How to Make Wax Candles

Before electricity was invented, candles were used to illuminate houses. But these days, a candle has many uses, other than lighting. A candle is no more just a solidified form of wax; candle making is a craft that can be used as decorations in any room or make a great, romantic candlelight dinner. Wax candles can be decorated using lot of accessories. Scented candles that spread great fragrance are in trend these days. Candle making is an art that is easy to develop. Wax candles are simple to make and give you an opportunity to use the unique ideas of the craft. Before learning about how to make a wax candle, deciding the type of wax you want to use is equally important.

Types of Candle Wax

There are a number of waxes that are used to make candles. They are paraffin wax, soy wax and beeswax. Paraffin wax is an inexpensive wax and is more commonly used for making wax candles. It is made from petroleum products and is easily available at all the general stores. Soy wax, as the name suggests, is made from soybean oil. Soy wax candles are quite popular these days, as they are renewable and burn longer as compared to other types of candle wax. Beeswax is made from the wax that is stored in the honeycomb. Beeswax, being a completely natural form of wax, is the safest to use for making candles, but can turn out to be a bit expensive as compared to other types of wax.

Step by Step Instructions on How to Make Wax Candles

Once you've decided on the type of wax you are going to use, you can collect the other ingredients and then follow the instructions as given below. The list of materials required to make wax candles is as follows:

• Wax (paraffin, soy, beeswax)
• Molding container
• Pouring container
• Melting container
• Candle wick
• Thermometer
• Heat source
• Color
• Scent (if required)

Step #1: Arrange all the materials required for making the wax candle. Candle wicks, wax and molds are available at all craft stores. Use an easy-to-clean heat source, as the wax may spill. The thermometer is necessary to keep an eye on the temperature of the melting wax.

Step #2: After arranging the materials required, you can start making the wax candle. Take a large container and fill it with water, leave it to boil on the heat source. Do not melt the wax directly. Take a small container with wax and keep it in boiling water. Insert thermometer in melting wax. The temperature should not exceed 80 degrees Celsius.

Step #3: Once the wax has melted completely, add color and fragrance. Stir the mixture, until all the ingredients blend properly. Place the candle wick vertically at the center of the base of the mold, with the help of supporting toothpick or pencil.

Step #4: Then pour the melted wax carefully into the mold. Tap the mold slowly to remove air bubbles, if any. Make a few holes on the surface of the wax and add melted wax, until you get a flat surface. Let the wax cool down for at least a day, after which your homemade wax candle is ready.

Now that you know how to make wax candles, try to make one. Scented wax candles are a piece of art that you can gift to your near and dear ones on special occasions.