Gel Candle Making Ideas

Candles, originally made and used as a source of light and heat, has now transformed to one of the best selling products across the globe. Candle making is gaining momentum, both as an industry and as a hobby. It is a domain, where you can splurge your creativity and come up with unique candles, either for decorating your home or as a gift. You may also sell these homemade candles, which are very much in demand for special occasions like wedding and baby shower.

Gel Candle Making

Unlike the conventional candles, which consist of a solid block of wax and a wick, the contemporary ones are made of paraffin, beeswax, soy and tallow. Gel candles, the most popular among them are made of gel, which is a combination of polymer resin and mineral oil. Being transparent, these candles exude a mystic beauty, when lit. The transparency of the gel allows you to use the embeds of your choice and come up with unique gel candle making ideas.

The process of making gel candles is different from that of making wax candles. In order to make gel candles, you need, gel, zinc wicks, fragrance or essential oil, liquid color dye and embeds. The embeds can be anything, which gels with the theme like shells and false fish, (if your theme is an aquarium) but, should not be flammable. You may either buy these materials from a local store or online. You can also go for gel candle making kits, which can provide you with everything required for this purpose. These kits are more useful for beginners.

How to Make Gel Candles

• Find a candle holder for the candle. Glass containers are the preferred ones for gel candles, as glass can make a good display of the transparent gel as well as the embeds. The container must have a minimum diameter of 2 inches. Stick the zinc wick to the center of the container's bottom, using hot glue and keep it aside.
• Use a multi-cooker to melt the gel, which is previously cut into small pieces. Stir the gel with a metal spoon (no wooden spoons should be used). This should be done very carefully and you must wear a heat-resistant apron and gloves along with safety glasses for fire safety. Keep a fire extinguisher (chemical type) handy, as the gel is more combustible than wax.
• Once the temperature has reached 200° F and the gel becomes smooth and syrupy, add a small amount of liquid dye (excess of dye can affect the transparency of the candle). Make sure that the dye is meant for making gel candles only.
• You may add essential oil to the gel, in order to make richly scented candles. Gel candle making with fragrance oils depends on the selection of the essential oil. For example, you can add fruit fragrance for making fruit gel candles. Such candles can be accentuated with embeds like orange slices or grapes.
• The fragrance must have a flash point of at least 170° F and should be non-polar, to avoid clouding the gel. It is better to buy fragrances, which are meant for gel candles only. It is suggested that 1/2 ounce of fragrance for one pound of gel will be sufficient. You can also increase the fragrance as per the density of the gel. (Gel comes in three densities - low, medium and high. As the density increases, the gel can hold more fragrance and embeds, but, it takes more time to melt.)
• Now, your gel is ready and you can pour it to the container. If you want embeds at the bottom of the container, place them. Pour the gel into the container and place the embeds (preferably near the glass). Position the wick in the center and let the candle cool for at least four hours.

As far as gel candle making is concerned, your imagination is the limit. It is your creativity that can help you come up with unique gal candle making ideas. Look out for different themes like aquarium, seascape, vineyard and beer glass. You can also try various types of embeds like hearts, beads, glitter, shells, coins, stars, fruit shapes, marbles, stones and floral shapes. Use the fragrance accordingly. You may also make mix and match with differently colored gels. Containers are also important in enhancing the beauty of your gel candles. Try to find out containers, which are differently shaped for different themes like a beer glass would be perfect for making candles that resemble a glass with beer and the froth.

So, try to make a gel candle and I can assure you that it would be fun. You can proudly display your creation and enjoy the appreciation from others. However, buy those materials, which are specifically meant for gel candle making, don't forget about your safety, while preparing the gel and if you fail in the first attempt, don't lose heart. It may require some practice to master the art of candle making, but never fail to explore your creativity for some unique candle making ideas.