How to Make Homemade Candles

Purchasing stylish candles can be quite expensive. There really is no need to spend money on something you can create at home. You can even use household items to create your own candle.

Things You'll Need

• Jar
• Old candles
• Crayons
• Cotton string
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Toothpick
• Pot
• Coffee tin
• Water
• Oil (vegetable or olive)

Instructions

1. Cut a wick. The best thing to use for your wick is cotton string. A general wick will be about 3 inches long. If you are making a larger candle, cut your string a little longer.

2. Find a jar the size you want to make your candle. You can use baby food jars if you want a small candle or a pickle jar if you want a larger candle. Thoroughly clean out the jar and dry it completely. Spray or wipe the inside of the jar with vegetable or olive oil. This will allow the candle to come out of the jar when you are finished making it. If you want the candle to stay in the jar, then you don't need to use the oil.

3. Place your pot on the stove and fill it halfway with tap water. Place your coffee tin inside the pot. Turn the stove on low heat.

4. Cut up some old candles and place them in the coffee tin. Watch while the wax begins to melt. If you want to change the color of the candle or make some color swirls, cut up some crayons and add them in with the candle wax. Be careful that you don't let the wax get too hot or it will burn.

5. Once the wax is liquid pour it into the jar.

6. Quickly place your wick into the center of the melted wax. Tie the top of the wick around a pencil and rest the pencil over the top of the jar. You can tape the wick to the pencil to make sure it stays in place.

7. Wait for the wax to cool. Once it does you can remove the candle from the jar. If you have any problems getting the candle out of the jar you can use a knife to go around the edges.

8. Cut the wick to size and your candle is finished.

Tips & Warnings

• Consider adding a dash of fragrance such as apple cinnamon or vanilla.

• Feel free to add any object to the candle that you think would give it some character.

• You might want to double up the wick so that it will last longer. Just twist two strands of cotton string together.

• Always be careful when heating wax. It can leave very nasty burns.

• Don't overheat the wax or it will catch on fire.