How to Make Gel Candles

Gel candles exude a beauty of a different kind, when lit. These transparent candles glow and burn for longer periods, as compared to the wax ones. These candles are perfect for decorating your home or as gifts. If you are conversant with making such candles, you can also start selling them, as homemade ones are very much in demand. You can enhance the beauty of these candles by adding some unique fragrances and embeds like glitter, shells and glass beads. It is very easy to make gel candles, provided you have all the materials required.

Materials Required

Making gel candles is not exactly like making wax candles and so, the materials required are also different. You need gel, zinc wicks, fragrance or essential oil, liquid color dye and embeds, the last one being optional. You may not get all these materials from a local store. If you could not get these materials, go online and purchase them, or else buy a gel candle making kit. Such kits are very much suited for beginners, as these kits contain everything needed for making gel candles. If you are purchasing the materials from suppliers who do not specialize in the field of gel candle making, then you have to make sure that the colors and fragrances are suitable for gel candle making.

You should have some sort of container to pour the gel into. Glass is the best option, as it can display the transparency of the gel as well as the embeds. The containers should have a minimum diameter of 2 inches. If you don't have a glass container, any non-inflammable container will serve the purpose. The same is applicable for embeds too. The materials should not be flammable. Unlike wax candles, zinc wicks are used in gel candles, as cotton wicks absorb too much gel. These candles are made of gel, which consists of 95% mineral oil and 5% polymer resin. The resin, which is in the form of a powder, transforms to a more solid state like jelly, when mixed with mineral oil. This gel comes in three different forms, according to the density. Namely low, medium and high density. As the density of the gel increases, it can hold more fragrance and embeds, but it takes more time for a thicker gel to melt and pouring thick gels is difficult, as compared to the lighter versions. However, unlike paraffin wax, gel takes very long time to melt.

Tips to Make Gel Candles

You can make your own gel candles with the required material and a little patience. But the whole process has to be done very carefully.

• You can start with adding some hot glue to the center of the container's bottom. Now, stick the wick to the glue and let it set for a while.
• In case you are making a scented wax candle, a double cooker is used to melt the wax, but it will take a very long time to melt the gel. Hence, it is better to use a multi-cooker for this purpose. Even though a multi-cooker is attached with a temperature control and heating element, it is advisable to double-check the melting point and pouring temperature with a separate thermometer.
• Cut the gel into small pieces and let it melt in the cooker. Stir the gel with a metal or hard plastic spoon. Wooden spoons should be avoided as they can create bubbles in the mixture. Also make sure that you have a fire extinguisher handy, as the gel is more combustible than wax. The fire extinguisher should be the chemical kind and not the water kind, as water can augment the fire in this case. You must also use a heat-resistant apron and gloves along with safety glasses for fire safety.
• Check the temperature regularly and once it reaches 200° F, wait till the gel becomes smooth and syrupy. Now you can add the liquid dye, specifically meant for gel candles. Water-based dyes, paste dyes and color blocks can't be used for this purpose, as these dyes won't mix properly with the gel and can make the gel cloudy. Only a small amount of dye (less than a drop) is used to maintain the transparent look of the gel and also to make the embeds visible.
• If you want to make scented gel candles, you can add essential oil to the gel. You can also add fruit fragrances for making fruit candles. The fragrance you use should have a flash point of at least 170° F and should be non-polar, to avoid clouding the gel. It is always better to make sure that the fragrance is suited for gel candles, at the time of purchase. The recommended measurement is half ounce for one pound of gel. You can decrease or increase the amount as per the fragrance.
• Now you can pour the gel into the container. You can heat the gel in the microwave for a minute before pouring it, to avoid air bubbles. If you want any embeds at the base of the container, place them before you add the gel. Now pour the gel slowly into the container, and add the embeds like fruit-shaped ones and shells. Once the pouring is done, you have to quickly position the wick to the center of the container. Even the position of the embeds can be changed. It is always better for the embeds to be placed near the glass. Trim the wick and let the candle cool for at least four hours.

Your scented gel candle is ready. If you are satisfied with the results, you can practice till you find yourself conversant with the art. You can even get some gel candle ideas from the Internet or from your friends. Now splurge your creativity and create your own unique gel candles.