I love candles. I’ve been really enjoying them lately. What they’re made of is really important to me. I don’t want to burn paraffin in my home. It’s just not safe to breathe in. I also love making Christmas gifts and crafting in general. I thought I might like to make my own candles with Christmas-esque fragrances to enjoy and give to loved ones this year.
Equipment
I bought:
A kilo of these soy wax flakes from eBay
These natural cotton candle wicks from here
I already had the essential oils, the ones I used are really common and pretty inexpensive
The containers I used are a selection of recycled glasses, an empty spice jar and a chopped off wine bottle. I love the chopped off wine bottle glass but it was pretty tricky to cut. You’ll also need a jug to melt the wax in and I used a double burner (a pan of water to put the jug in).
Method
I poured the wax flakes into a jug and sat the jug in a pan of boiling water with the gas on low (I put a cloth on the bottom of the pan before submersing the jug).
The flakes turn into a clear liquid once they’re melted. I waited until they’d cooled a little (testing it by dipping my finger in it) before adding the essential oils. If you add the essential oils whilst the liquid is too hot they just get burnt off.
I stuck the wicks to the bottom of the containers by dipping them in the wax and standing them in the containers whilst the wax cooled. The oils I added were a mixture of sweet orange, cinnamon and clove essential oils into the wax before pouring it into the containers.
As you can see, it was a bit of a balancing act to get the wicks in the perfect place for the wax to set. Next time I make them, I’ll spend more time on making sure they’re central. I’m really happy with how they turned out, they smell amazing and because they’re soy wax, they’re really long lasting.
Thanks for reading.
They look awesome
So interesting!