Scented candles are a classic! Make your own scented homemade candles at home with these simple steps that use only natural ingredients. Aside from repurposing those unused mason jars, scented candles infused with essential oils are the ideal present for anyone looking to unwind. Essential oils, wicks, and wax are all that's needed- and maybe a glass of wine for a fun weekend activity!
How to make scented candles: what you need
- You can use any old jars, pots, cups, or mugs you have lying around, or you can purchase new ones specifically for making natural candles. To avoid shattering when exposed to high temperatures, use relatively tiny glass jars.
- Pay attention to the wick size in relation to the jar size. Wicks that are too thin won't be able to produce enough heat to uniformly melt the wax. This means that each candle may require two wicks that are thinner. An overly big wick, on the other hand, could cause the jar to catch fire.
- To secure the wick to the base of the jar, you can use tape, a glue gun, or wick stickers. On the other hand, you might use a glue gun to add a drop of glue or wax to the base of the container. To secure your wick, you can also use tape. You can also use tape to maintain the wick in the exact middle of the rod.
- It is best to opt for all-natural soy wax. Beeswax is another option because it burns more slowly than other types of wax. Airborne chemicals produced by paraffin can be harmful. Reusing wax from other non-toxic candles is another option. What you'll be doing is combining oil with the wax. Coconut oil is an affordable and environmentally friendly alternative to palm oil.
- Pure essential oils are what we suggest using for essential purposes. Only use essential oils that are completely pure and unadulterated by synthetic fragrances and perfumes.
- Make sure the wax is nearly completely gone before attempting to clean the crockpot or crockpot liner to avoid pouring wax down the drain. A crockpot liner, on the other hand, is what we suggest.
- We found that using a ladle to transfer the melted wax from the crockpot to the jars worked wonderfully.
- A rod—which can be anything from a stick or pencil to a straw—is needed to keep the wick centred in the melted wax.
Making chemical-free scented candles—a how-to!
- To begin, melt the soy
- For the soy wax, heat a saucepan over low to medium heat. It shouldn't take long for the soy wax flakes to melt, but if it does, increase the heat a bit. Be careful not to let it burn while you stir it using a wood stirring device; a thermometer is not necessary.
- Please be aware that there are instances when the wax will cling to your pot, so if you are worried about such an event happening, you might like to use a double boiler.
- Put 80–102 drops of your preferred essential oil straight into the pot once it has melted. Depending on the type and strength of the essential oils, the amount will vary.
- Affix the anchor wicks.
- Attach the anchor wicks (or store-bought anchors) to the base of the mason jars using a small amount of wax. Attach the wick vertically to a horizontal chopstick, pencil, or pen. Once each mason jar is full, pour wax into it. The amount of wax that remains after filling the mason jars will depend on their size. Allow to dry for at least an hour. Trim the wick to the length you like.
Things you should not do when creating scented candles:
- Be careful with these last steps while manufacturing aromatherapy candles because this is where things might go wrong:
- Measure the height of your jar and cut the wicks to be longer than that. Once they have hardened, you can chop them down.
- Use a chopstick to secure a small piece of wax to the base of your empty jar; this will serve as an "anchor" to secure your wicks.
- Twist the top of the jar horizontally using a chopstick (a pencil or pen would also work). Secure your wick with it in a vertical position, making sure it is perfectly straight. Burns will be uneven if it isn't straight.
- Pour the wax into the jar until it reaches the level of the lip and encircles the wick. Make sure you always use a newspaper when pouring candles into jars. If you don't, the wax will spill everywhere. Plus, we should definitely warn you that removing wax from a stovetop is a total drag.
- This lesson was not enjoyable to learn, but it is really important: DO NOT dump excess wax down the drain.
- An hour is all it takes for the candles to set if you place them somewhere cold. Before lighting, trim the wicks.
Photo: Shutterstock/Instagram