How to Make a Crock-Pot Candle

Family and friends will appreciate your gift of homemade candles.

Crock pots are known and admired for their convenience, allowing you to throw in ingredients early in the day, go about your business, and enjoy a hot meal hours later. Although many people would think to make soup in the crock pot, not many would consider whipping up a batch of homemade candles. Sure enough, you can create your own personalized candles in glass holders by using a crock pot. Using wax from old melted candles and placing it in small recycled glass containers makes this project even more convenient and cost-effective.

Things You'll Need

• Small glass containers/candle holders
• Candle wax pieces
• 3-inch wicks
• Candle fragrance or essential oil (optional)
• Candle coloring dye (optional)

Instructions

1. Fill each glass almost to the top with wax pieces.

2. Arrange candle holders on the bottom of your crock pot, being careful that they are not over-crowded or stacked.

3. Turn the crock pot on high heat and cover, allowing the wax to heat up for approximately 20 to 30 minutes.

4. Check on your candles. The wax should be melted at this point. If the candle holders are not as full as you would like, carefully add more wax pieces and wait another 20 minutes.

5. Add candle fragrance or essential oils with a dropper (5 to 15 drops is suggested) to each candle once the wax has fully melted. You may also add candle dye at this time if desired.

6. Stir the wax in each candle to evenly distribute the color and fragrance.

7. Insert a wick into each candle, making sure that each wick is evenly centered. The wicks should stand upright on their own.

8. Turn off the crock pot, leave uncovered, and allow the candles to cool and harden for at least a few hours.

Tips & Warnings

• Ideal containers or holders for your candles include shot glasses, old candle holders and even cleaned-out baby food containers. Just make sure that your wicks are long enough to light once the candles are completed.

• You may also recycle old candle wax by chopping it up into pieces and melting it into new candles.

• Hot wax can burn your skin, so be careful when stirring scented oil or dye into the candles.

References

• A Year of Slow Cooking: How to Make Candles in the Crock Pot
• Bonzai Aphrodite: Homemade Holidays: Crock Pot Candles