How to Make Homemade Candles With Wax

Make homemade candles to fill your home with fragrance.

Different substances were used including palm oil, coconut oil, olive oil, bayberry wax and tallow. Then, during the 1800s, paraffin wax was introduced. More recently have vegetable based waxes including palm and soy wax have also been available. Using wax, dyes and fragrance oils manufactured for candle making, you can make a variety of scented homemade candles to enjoy in your home or give as gifts.

Things You'll Need

• Tabbed wick
• Wick adhesive sticker
• Wood stick or chopstick
• Glass container with large mouth
• Cooking pot
• Candle pouring pot with spout
• Candle wax
• Candle thermometer
• Candle dye chip
• Metal spoon
• Fragrance oil

Instructions

Preparing the Wick

1. Press the wick adhesive sticker to the bottom of the wick's metal tab.

2. Place the metal tab against the container's center bottom sticking it place.

3. Wrap the excess wick around a wood stick or chopstick until the stick can rest on the container's rim. This keeps the wick from sagging or falling to one side during the cooling stage.

Melting the Wax

1. Make sure the candle pouring pot will fit in the cooking pot with at least 1 inch of room between the pots' walls. Adjust to a larger cooking pot if needed.

2. Pour enough cool water into the cooking pot to fill it 2 inches from the bottom and then set the pouring pot inside. This creates a double boiler to prevent the candle wax from burning.

3. Place the candle wax into the melting pot and heat with the burner set high until the wax reaches its optimum temperature according to the wax manufacturer's guidelines. The amount of wax you melt is determined by the size of the container. For example a 16 oz. jar would hold about 1 lb. of wax.

Making the Candle

1. Remove the wax from the heat and stir in the dye chip until completely blended. The amount of dye used determines the depth of color with a ratio of one chip per pound as a maximum.

2. Add the fragrance oil at a ratio of 1 oz. oil per pound of wax. Stir it in slowly until blended.

3. Pour the wax into the container slowly. Let the candle set until cooled. The cooling time varies by candle size and room temperature. As the candle cools wax make sink around the wick.

4. Reheat the leftover wax 5 to 10 degrees warmer then the first pour. The warmer temperature will help hide any seams created by the following second pour.

5. Pour in the wax over the first pour, filling in the sunken area. Let cool until solid before removing the stick which holds the wick in place.

Tips & Warnings

• Use soy wax if you want easy clean up of wax spills. Soy wax washes away with soap and water.

• More wicks are needed for candles with larger diameters. Stagger wicks 1 1/2 to 2 inches apart and away from the rim.

References

• Candle Cauldron: A Brief History of Candles
• Candle Help: Simple Container Candle Making
• Candle Cauldron: How to Make Container Candles