Colors Used to Make Black Candle Dye
While black candles may be useful for Halloween, school activities, mourning or rituals, they are difficult for the hobbyist to create. Most commercial dyes on the market will produce an extremely dark blue or purple color no matter how much dye you use. There are ways around this though.
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Candle Dye
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Candle dye is pigment specifically designed to color paraffin, gel or soy wax. It comes in liquid, powder, or flake and chip forms. Care should be used to add dye in small increments, especially when using a new type or color for the first time. Generally, it takes less liquid dye to achieve a particular color than the other two types. Most colors can be achieved by combining varying amounts of the primary colors red, yellow and blue.
Achieving Black
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It is difficult to achieve a true black color. The only way to do so is by combining the three primary colors and experimenting to achieve the desired hue. Obviously, this will be easiest to do with liquid dye. When using the solid forms of dye, you will have to melt them per manufacturer's instructions prior to combining them. You will go through far more dye using solid forms versus liquid before achieving the desired black color.
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Preparation
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The following assumes you are using liquid dye. Begin by combining equal amounts of all three primary colors in a paper cup. When experimenting for the first time, begin with three drops of each. It is a good idea to keep track of how many drops of each color are added each time you adjust the formula so that you can re-create it later. The proportions will remain the same, but larger amounts will be used when making a batch of candles and will depend on how much wax you are trying to color.
Experimenting
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Use a coffee-stirring stick or plastic spoon to stir the dye. Next, use the stirring instrument to place a small amount of the mixture on a sheet of white copy paper and allow it to dry. Is it black? If not, begin adjusting the mixture by adding three drops of red. Repeat the test. Also, be careful to keep at least a 3-1 ratio of red to blue or you will create a purple color. Add yellow as needed until the desired effect is achieved. Once you have achieved the desired hue, test it in the wax of your choice to make sure the color does not lighten too much once the wax dries.
Tips and Warnings
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Absolutely do not use crayons to dye candles. They are made for children to color pictures, not to dye candle wax.
Liquid candle dye will stain clothing and just about everything else it comes in contact with. Be sure to take appropriate precautions.
Failing all of this, you can purchase black candles on sale after Halloween and use them throughout the year to color larger batches of wax. It will take numerous votives to color 1 lb. of wax.
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