near Windy Places.
Air currents can cause candles to burn unevenly or produce too much smoke or soot, leaving unsightly black spots on your container.
Keep Any Debris Out of The Wax Pool
Don’t smear the candle pool with cut-off or burned wicks or used matches.
Allow A Candle to Cool Completely Before Relighting
It takes around two hours for a candle in a container to cool entirely, but it is well worth the wait in terms of safety and functionality.
How to Make Candles from Old Candles
- To begin, melt the candles in a small saucepan over a big saucepan of hot water. (Waxes have melting points ranging from 100 to 145 degrees.)
- Remove the old wicks with tongs and chuck them out once the wax has melted.
- Cut a piece of wicking two inches taller than the votive container (available at craft stores).
- Tie one end around a wooden skewer and thread it through a wick tab (also general at craft stores).
- To coat the wicking and tab, dip them into the heated wax. Remove the tab and press it into the holder’s bottom.
- Place the skewer on the rim of the votive. Fill the votive container halfway with molten wax, ending a half-inch below the rim.
- Allow one hour for the mixture to solidify. Pour extra wax into the center of the well until it’s one-fourth inch below the rim to smooth it out.
How to Make Candles without Wax
No wax, no problem. This candle can burn for the same amount of time as wax candles. Most of the supplies are either already in your home or can be acquired at your local grocery shop.
Candles Made of Water And Oil
The water and oil candle is the most straightforward non-wax candle to manufacture. It does not necessitate a large number of supplies or tools.
Supplies
- Tempered glass jar or candle holder
- Food coloring
- Wick
- Water
- Lamp oil
- Plastic sheets
- Scissors
- Spoon
Instructions
- Fill the candle holder with water to about three-quarters capacity.
- Using the spoon, mix in the food coloring.
- Slowly pour the lamp oil into the water in a fine stream.
- Cut a piece of plastic more minor than the circumference of the candle holder, such as from a disposable food container or a plastic cup lid.
- Make an X in the plastic’s middle. If you’re using a cup lid, you can use the straw hole already there.
- Insert the wick through the plastic’s aperture.
- Carefully lower the plastic cover into the oil, keeping the wick erect.
- The plastic cover will float above the water after sinking into the oil.
- Trim the wick to about a half-inch above the lamp oil if necessary.
- Use a candle lighter or a match to light the wick. The candle will burn until all of the oil has been used.
How to Make Candles with Crayons
- Choose your favorite color crayons and snip little pieces off as coloring.
- A small amount goes a long way. On the other hand, reds, oranges, or purples require less coloring than blues, greens, and yellows.
- Directly melting the wax in the saucepan will make it excessively hot, destroy it, and create a huge mess.
- By filling the pot 2/3 full with water and hooking the handle of the measuring cup on the side of the pan, you may make an improvised double boiler. The cup should float, and the water level should be about an inch below the pan’s side.
- Remove some water if it appears like the water is about to boil over the side of the pan or into the wax cup.
- Place the thermometer in the empty cup, and when it reaches around 170 degrees, pour in enough wax to fill the cup halfway.
- Stir the wax to help it melt faster.
- Continue to add wax in small increments until roughly 2 cups of melted wax are inside.
- Allow the wax to cool until it reaches 170 degrees on a thermometer.
How Much do You Need to Make Candles?
Your cost per handcrafted candle should be between $3 and $5. With a pound of wax, how many candles can you make? You can reasonably assume that each pound of liquid candle wax contains roughly 20 ounces.
I use 8oz jars for candles, which means 2.5 candles each pound.
FAQs
1. How do you make homemade candles?
You can make candles by following these steps;
Step 1: Measure the wax. Before you begin the candle-making process, make sure you have a clean, flat surface to work on.
Step 2: Melt the wax.
Step 3: Add fragrance oils.
Step 4: Attach the wick.
Step 5: Pour the wax.
Step 6: Secure the wick.
Step 7: Add more wax.
Step 8: Cut the wick.
2. How do you make candle wax from scratch?
Beeswax and rosin are available for purchase if you want to produce your hard wax. In most cases, four parts rosin to one part beeswax are used.
You might also use a tiny bit of olive or coconut oil. Hard wax can be melted in the warmer on the high setting for 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Is making candles at home easy?
Making candles at home is inexpensive and straightforward, to begin with. You can start producing essential oil-infused candles at home with just a few components and whatever container you desire.
4. What items do you need to make candles at home?
You will need the following items to make candles at home;
- You’ll need a thermometer to identify when to add scent and pour your wax.
- To melt the wax, use a double boiler.
- A scale that allows for precise measurements.
- To mix the wax, use a wooden or silicone spoon.
- Use clothespins, straws, or chopsticks to keep the wicks in place.
- To trim the wicks, use scissors.
