This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Gettysburg chapter.
There’s something about making and using your own candles that makes you feel like a Pinterest superstar, and once you make one, you’ll never want to buy candles ever again. These soy wax candles were so incredibly easy to make and customize, can be such cute gifts, and are so much more sustainable than any paraffin wax candle too! The soy wax burns cleaner, and holds onto fragrances really well without any other scent boosters. You can burn these knowing exactly what goes into them and be proud of your new creations!
Materials:
- Empty jars/containers (mason jars work great!!)
- Soy wax flakes
- Candle wicks (they come in a few feet or a full spool)
- Wick clips
- Thermostat
- Popsicle sticks, chopsticks, anything flat that will hold the wick over your container
- Fragrance of your choice (I used essential oils)
- Recommended: Glue dots or hot glue gun
Instructions:
- Measure and melt your wax. Wax measurements are pretty simple. Fill your container twice and leave maybe an inch at the top to get a rough estimate, as wax settles and melts into half of its original volume. Before melting, I recommend reading the packaging that your soy wax came in, since there may be some temperature differences. You’ll need to put them on a double boiler, or a bain-marie. Insert your thermostat and let your wax melt to the desired temperature.
Ellen Gibbs / Spoon - Prepare your jars/containers. While your wax is heating up, make sure your containers are clean and dry, and there is NO water in them. Water will disrupt the way your wax cools and may cause either bubbling or uneven lumps. Take a wick clip and insert the end of the wick into the clip, securing the bottom with a little glue. Do not cut the wick just yet. Then insert the wick slip flat against the bottom of your container. Take your popsicle sticks and have them hold the wick in the center of your container.
- Add your scents! Once your wax is fully melted, add your fragrance. Craft stores do sell these in many different scents, but I chose to go with essential oils, which also worked great in my experience! Be generous with your fragrance measurements. I added about fifty drops of lavender essential oil to my smaller sized candle and it was maybe JUST enough. Experiment, this is the fun part! I also tried mixing some scents, my favorite being ylang ylang and bergamot (30 drops each). Be sure to mix slowly and thoroughly to prevent the accumulation of bubbles.
Photo by Stefan Rodriguez from Unsplash - Once your wax cools just a bit, slowly pour it into the center of your container. Leave about an inch between the top of your container and where the wax sits.
- Let cool. Leave it on a flat, sturdy surface and wait 24 hours before burning. Disturbing it during this resting period or burning it too soon may cause caving and uneven wax distribution.
Enjoy! Hopefully this was as easy and fun for you as it was for me!
Tips:
- Craft stores sell containers with wicks already installed for you, this may be more convenient, since I know I struggled to secure the wick at the bottom of the container.
- If you’re going for essential oils, they can run pretty pricey at some places. I recommend buying two or three basic scents that are versatile and can be easily mixed if this is your first go. You’ll find it more worth your money and basically fool-proof.
- Clean that wax up as soon as you’re done with the container! Granted, soy wax is one of the easier waxes to clean up, but it can stain and or stick to your surfaces or clothing.