I always knew that shop-bought candles had quite a huge mark up on price, especially some of the more popular brands. I always assumed candle-making was hard so kept on buying them. But what if it’s easy and cheap to make them at home?
To begin making your homemade candles you will need:
- A clean, tidy and safe workspace
- Candle making wax (soy or beeswax)
- Wick plus sustainers
- Candle container or mold (heatproof)
- Fragrance and color (optional)
- A melting pot for the wax
- Double boiler for the melting pot
- Thermometer for candle making
- Small sticks or pencils for the wick
So what things do we need to be aware of before we begin? Let’s have a look at the safety considerations before we go any further and after we can look at how to make the candles in more detail.
Safety First
When making candles you will be working with hot wax so you should always:
Wear appropriate PPE – Personal protective equipment
This should include eye protection, protection for your hands and arms, and also sturdy clothing and shoes. I hear many stories of people dropping wax on the feet while wearing sandals or flip flops and they ended up with burns they could have easily avoided.
Work in a ventilated room
While many of us don’t have the luxury of a workshop or spare room for just crafting there are steps we can take to avoid injury. One of these is to work in a well aired or ventilated room. Opening a window or 2 while you are making candles is essential if you are not doing this in a workshop or outdoor space.
Try to open as many windows as possible to allow adequate circulation and to disperse any fumes safely.
Neat and Tidy
Keeping your work area free from clutter is a must. The last thing you want to risk while you are holding a pan of hot wax is to try and catch something you have inadvertently knocked over by accident.
Cover all the surfaces you are working on as well if needed. Wax can and may get onto your work surfaces so protect them with a cloth or plastic cover if you have them.
Kit list / Equipment for making the candles
Now it’s time to get busy but before that let’s have a quick look at the kit list to make sure we not only have everything we need but that we know what it’s for.
Wax – Preferably Soy or Beeswax
I have added Soy or Beeswax as a caveat as using paraffin these days is not recommended as they give off too many harmful chemicals when burnt.
Soya or Beeswax is much friendlier waxes for you to use when making and burning candles. I recommend starting with Soya as it’s the best value and a little easier to work with.
Wicks and sustainers
Getting the right wick is important as is using the sustainers. The wick you need will depend on the size of your container. Measure the diameter of your container and then consult the datasheet of your supplier. Usually, they will make a recommendation for the size of the container for each wick.
Sustainers are the small metal items you see at the bottom of the wick after the candle has burnt down. These are very handy as they allow you to center a wick and keep it in place while you are filling up your container with wax
Containers
Container candles are the easiest to begin making and are still one of the most popular types of candles that people use and buy today.
Typical containers can be old tins, glass jars or even bottles that have been cut.
If you are starting small then small containers can be found online such as those used for tealights although if you do have jars or bottles lying around then it can help to keep your costs down.
Fragrances and colors
Like most things today you have an immense choice of fragrances and colors. These can vary greatly also in cost too.
You can use high-quality oils for fragrances that can cost over ten times the price of the cheaper options but it’s purely up to you, which is one of the main bonuses of making your own candles.
Aromatherapy candles are becoming increasingly popular in everyday use so why not add some essential oils to your candles to instantly turn them into fast selling hot tickets.
Check out this guide to the best essential oils for candles and candle making
Melting pot for the wax
It’s important you have a separate pot for melting your wax. It’s tempting to want to use a pot you already have lying around but the risk of you getting sick from cooking with the same pot is just not worth it.
You can buy 2 or 4-pound pots to melt the wax and they come with handles and spouts to make your job easier too. Much better than a generic saucepan.
Thermometer
Using a good thermometer will reduce the number of failures you may hit along the way. Wax can be tricky so if you are melting your wax to the right temperatures as advised by the wax manufacturer you bought from then you should be home free.
Instructions / Method
Set up your work area with all the equipment is easy to reach places. Make sure the area is clean and tidy and is covered where necessary to combat any wax spills. Make sure you are also sensibly dressed and are wearing all necessary PPE as previously discussed.
Make sure all your containers and equipment have been cleaned and dried before beginning the candle-making process.
Place your pot onto a heat source such as an electric hob or hot plate and add the wax. Many companies supply wax in flake or bead form. This is preferable as it has a larger surface area and will melt faster.
Using the wax manufacturers’ recommended instructions, heat up the wax to the desired levels. If you are adding fragrances or colors to the wax be very careful to consult the instructions for these too.
Some oils have lower heat points than the wax so you may need to remove the wax from the heat and allow it to cool slightly before adding the oils. This can stop them from burning and spoiling your candles.
Before pouring the wax make sure you have placed your wicks and sustainers into your containers and they are ready to receive the wax.
Once you have your containers ready, carefully pour the wax into them. You can keep the wick from falling into the candle you have just poured by wrapping the excess wick around a popsicle stick, skewer, or by using a candle centering device you may have already been supplied with if you have bought a kit.
Cooling and storage
Once poured allow the candle to cool before using it. Depending on which type of wax you use will dictate how long you should wait before enjoying your creation. I would usually wait for 72hrs to be satisfied my candles have cured and dried well before use.
I would also store them in a cool but not cold part of the house to avoid excessive temperature and moisture from changing/altering the candle.
With a bit of practice, you will have some fine candles before you know it and will be cranking them out like nobody’s business for family and friends.
Check out this article to avoid some of the pitfalls that could happen along the way on your candle-making journey – How to stop your home made candles sucking. Or if you are looking to get serious about setting up a candle making business then check out this great article giving you the full lowdown.
Looking to make money from crafts?
Click here to learn how with our step-by-step guide showing you everything you need to know.