How to Make Candles At Home : 4 Common Candle Wax

zaina2647
19 Min Read

Post Author

Want to know how to make candles at home?

Don’t we all adore candles? With their lovely scents and aesthetically pleasing appearance? However, they may be pricey often; therefore, here are some techniques to make your homemade candles. So let’s get ready for some candle-making.

Here are a few ways you on how make candles at home.

how to make candles at home
By LN_Photoart/ Pixabay Copyright 2022

You can make your candle out of various waxes, ranging from beeswax to the most common paraffin wax. The four most common forms of candle wax that you can readily find to make homemade candles are stated below:

Soy Wax Candles

How to Make Candles At Home : 4 Common Candle Wax 2
By pairfum/ Pixabay Copyright 2022

Soy candles are one of the best candles you can easily make at home after following the step-by-step instructions. Soy wax candles are made of soy wax flakes and are eco-friendly. Soy candles are made of natural wax and do not create soot.

Melt the soy wax in a bowl using a double boiler. This is accomplished by boiling water in a pot and then placing the bowl over it. As the soy wax melts, gradually combine it and allow it to cool to roughly 120 °C. Then, add your favourite essential oil. To achieve the desired strength, combine 1 ounce of essential oil with one pound of soy wax.

After that, grab a container and pour just a little of the wax into it, then adjust and place a candle wick in the centre. Make sure the wick is well fitted, then pour the remaining soy wax gently over it. To ensure no air bubbles, thoroughly swirl the wax before putting it into the container. You must only trim the wick after the soy wax hardens, so let it cool overnight.

Soy wax typically burns slower than paraffin wax, resulting in a longer-lasting candle. While all candles release some black soot while burning, soy wax candles burn cleaner and produce less soot.

Liquid dyes, dye blocks and chips, and dye flakes can be utilized. All are compatible with soy wax and require particular processes to be followed if you choose to utilize one for your candle. Soy Candle Dye Blocks, on the other hand, are ideal for deeper, more brilliant colours in soy candles.

Paraffin Wax Candles

How to Make Candles At Home : 4 Common Candle Wax 3
By CupOfCouple/ Pexels Copyright 2022

Paraffin candles are made of petroleum-based paraffin wax. Utilizing such wax flaxes, you may create a variety of candles, depending on the temperature of the wax. If the melted wax is less than 54.4 °C, you may create container candles that can be placed in mason jars, any glass jar, or any candle container.

If the melted wax is between 54.4 ° C. and 65.5 °C, you can make pillar candles or use any candle mould. If the melted wax temperature exceeds 65.5 degrees Celsius, you can use techniques such as over-dipping to create any special candle.

Melt the wax in a double boiler, then add the desired colour dye to the melting wax. Add only a few drops of fragrance oil to the melted wax and immediately mix. You can use more than one wick, but ensure they are correctly placed. Always keep your content ready before beginning the melting process.

Remember that paraffin wax is difficult to remove from any surface, so pour only on a flat surface. Allow it to cool overnight after pouring the melted wax into the container. Trim the wick the next day, but remember to leave a tip a few inches longer.

Powdered synthetic dyes, like Rit Dye, can be used to colour paraffin candles. Avoid using standard liquid colours such as food colouring.

Crayon Candle

How to Make Candles At Home : 4 Common Candle Wax 4

By Anete Lusina/ Pexels Copyright 2022

You may make several candles using crayons of your preferred colour and shape. If you have any crayons that are either too small or no longer in use, make your candles with them. Peel the paper from the old crayons, then fill a large pot halfway with whichever wax you like. To quickly dye the wax, add your favourite colour crayon after melting it.

If you don’t like the smell of crayons, add a scent to the melted wax. You can even add drops of lavender oil to mask the odour of crayons. Use a candle jar, container, or even a candle mould for your candle. Place the wick in the centre of the jar and carefully pour the wax into it.

Please do not touch the candle until the wax hardens, so you can let it cool overnight. The next day, you can cut the wick to your liking. These candles are quite gorgeous and vibrant. You can make more than one candle with this procedure; change the amount of wax used.

