Making your own candles is a fun activity, especially when you can choose your own custom scents. It’s also fun to find containers that you can repurpose into candles. Candles not only smell good in your home, they also make thoughtful gifts.
I just made my first several batches of candles, and I’m already looking forward to making many more.
Here’s how to make your own soy candles. Create your own signature scent for your home, and have fun!
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What You Will Need:
- Soy Wax Chips
- 30ml (approximately 1 ounce) Fragrance Oil or Essential Oil (there is a difference – see notes below)
- Melting Pot
- Candy Thermometer
- Wood Candle Wicks with Metal Clips (the wood wicks crackle when they’re lit, almost like a bonfire)
- Stir Stick (a craft stick, chopstick, or popsicle stick will work)
- Repurposed Jars (I like using Oui yogurt jars)
- Medium Saucepan (for boiling water)
- Candle Dye Concentrate (optional)
What You Do:
- Protect your work surface to avoid candle wax spills that might occur.
TIP: I use a piece of aluminum foil on my counter next to the stove. Makes for a very quick and easy cleanup. - Place wood wicks into the metal clips and set them in the center of your glass jars. For example, 8-ounces of candle wax chips will fill two 5-ounce glass Oui jars.
TIP: To secure the metal clips from moving around, use a gluestick to adhere them to the bottom of the jar. - Add 8-ounces of candle wax chips to your melting pot.
- Gather your supplies to have them handy: a stir stick; your thermometer; your melting pot with candle wax chips; two prepared glass jars; a 30 ml bottle of fragrance oil; and any candle dye you want to use. Place these items on your prepared work surface so they are easy to reach.
- Fill a medium saucepan about half full of water and bring to a boil.
- Once the water reaches a boil, reduce the heat, then place the melting pot inside the saucepan of boiling water to melt the wax.
- Watch the wax until it melts completely. Use the thermometer to heat the wax to 185-degrees F. Make sure to watch the wax so you don’t overheat it above this temperature.
- (Optional) While the melting pot is still in the saucepan on a heat source, add a dye block or liquid dye to color the wax, Stir gently until the dye is melted.
- Once the wax is melted, remove the melting pot from the saucepan, then add a full 30 ml bottle of fragrance oil to the wax. Mix vigorously to ensure the best scent.
- Pour the wax into the prepared jars. If the wick starts moving around, gently hold the wicks in place for a few minutes until the wax cools a little. DO NOT overfill the jars.
- After pouring the wax from the melting pot, wipe away the excess wax with a paper towel, then clean the pot immediately in warm soapy water.
- Let the candles cool overnight before using.
Make sure not to put the candle jars in the refrigerator or freezer in an attempt to speed up the curing process.
- When the wax has cured, trim the wick so it extends about 1/4″ above the surface of the candle.
- Light your candle, and enjoy!
Additional Notes:
Here are some additional notes to help you with your candle making experience.
- Candle Making Kit – If you prefer, you could purchase a candle making kit that has all the supplies you need already put together. I recommend the CandleMaking Kit by CraftZee.
- Fragrance Oil versus Essential Oil – There is a difference between these two types of oils. Essential oils are made of natural ingredients, usually derived from a plant. Fragrance oils are manufactured scents, made in a lab – they are synthetic, though some may have natural ingredients in them in addition to synthetic ingredients. Fragrance oils hold their scent longer and are often stronger smelling than essential oils, making them a good choice for candle making. Fragrance oils are also good for using in soaps, room sprays, and air fresheners. Essential oils are natural oils that have been extracted from a plant, and do not have additives. Essential oils are great for diffusers, lotions, and aromatherapy. Essential oils can be used for candle making, but the scents are not typically as strong as fragrance oils.
- Dried Flowers – If you’re making natural colored candles (without a candle dye), you could include dried flowers to add interest and texture to your candles. While the dried flowers might not add much scent to your candle, the pieces look elegant embedded inside the wax.
- Wood Lids – If you use Oui yogurt jars for your candles, you could add acacia wood lids to seal the candles when not in use. This is especially nice when you make candles as gifts for friends and family.
- Repurposed Jars – Any 4-ounce to 8-ounce jar will work for making candles. For example, reuse pickle jars, condiment jars, and jelly jars. Mason jars also work well. If you prefer, repurpose vintage tea cups into elegant looking candles. Thrift stores are a great source for jars and containers you can use for candle making. Be creative!
My Favorite Scents:
Not sure what scent to choose? Here are some of my favorites.
- Bamboo – This scent is unique and fresh. It’s not overwhelming like a perfume, just a good clean smell. I like burning this scent inside the house while cuddled on the couch with my husband and a good movie.
- Campfire – This fragrance oil smells just like a burning campfire! It’s really amazing. This is a fun candle to burn in the Winter months, when it’s too cold and snowy to go outside and have a fire. I also like burning this scent when sitting on the patio at night in the Summer. It is definitely a unique scent!
- Dirt – Now hear me out on this one. I love working outside in the flower gardens. I don’t even mind picking weeds, especially after a good rain. The smell of the soil is fresh, earthy, and makes you appreciate being outside. This fragrance oil has captured that scent perfectly. It literally smells like fresh black dirt. My husband thought I was nuts when I showed him this oil. But in the Winter, burning this scent reminds me of the coming Spring and makes me anxious to get outside. I also like burning these scented candles outside at night when relaxing on the patio. It’s just one of those scents you really have to try. Trust me.
- Fresh Cut Grass – This is another one of those unique scents you have to smell to appreciate. It literally smells like fresh grass clippings – a reminder of Summer and warm days spent barefoot in the grass.
- Green Tea – This fragrance oil is so relaxing! It’s the fresh, almost sweet smell of tea. I love burning this candle in the evenings while reading a book. So cozy!
- Lavender – You can’t go wrong with the scent of lavender. It’s a calming, natural scent. A nice scent to enjoy while soaking in a hot bath.
- Fresh Cotton – If you want the smell of fresh laundry off a clothesline, this one is pretty close. This is a nice scent to use in an entryway, greeting guests with a welcoming smell.
- Orange – This scent energizes me! I love burning this scented candle while I’m working. It makes me happy and makes me feel like I can tackle anything that comes my way.
Have you made soy candles? Share your candle making tips in a comment below!
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