Making Handmade Candles

Making candles is a fairly simple process that I came across while I was making a painting with hot bee's wax (which is an age old form of painting known as encaustic painting). I found that by making my own candles I could make them with the colors, shapes, sizes, and fragrances that I want. Making candles from scratch also proved to be fairly inexpensive which is great because I've been running in a fairly tight budget for several years now.

To make your own candles you're going to need a few items (most of which you could find or make at home):

1. A heat source...

Generally speaking, it's a good idea to have a heat source that runs on electricity because wax contains oils that are highly flammable. It's a good safety precaution to keep in mind. Personally, I've never had a problem working with propane but I made sure I kept my eyes on the wax at all times just in case something might go wrong.

2. A double boiler...

You can find professional double-boilers on sale on ebay or at a store that sells professional cookware. I'm broke so I used a rusty old pot for the portion that contained the water and a small tin can for the wax. I was planning on making a tomato sauce for the pasta I was going to make later that day so it was a great way of using everything I had at my disposal.

3. Wax...

There are several types of wax that you can choose from including paraffin, soy, bee's wax, gel, and palm wax.

4. A wick...

The wick is the string that fuels the flame of the a candle. There are also several types of wick's that you can choose from. They should be available in specialty or crafts stores. However, if that's not the case than you can look online or make them on your own.

5. A mold or container for the wax...

You can definitely find molds in any crafts store. You can also use cookie cutters, jars, pipes...anything that works. it all depends on you and how you want your candles to look.

6. Fragrances and colors for your candles (optional)

You can purchase fragrance oils, essential oils, and candle dyes at a crafts store or online. Personally, I like drying plants (like lavender) and directly mixing them into the hot wax. That way I can get the natural color and smell of the plant that I'm using.

Although you can make your own candles with any form that you'd like here are several types of basic candles that are great for starters. These include but aren't limited to:

1. Container Candles

These are essentially candles that are...well...set in a container. Container's can be any size or shape so there's a lot to choose from.

2. Pillar Candles

These are free-standing candles that don't need any sort of container. Generally speaking, they're the free-standing cylindrical candles that are stacked on store shelves.

3. Votive Candles

Votive candles are a mix between pillar and container candles in the sense that they start out as pillar candles that sit in a container but melt into the shape of their container as the heat from the flame on the wick softens and melts the wax.

4. Dipped Candles

Just like container candles...it's all in the name of the candle. They're called dipped candles because they're built by periodically dipping the candle in and out of hot wax to build up layers of wax around the wick.

Making candles at home can be dangerous if you aren't sure about what you're doing. Wax is a very hot and highly flammable substance when it's melted so it's a good idea to keep a few things in mind when making candles.

1. Always wear gloves...

Candle making is a very hot practice so it's always a good idea to keep yourself covered (or at least your hands) just in case there's a spill or the wax pops upward from being poured too fast.

2. Keep a fire extinguisher, large pan lid, or bag of sand nearby.

Wax contains oil that's highly flammable. Adding water to burning wax won't put out the flame (it might splatter and spread the flames instead).

3. Always use a double boiler

Wax doesn't boil when it's hot and it can reach extremely high heat levels. Using a double boiler can help you circumvent that problem because water only reaches a certain heat level (100 degrees Celsius) before it begins evaporating. By using the double boiler you can control the heat levels of the wax.

4. Wear loose clothing

It's a good idea to wear loose clothing just in case there's a spill. Wearing loose clothing creates a gap between your skin and the wax so some major burns can be avoided.

5. NEVER leave hot wax unattended...

Have everything prepared beforehand so that you won't have any reason to leave to hot wax alone. This includes having everything set up before hand and having everything measured out.

6. Keep children and pets away from your workspace

Again, candle making is a very hot process...it's probably not the best idea to have a kid or a pet nearby.