If you don’t want to go through the trouble of the tiresome candle-making process, melt the crayons over a double broiler and gently pour the wax into a container with a wick in the centre. These, however, will not burn for very long. They don’t burn as correctly as a candle does. The smoke from burning paper and melting wax can be observed.

This project is inappropriate for kids and should be completed only with adult supervision. Crayons do not make notable candle wax colourants because the pigment clogs the wicks and causes them to burn poorly.

Gel Wax Candles

Gel wax candles are quite appealing since you can see through the clear wax, and they look great when you add glass beads, sea shells, glass petals, and other embellishments. You may even create a few layers of coloured gel wax to achieve a nice effect.

Before beginning the melting process, prepare the wick in the jar by pre-dipping the wick and any embellishments in the melted wax and keeping them ready. Hold the wick in place with a chopstick. To begin making the candle, melt the gel wax in a double boiler until smooth. If it becomes yellow, the gel will no longer be clear.

Mix it swiftly to avoid air bubbles if you wish to add a fragrance. Then, slowly and carefully pour the wax into the container. Leave at least a one-fourth inch gap on top, and do not remove the chopsticks until the candle is set the next day.

Gel candles provide a bright flame and last twice as long as wax candles. They use a different kind of fragrance oil than wax candles. You must use a non-polar scent with a temperature of 170 °F.

Add additional oil if you want the candle to be more intense and have a stronger smell. Wood and zinc cored wicks can be used; however, braided, cotton, and paper cored wicks are normally not utilized in gel candles.

Hacks And Tips on How to Make Candles at Home

Amazing DIY Candle Ideas || Candle Making Designs And Hacks

Candle making is not as simple as it appears; the procedure is difficult, but you may use these suggestions to make it a little simpler:

1. Always keep paper towels on hand since wax can drip here and there and is extremely difficult to wipe once it solidifies. While pouring wax, some may spill over the outside of the jar or the candle container; in such cases, paper towels are ideal.

2. Ahhh, that delightful scent of scented candles, but how can you get it? There are different essential oils and fragrance oils available; select the one you believe will best suit you.

If you have limited knowledge of oils and don’t know much about new scents, consider a faint honey scent; it’s pleasant and ideal for the first attempt with scents.

3.

How to Make Candles At Home : 4 Common Candle Wax 5
By Hans/ Pixabay Copyright 2022

If you are a candle fanatic, you know that the wick frequently burns faster than the actual wax, limiting you from completely utilizing the candle. In such cases, scrape the remaining wax from the candle jar and collect it.

When you have collected enough wax shavings, melt them all together. Once it’s completely melted, pour the wax into a new container with a long wick. Let the candle’s scent and colour surprise you and see what you get. This way, you can get a new candle and that too, for free!

4. Pouring wax into the container while ensuring the wick is in place is tricky. To avoid that fight, you may use two chopsticks to keep the wick in the centre; simply place one chopstick on either side of the wick and pour the wax into the jar.

5. Generally, we don’t always have access to candle jars and containers, which may be relatively expensive; in such instances, you can make your candle with items you already have at home. You may use glass bottles from sauces, mayonnaise, or beverages, as well as ceramic bowls, and if you have silicone moulds at home, you can use them to make candles of various shapes.

6. You may have noticed that one-wick candles are uneven and do not always have a smooth burn. So experiment with extra wicks; your candle can have two to three wicks. Place two wicks in the container midway between the centre and the outer edge but not too close to the container’s sides. Otherwise, the flames will touch the sides.

If you have a large container, you may use three wicks, but you must assemble them in a triangle. Place three wicks, one at each tip of a triangle, in the container.

7. Instructing your child on how to make candles is stressful since there is always the chance of the child getting a burn due to the hot wax or the double boiler.

Instead of using a double boiler, place the wax flakes in a microwave-safe jug or glass, preferably a pyrex jug. When the wax has melted, add whatever fragrance or oils you have to make the candle smell wonderful.

Then pour the wax into the container and set it to cool overnight. Check out tip 4 to make it easier for your child to hold the wick!

