You can’t beat lighting a beautifully scented candle to wind down as part of your self-care routine. But if you’re someone who buys candles quite frequently, you’ll know they don’t always come cheap. That's why, at Yours, we've put together a guide on how to make your own candles.
Making your own candles is fun, can help cut your regular candle costs and is a great way to create something completely personal to you. Believe it or not, making your own candles isn’t actually as hard as you may think. Here’s a great step-by-step guide from Supplies for Candles on how to do it...
Let's get crafting!
How to make your own candles at home
To make a 20cl candle you will need:
• Candle Wax
• Wicks
• Candle Glasses
• Container
• Pouring Jug
• Utensil to stir the wax (wooden spatula or lollypop stick)
• Thermometer
Optional:
• Fragrance Oils
• Candle Dyes
• Wick centring tool
Method
Prepare your candle making space. Dealing with wax can be quite messy, so make sure you have a clean flat surface to work on (we suggest putting some newspaper down too) and move anything you don’t want to get wax on.
Weigh/measure how much wax you need. For this example, we are using 160g to fill a 20cl glass. If you’re not sure how much wax you need, simply fill your container with water and pour it into a measuring jug, then measure the amount of water the container holds in ml. Make sure to minus 20% off this amount, which will leave you with roughly the amount of wax your container holds in grams.
Empty your measured wax into your heating pot. Heat it to 70°C and stir gently. It will roughly take 10 to 15 minutes for the wax to melt and make sure it doesn’t exceed 80°C.
While the wax is melting, prep your glasses. Wash them in hot water, dry and then place your wick in the centre of the wax. If you want to attach your wick with some wax, simply dip the end into your pot of wax and then pop it into your jar, holding it in place until the wax dries and it stands on its own.
Once your wax has reached 70°C, take it off the heat and let it cool until it reaches 65°C. Pour your wax from the pot into your jug and then pour it into your candle glasses. Make sure you pour your wax gently to avoid air bubbles, leaving a 1cm gap at the top.
Take your wick centring tool and rest this on top of your candle jar with the wick pointing through the hole to keep it in place. If you don’t have one, grab two pencils and lay them across the glass jar with one on either side of your wick to hold it in place.
Leave your candle to harden overnight at room temperature.
Trim the wick and your candle is ready to light!
How to make your own scented candles
If you want to make your candles scented or to even have some colour, here's what you need to do:
After Step Four, and when your wax has reached 70°C, open your bag of candle dye into the wax and stir gently until all the colour has dissolved and spread evenly. If you’re liquid candle dye, just use a few drops at a time until you get your desired colour.
If you then want to then add fragrance to your candle, continue with step 5 and take your wax off the heat and let it cool to 65°C. Once it has cooled to this temperature, pour in your fragrance and gently mix. Then continue to pour your wax into your jug.
Make your own candle kit
Soy Candle Making Kit for Adults
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This candle making kit has everything you need to make your own scented candles. This kit includes premium candle making equipment: natural soy candle wax (480g), 4 x candle scents, 4 x wax dye, 4 x candle pots (4.2oz), 4 x 100% organic cotton candle wicks & wick stickers, 1 x metal stirring spoon, 4 x centring devices, 1 x thermometer, 1 x heat-proof wax melting pot (700ml), 1 x reusable cotton bag, 1 x user manual, 4 x warning labels.
Hazel and Blue Candles Calm & Cosy Soy Candle Making Kit
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This soy candle kit is 100 per cent eco-friendly, and vegan, with 100 per cent recyclable packaging and natural ingredients. It comes with all the bits required to make two candles and includes cedarwood and geranium candle oils, for a cosy fragrance.
Aromatherapy Candle Making Kit
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Coming in different sizes and scents, this aromatherapy candle making kit from Etsy is another favourite. These are handmade aromatherapy candle making kits are designed by an aromatherapist, with 24 years of experience in the beauty industry. Choose from: Lavender & Lime, Rosemary & Peppermint, Rose Geranium & Lime, Orange & Neroli, Neroli & Lemon or Orange & Clove bud.