Who doesn’t love candles? They can complete the look of a room as home decor - such as centrepieces or on your bedside table, light up your personal space with its gorgeous scent, and make great gifts.
They also have many benefits for your health and wellbeing - promote relaxation, help to reduce anxiety, and make good concentration or meditation environments.
Candles that you make yourself can add a more personal touch, and can be a fun and easy activity. Your personality can shine through the candle from the scent and candle holder used to make it, and can also make it extra special when gifting it to family and friends.
That’s why in this blog post, you can learn how to make a soy candle.
But why a soy candle? Soy wax is all natural and non-toxic - which is especially good if you have pets (such as cats and dogs) and young children in your home.
What You Need:
- Soy Wax Flakes
- Wooden Wicks with Stabilisers (they are natural and aesthetically pleasing)
- Glass, Ceramic or Metal Containers that will be your candle holder. (We suggest our GiveMeCocos Coconut Shell for Candle Making - they are already treated for fire resistance, will create an evocative tropical experience, and pair perfectly with the wooden wick to complete the aesthetic. We will be using the Coconut Shell in this tutorial. NOTE: The Coconut Shell is 200g wax size. Get yours here!)
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Essential Oils or Fragrance Oils (if you are scenting your candles)
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Scissors
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Large Pot
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Pouring Pot
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Wooden Spoon
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Candy Thermometer
- Steps:
- Fill the large pot halfway with water. Then set the stove to medium heat, ensuring the water is simmering.
- Pour the soy wax flakes into the pouring pot, then place the pouring pot into the large pot.
- Once the wax starts to melt, stir it with a wooden spoon from time to time - until all the flakes are melted and the melted wax is transparent.
- Remove from heat and let the wax cool for 5-10 minutes. Use the candy thermometer to check the temperature - it should be around 57 degrees Celsius.
- If you’re making your candle scented, pour in the essential oils or fragrance you want to use and mix it well with the wooden spoon.
TIP: use 20 drops of essential oil or 15 drops of fragrance oil as a starting point for one small scented candle.
6. Add a wooden wick with the stabilisers to each candle holder container, while waiting for the wax to cool.
TIP: To help keep the wooden wick in the center of the container and to stand on its own, dip a tiny bit of melted wax onto the stabiliser before placing it in the center of the container.
7. Pour the melted wax into the container until it’s a few centimetres from the top, avoiding the wooden wick if possible.
8. Leave the wax to harden completely for around 24 hours, before using it. It’s best to let them harden overnight. The wax will get less and less transparent as it starts to set, until it’s fully opaque.
9. Once it’s fully hardened, trim the wooden wick down to ¼ inch - you can cut it at an angle or straight across.
And there you have it - you’ve just learnt how to make your own soy candle!
We hope this tutorial was helpful, and you now have a soy candle for yourself or to giveaway as a gift to a loved-one.
Candle Warning and Candle Tips:
