Make yourself a candle! Check out what you need

Nothing pleases the eye so much as a beautifully decorated apartment. Nothing gives more pleasure than hand-made and personalized gift. In this role perfectly performs a candle!

Making a candle by yourself is extremely easy. It depends on the method we will use whether it will be more or less expensive. In any case, we can create a unique holly, personalized, zero waste, or using heirlooms.

A professional approach

As with everything in life, the topic of making a candle yourself can also be approached professionally. What will you need?

• wax or paraffin – a kilogram of paraffin can be bought for about 12 PLN, half a kilogram of wax costs around 25 PLN;
• wick for candles – 3 meter string costs about 3 zł;
• candlemould – the choice is very wide here. Prices depend on size, shape, whether we buy multipacks, etc.;
• additives – dyes, essential oils, dried flowers or fruit, coffee beans.

In handmade candles the degree of difficulty depends mainly on the type of mold. If we have a good mold then work is already easier. A good mold is one from which we can easily pull out a hardened candle. The best molds are silicone or soft plastic. Folding molds require a little more skill.

• Melting wax – wax is best heated in a water bath. Pour water into a pot and place a clean bowl in it. Put the wax into it and heat it up slowly, stirring until it melts.
• Enrichment – after taking the mixture off the heat, we can add items of our choice to it. If you are adding small things like glitter or dried flower petals, you can add them right away in large quantities. When working with coffee, for example, it is worth adding it only to a part of the melted wax.
• Pouring into the mold – place the mold on a flat surface and place the wick in it. It should stick out above the line of wax so that it can be easily lit. It is a good idea to secure the tip of the wick with a clothespin or tie it around a pencil and rest it on the edge of the mold.
• Adding wax – as the temperature is lowered, the wax hardens, forming a sheepskin on the surface. It’s a good idea to control this process and, if necessary, press the wax to the bottom and add another portion.
• Cooling down – a candle needs at least 12 hours to cool down completely. We measure this time from the moment of adding the last portion of wax.
• Pulling out – always do it carefully, making sure that the candle has cooled down for sure. After pulling out you can trim the wick to the optimum length and wrap the candle in e.g. cellophane.

Creative approach

Let’s face it – the very fact that we make a candle ourselves is an expression of our creativity. However, we can go a step further and create a candle from what we happen to have on hand. First of all, if we have old candles at home, which for example we don’t like, or unburnt candles – all these leftovers can be reused. Just cut the candles into smaller pieces or grate and melt them.

Not only wax can be obtained from recycled sources. It is similar with the molds for candles. For this purpose we can successfully use:

• individual glasses/glasses/vases,

• egg shells,
• citrus peel,
• decorative jars,
• coconut or walnut shells,
• wooden bowls,
• seashells.

In this regard, the only thing that limits us is our own imagination. You can fill with wax virtually any thing that has a cavity in it.

Aromatic candle DIY

To make an aromatic candle you’ll need recycled wax, a wick, muffin tins (optionally, cups) and your favorite herbs. You can use dried lavender, cinnamon stick, thyme, rosemary, coffee beans… Place the cups in the molds. Put additives, remembering that in this form they will freeze: some prefer creative chaos, others precise composition. Put the wick. The whole carefully pour the wax and leave it to solidify completely.

Note – in this version papillots have a decorative function. The wax will melt into the structure of the paper and it will stay that way. If you want such an effect – use paper cups. If you want to get a waxy, corrugated structure of the edges of the candle, skip the cups. A silicone cupcake tin will work well here.