Things You'll Need
Heavy cotton string
Salt
Borax
Water
Scissors
Tape
Piece of metal or paper with a hole
Instead of buying wicks at a craft store when you're making homemade candles, make wicks at home. when making a wick, make sure it fits the type of candle you're creating; if a wick is the wrong thickness, the candle won't burn correctly. Thinner braided wicks are for smaller candles, and thicker strings are for bigger candles.
Step 1
Cut three strips of cotton string to the length of the candle plus 4 inches.
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Step 2
Mix 1 tbsp. salt, 3 tbsp. borax and 1 cup of water in a bowl. Soak the strips in the mixture for 12 hours. Soak more strips if you are making more candles.
Step 3
Dry the strings by hanging them or laying them out in the sun. Drying times depends on how warm the air is.
Step 4
Braid three strips together tightly. Tape the end of the three strands to a flat surface to keep the braid from unraveling at one end. It also makes it easier to pull tightly.
Step 5
Saturate the wick by dipping it in wax. Dipping the wick in wax makes it stiff. The wax coating also makes lighting easier. Use scissors to hold the wick to avoid burns. Let the wick dry.
Step 6
Tie the wick to the metal or paper piece. This piece holds the wick in place when the wax is poured.
Warning
Be careful around hot wax Wax clogs drains
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