Easy DIY Candles
There are a lot of different ways to make candles, but mainly you need the following:
Wax - Recommend that you stick with a local apiary bees wax or another natural wax sourced from a trusted website (Amazon may sell “soy” wax that is not actually 100% soy wax if it is not a trusted seller).
Wicks - These can been found at local craft stores or online.
Essential Oil - Another item that is better to go with trusted brands since quality of essential oils can vary greatly. It is worth the extra money to buy a better quality essential oil, and these will be more concentrated.
Wax Adhesive - You will only have to buy this once since it lasts forever. This is essential for sticking the wick to the bottom of the container.
Double Boiler - Metal containers work best, but if you don’t have one a pyrex measuring cup works well for melting the wax within a larger pot.
Container - You can get creative with pottery, thrifted glass bowls, or empty food jars.
Step 1: Buy Materials
This step is optional, especially if you are only using one type of wax. In that case you can go by the amount in the double boiler. Another nice thing about using a pyrex cup is that you will know how many cups are of melted wax are in the double boiler, so you can properly add in the right proportion of essential oils later. This does not have to be an exact math so feel free to experiment! If you are not sure how much melted wax you need, fill all the containers you want for candles with water then measure the total water volume. This will let you know how much melted wax you need to fill the containers to the level you want.
Step 2: Weigh Wax
Add water to the larger pot and heat until it is boiling. Add the wax incrementally into the smaller pyrex cup. Since wax takes up more space in solid pellet or flake form, you will have to keep adding until your desired melted wax volume is reached. This is why you should keep an eye on the wax and periodically add more, stir, and break up clumps for faster melting.
Step 3: Melt Wax
While you are waiting for the wax to melt, you can prep your containers by sticking the wicks on to the bottom. You just need a small amount of adhesive on the metal wick bottom, then firmly press to the bottom of the dry container. The wick should be standing straight up. For cotton wicks you want to use a pencil or pen to wrap around and place at the top of the container so that the wick stands straight up.
Step 4: Stick Wicks
Once the wax is completely melted, you want to wait for the wax to cool a bit before adding the essential oil. You can look up the flash point of the specific essential oil you are using to ensure the temperature get below that temperature. Usually waiting until its about 145 degrees is good for adding the oil, but would be good to check for your specific essential oil. If you don’t have a thermometer you can just wait for a little bit before adding the essential oil.
Step 5: Let Cool
After waiting for the wax to cool, add about 0.5 to 1 ounce of essential oil for every 8 oz (or one cup) of wax. This does not have to be exact and some essential oils can have stronger smells than others, but use this approximate proportion. Use a metal butter knife to mix the essential oil into the melted wax. Once the essential oil is added you can pour the mixture into your prepped candle containers.
