I have been inspired to make my own candles for a while now, but just never got around to blocking out the space and time to do it. Until recently. Below, step by step, is my first foray into this easy DIY project. It is also really fun. Just be careful with the hot melted wax!
1. Assemble materials! Gather wax, wicks, empty jars, a metal canister you don't care about getting dirty (preferably with a handle) and lots of old wide-mouth jars or tin cans. Optional items are essential oils to add scent (I have a few bottles but this time I just cooked up one big batch of wax for citronella oil) and color (easily made with dye or crayons).
2. Dump the wax into the first container, then settle the container into another pot of boiling water. You want to use a double boiler for safety reasons. Hot wax is hot.
6. Affix the wick to something (a pencil, a chopstick, a stick) to keep it centered. Otherwise it will lean too far to the side.
I made a second batch where I threw in a bunch of leftover wax bits from other candles and tea lights that I have used up:
7. Leave it alone - in my case I just left it overnight. When I woke up in the morning, voila! The color was slightly different in the three candles of my second batch.
1. Assemble materials! Gather wax, wicks, empty jars, a metal canister you don't care about getting dirty (preferably with a handle) and lots of old wide-mouth jars or tin cans. Optional items are essential oils to add scent (I have a few bottles but this time I just cooked up one big batch of wax for citronella oil) and color (easily made with dye or crayons).
2. Dump the wax into the first container, then settle the container into another pot of boiling water. You want to use a double boiler for safety reasons. Hot wax is hot.
3. At first it will seem as though nothing is happening. But resist the urge to stir (there is no need and you might as well avoid getting another item dirty) and soon enough you will see the wax melt.
4. It looks kind of funny as it melts down. I kept thinking of a ball of mozzarella cheese submerged in extra virgin olive oil. But that is probably because I relate nearly everything to food.
5. Affix wick to the bottom center of the container. Once the wax has completely melted, you can add a few drops of essential oil. This essentially means that every batch has to be the same color or scent. Pour hot wax into said container, leaving about 1 cm space at the top.
I made a second batch where I threw in a bunch of leftover wax bits from other candles and tea lights that I have used up:
8. Remove the sticks and trim the wicks. There will likely be craters, or empty air pockets, at the top of the candle near the center of the wick. Apparently this is quite normal and if you want to fix it you can boil up another batch of wax and pour it in a second time. I really couldn't be bothered, as my main motivation for making these is to get a lot of mosquito repellent candles on the cheap!
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| The end product! |
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