Candles are great for making a home feel cozy, but they can get a bit pricey. Fortunately, nothing is stopping you from making them yourself!
One big advantage of this DIY project is that you can choose what goes into your candles. For instance, you can leave the fragrance out if you’re sensitive to it. If you want to keep your indoor air as clean as possible, use soy wax.
Sounds interesting? If so, here’s all you need to know about how to make candles!
What You’ll Need
Your first step in the candle-making process should be to get the right tools and materials. The two tools you’ll need are:
- Pot
- Electric stove or hot plate
As for the materials, you’ll need the following:
- Wax
- Wick
- Heat-proof container
- Pair of skewers or chopsticks
- Fragrance (optional)
- Color (optional)
Before getting started, prep the area where you’ll be making your candles. Cover the surface with old newspapers or paper bags. Move anything that’s not in this candle-making guide out of the way.
How to Make Candles
Once you’ve prepped the area, it’s time to get to work.
First, measure how much wax it takes to fill your candle container. Then, double it—that’s how much wax you’ll need to melt to make candles. Pour this wax into a pot and place it over an electric stove or a hot plate.
Give your wax 10-15 minutes to melt while stirring it frequently. Once it’s melted, you can add some color and fragrance to it if you want. Follow the instructions on the wax package to know how much you can add.
While the wax is melting, dip the wick in it and stick it to the bottom of your container. You can also use glue to attach it. We recommend a container that was previously used up—it’s both eco- and budget-friendly!
Once the wax is ready, give it about five minutes to cool. Then, start slowly pouring it into the container. Hold the wick in place while you’re doing it, but don’t pull on it.
All that’s left now is to let the wax harden. To do that, leave it at room temperature for four hours. Use your skewers or chopsticks to hold the wick in place while the wax is cooling, then trim it down to size later.
Where to Go Next
Once you get started with candle-making, you may want to keep going! If so, use the appropriate wax and wicks for advanced projects.
Remember: to customize your candle, you just need to choose a fragrance or essential oil to scent it. If you’re having a candle consultation (at Candles Plus, for instance), making the perfect candle will be very worth it!
Start Making Candles Today!
As you can see, it’s very easy to learn how to make candles. Though they come in many types, they all have three key components: wax, wick, and a container. Once you make one candle, you’ll be able to make many more.
Interested in even more candle-making tips? Keep checking out our DIY content!
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