FANTASTIC IDEAS OF CANDLE MAKING

8. We all enjoy the aroma of scented candles, and when we experiment with candle-making at home, we also want to add aromas to ours. However, any fragrance and essential oil may be expensive, so do what you have at home. You may use coconut oil, almond oil, or castor oil if you don’t have any of the fancy ones on hand. Add a few drops to the wax and savour the aroma.

9. You may like the look of glittery candles, but never use too much glitter since it jams the wick, causing the candle to burn for too long and wasting all of it.

10. It is possible to add a lot of fragrance at once, especially if you do not have much experience making candles, so start with the basic quantity of 1 ounce of oil for one pound of wax, and it is probable that you will not be able to smell the fragrance. Don’t worry. Add a few more drops of oil than before the next time; it’s always better to add less than more.

11. Don’t be discouraged if the top layer of the candle is uneven or has air bubbles; you don’t have to redo the entire process. To melt the wax on the top layer, use a hair dryer in a circular motion while keeping the dryer on low heat. It will be smooth once it has cooled.

12.

How to Make Candles At Home : 4 Common Candle Wax 6
By Anna Shvets/ Pexels Copyright 2022

There are several types of wicks available, and understanding which one you want is critical. Wood wicks are suitable for both soy and paraffin candles. Wood wick candles are superior because they have a greater scent throw and allow you to perceive the scent more strongly than other wicks. This, however, cannot be used to make pillar candles or votives.

ECO candle wicks are intended for natural candles but may also be used with paraffin wax candles. They are constructed of cotton fibre, which gives them more stiffness and strength. These, however, have a lower scent throw than wood wicks. These wicks do not emit soot or smoke and are thus environment friendly.

CD wicks have a natural wax covering that lets the flame burn more consistently. They may be used in soy and paraffin candles and are ideal for fragrant ones.

Paper core wicks are produced mainly for pillar and container candles and are constructed entirely of natural fibres. The flame is relatively high and powerful, so they are unsuitable for scented candles.

Wood wicks are considered the best type of wick for candle making, and after that comes cotton wicks.

13. We all want to make beautiful candles that smell great and look impressive, but when you first start learning how to make candles, you should start with the basics. Master creating normal paraffin candles first, then experiment with other waxes. After that, experiment with scents and pigments to create a gorgeous candle of your choice.

14. If you don’t have a wick, you can substitute it with other materials. Cut a thin strip of a t-shirt (most likely cotton) and use it as a wick, or use a strip of newspaper and firmly coil it up, or even a cotton thread. You may also use a twig if you can acquire one.

15. If you like decorating with candles and love their aesthetic look but are afraid of finishing the candle too quickly, then freeze your candle. This is to freeze the wax; the candle will burn slowly and last longer.

16. If you can get your hands on an infrared thermometer, it will make the candle-making process even easier. Measuring the temperature and knowing the correct temperature to get your wax at before adding the oils or pouring it into the container means a better chance of success. For example, paraffin wax should be heated to 185 ‘F before adding oils.

17. To make the candle seem even more lovely, add different embellishments, like dried flower petals, little pieces of jewellery, beads, crystals, and herbs.

18. If you can’t find the supplies, you may purchase a candle-making kit. You can easily find one in the range of Rs. 400 to 700 at any store or even online. They feature all of the required ingredients, as well as step-by-step directions.

19. When the wick burns, it droops to one side, causing it to adhere to the wax or break easily. So, try to straighten the wick once the candle is no longer burning.

20. If you don’t have wax and want to make candles, you may also use shortening. Heat it in a pan, being careful not to boil it. Keep the candle container handy, along with the wick, which may be attached using a glue gun.

Shortening hardens fast when it is removed from the heat, so be careful not to burn yourself while pouring it into the container. Allow it to solidify for a day before cutting the wick. Before adding the shortening to the container, you can add fragrances or colours.

IF YOU WANT TO TRY AND MAKE CANDLES AT HOME, REMEMBER TO FOLLOW ALL THE STEPS CAREFULLY AS MENTIONED ABOVE, AND HAVE FUN CANDLE-MAKING!!

Last Updated on by kalidaspandian

Stay Connected

TAGGED:
Share This Article