We could probably write a book filled with all of the many reasons we love candles, and yes, our ideal day consists of taking our time going up and down the candle aisle, smelling each and every one of them. But did you know that making your own candles is super easy and way fun? Plus, it’s a great indoor hobby to keep you busy this fall and winter; not only that but handmade candles make a great fit and we’ve never heard anyone complain that they have too many candles in their home. Without further ado, here is our guide to candle pouring!
What you’ll need:
- Something to pour your finished product in. Even as a beginner candle maker, this is where you get to be creative! Scour your local antique shops and thrift stores for vintage glass, mason jars, vintage tins, antique teacups, whatever happens to catch your eye.
- A pot. We highly suggest nabbing a cheap-o one from a flea market and making it your official candle-making pot.
- Electric stove.
- Natural soy wax.
- Natural wick.
- Straws or skewers.
- Scissors.
- Essential oils, if you want smelly good candles. If not, no essential oils necessary.
(image via: Etsy)
What you’ll do:
First things first, you’ll want to melt your wax. You may be wondering how much wax you’ll need, but that is totally dependent on what you plan on pouring your candle into. More than likely, the wax you buy will include a helpful little guide! You’ll want to keep your wax on low heat, stirring frequently. Once most of your wax has melted, about ¾ of it, you can drop in your essential oils. How many drops depends on how strongly scented you want your candles to be, we like ours to be pretty heavily scented, so it’s nothing for us to drop about 30+ drops of essential oils in ours. Don’t shy away from mixing scents you think will blend well together – that’s part of the fun! Another thing you can do while your wax is melting is to dip the very bottom of your wick in the melted wax and place it in your jar or tin, this will secure your wick and keep it centered once you start pouring.
Once your wax has completely melted, you can go ahead and pour your melted wax into your candleholder of choice. As you pour you may want to hold your wick in place just in case it starts to slip away from you. Once the candle is completely poured, you’ll want to reach for your skewers or straws and place them on either side of the wick to keep it from going anywhere. We know we’re harping on this wick staying in place, but you don’t want your candle to burn unevenly!
(image via: Etsy)
You’ll notice your wax will start to turn white which means your candle is cooling. Once your candle has cooled, you can trim your wick and your candle is complete!
Once your candle is all done, you can be as creative as you want with the packaging and how you present your candle, and once you’re comfortable with the whole process of candle making, we know you’ll be making some pretty unique works of art!
(image via: Etsy)