Candles are so easy to make you could make them before breakfast!
Here are some of the waxes you could try, all of which can be found in our outlets:
Soy Wax
100% natural wax made from soybean. Environmentally friendly. Low soot. Longer burning time and long lasting scent retention. Candles have a milky smooth look. Can be used with fragrance and dyes.
Palm Wax
100% natural made from Palm wax. Also called stearic wax. Creates beautiful crystalline structure on candles once hardens. Longer burning time. Long lasting scent throw. Affordable and easy to use. Can be used with fragrance and dyes.
Paraffin Wax
Made from petroleum by-products. Most affordable wax option compared to the rest. Hardens into a semi translucent form. Shorter burning time compared with Soy or Palm wax. Looks great when dyes are added to it. Can be used with fragrance too.
Gel Wax
Made from petroleum by-products. Comes in a soft gel form. Used to showcase embedded seashells and other objects. Quick burning time. Can be used with fragrance and dyes.
Beeswax
Made from 100% beeswax. In its natural form, the wax is creamy gold. Most expensive option for wax. Longer burning time. Sweet natural scent but also works great with fragrances. Very natural and pure.
Here are the list of ingredients used. We like working with soy wax or palm wax because it looks great once done. But if you prefer to work with other waxes, the steps are pretty much the same.
What you need:
Soy Wax
Wicks
Essential Oils or fragrance oils
Alcohol BP
Glass jars
Wax dyes
How to pick the right jars for your candles
You can make candles in just about any glass jar you have. It is your wicks that need special selection.
Wider jars require thicker wicks to ensure that the fire burns evenly. If the wicks are too thin, the fire tends to spiral downward creating a tunnel of wax instead of burning the wax evenly.
If you don't have thicker wicks, try placing more wicks in the jar instead of just one. This helps keep the candle burning strong and covers all corners.
All wicks must have a sustainer at the bottom or a metal clip. Secure the sustainer to the bottom of the jar with glue. Here we used E6000 all purpose glue. This helps ensure the wick does not move off the center of the jar or float when the wax is poured.
Next, heat wax over low fire. Some people like to double boil their wax but we prefer direct fire as long as it is constantly being watched.
Wax will begin to melt almost instantly. Here, the natural scent of the wax is very pleasing.
Give wax a stir as it melts.
This is what the wax looks like once it melts. If you notice sediments in your wax, that's completely natural. Once Soy Wax cools the sediments cannot be seen. But if you'd like to, you can always strain your wax before pouring.
Cut a small piece of the wax dye and drop it into the pot. Stir to mix.
Using too much wax will affect the burning of the candle. Remember, a little dye goes a long way. Here we drop in some blue dye (around 2mm thick).
Pick your favorite fragrant. Here we used Lavender Fragrance. While we also have essential oils in our stores, fragrance oils works just as well.
Do allow the wax to cool to around 60 degrees before adding the oils. If the wax is too hot, the oils will tend to evaporate fast.
You can always mix two or more fragrances together to create new scents. In fact lavender and peppermint make a create pair!
How much fragrance to put in is totally up to you. Just take a whiff and add away to your liking.
To keep the wick upright, we used a plastic clip. Using a pair of chopsticks works just as well.
Pour wax slowly into the jar. Be careful not to let the wax drip down the side of the jar. If it does, use Alcohol BP to wipe clean.
Here is our partially finished candle left to set for the night.
This is what the candles look like the next morning. Notice how creamy and smooth the candle looks? The blue dye turns into a nice pastel blue.
Now onto the second half of the process. Another batch of wax goes into the pot and this time purple dye is used.
Lavender fragrance is dripped in after the wax has cooled.
To clean the edges of the candle or the side of the jar, use Alcohol BP. It's 97% pure alcohol great for cleaning molds and jars before and after the candle making.
Leave candle to set over night.
And here's what the finish candles look like. Two layered milky lavender scented goodness!
Trim the wick and light away!
We also have Vybar or Candle Wax Additive for those who would like to make harder candles with longer scent throw.
For further enquiries, write to us at enquiry@craftiviti.com
