This new year comes with a commitment to live more soulfully and to reflect that here at Fine Craft Guild. So, out with the paraffin candles and in with the soy candles. I got myself into soy wax candle making! Are you coming along??! Shall we make some candles now? Here’s the how-to.
Soy Wax Candle Making Supplies Needed
- soy wax flakes
(European readers / I get it here: Soy wax flakes
- wick
- 100% pure therapeutic-grade essential oils (Eucalyptus, Lavender, Lemongrass, Orange, Peppermint, Tea Tree)
- Clean
recycled glass or terracotta containers, such as marmalade jars, lemonade glasses, pretty little terracotta vases or vintage porcelain cups ‘n saucers
- Double-boiler
- Pitcher, with spout
- Sticks to hold wick in place
- Blow-dryer
Step-by-step Candle Making Instructions
a. Preparation: Cover a table with a oil cloth table cloth as your work table.
b. Pre-warm your molds in a warm (not hot) oven for 10 minutes before you need them. Leave them in the oven until right before you pour your soy wax into them. So, at this point, you turn your oven on to pre-heat it. Or, you can pre-heat your molds by heating it up with a blow dryer just before use – see later.
c. Tie the wick to the stick, and lay the stick flat on top of your glass containers. measure the length of wick where your wick reaches the bottom of your container and cut it to size. Lay sticks with attached wicks next side by side each container at your candle cooling place.
d. Melt your soy wax flakes with a few drops of essential oil in the double boiler.
e. When your wax is completely melted, set it aside to cool down for a few seconds.
Tip: if you haven’t put your molds into the over to preheat, you can now pre-heat your glass containers with a blow-dryer for a minute so they become slightly higher than room temperature. By preheating the molds, the wax will cool more evenly. Wax poured into a cold mold will give ‘drag lines’ along the sides of your votives.
e. Place stick on top of each jar, with wick in the center. Pour the soy wax into your containers. Make sure the wick goes all the way down to the bottom of your container, and is in the center.
f. Let your wax candles cool for a few hours until solid.
g. Rather than cutting the wick, tie a colored bead in it for decoration.
h. Label each jar with its scent, content and maker, and perhaps a message of love.
Tips
Tip 1. Add tiny color code tag to jar before pouring to easily identify scent later
Tip 2. There are no natural candle dyes on the market. As candle dyes are synthetic, it’s best to go without it. If you insist on a dye, then tint it in the color of the flower essence you are using as that will at least ‘feel’ most natural. And always use special candle dye rather than ‘crayons, food coloring, etc, etc.’
Tip 3. The double boiler method is the safest (but slowest) way to melt wax, but NEVER leave your melting wax unattended on the stove.
Tip 4. Soy wax will hold the fragrance of the essential oils better than paraffin wax, so you’ll need less oil.
Just a word of caution, if you use terracotta, make sure it’s sealed (glazed). Terracotta is very porous and the wax could leak through when the candle is lit. If it’s not sealed, you can seal the inside of the pot with some food grade paraffin…the kind used for canning. It’s a very hard wax with a higher melt point than soy, so will mostly stay on the sides of the pot while the soy melts.
Thanks, Brigette, that’s really helpful detailing of the process. I’ll add it to the article itself, when I have time, so that all readers will find it.
I am not into things of this nature anymore. I am sure those that are appreciates your help.
Thanks for sharing this at Shine on Fridays; hope you’ll be back tomorrow!