DIY Homemade Candle

I got the idea of making my own candle after learning that my favorite store bought candles may not be the healthiest and smartest choices. And it's easy to make & also is a great gifting idea!

My Soy Candle Recipe! (oh-so-easy-i-dont-know-why-people-buy-them-for-$40-recipe!)

1.  Gather round your ingredients! Attach your wicks to the bottom of the vase/container with double sided tape. I used a mason jar for this time. I have the pens to with rolled up tip of wick to keep it in place in above photo. I find this is not necessary at this point as it may get in the way when you hand-pour melted wax. 

2. Using a double boiler (as wax should not be on direct heat) melt your wax first. I purchased a shredded one for my convenience. It's not difficult to cut them up either if you happen to buy in bricks.

3. Once it's well melted add your fragrance oil or essential oil - whichever flavour you want to fill up your room with!

4. I personally LOVE the soy candle's natural ivory color. I added pink color dye for one piece. I filled one container with simple candle wax & fragrance oil mix. Then added the color dye. Do not use food coloring as they are liquid based and would not blend into the wax well.

5. Almost there! This time, as you can see too, the pot I used did not have a pour spout. And thus had a hard time pouring without spilling all over my sink! ....learned my lesson. 

6. Leave your candle untouched until it hardens completely. It is enjoyable to watch it change color as it hardens. If you move them before it hardens completely, you may not have the perfectly level top surface or cause holes. You can simply fix these by blow drying your candles too (or just light them!) It's all part of homemade fun though.

** Tip/Learn from my mistake: the fragrance oil was a strong chemical and more so that I had imagined. I left the used bottle on my wooden table and now it's got a ring.... So keep your workplace protected!! ** 

....and we did it again! 
The below photos just show tidbits of candle making in another round. We used a thermometer to time when to put in the essential oil. Vivian picked Neroli essential oil for its known health benefits (known to be: aphrodisiac, antiseptic, bactericidal, cordial, and carminative). Note: Vivian also went out to buy a pot with pour spout! Yay!

Ingredients & Supplier Information 

• Double boiler. Find a pot that you no longer need for cooking and can use only for candle making as it is difficult to remove wax. 
• Soy candle wax: I used 2 lbs/980 g. 
• It made 2 pints of mason jars, small owl shaped decorative vase (initially purchased from Indigo), and very small amount that I poured into a Bath & Body Works candle container I had used up. 
• Vivian made 8 of small tin cans (6 oz) and the 20 oz glass container.
• Color dye (if you would like). Most craft stores would have a chart showing how much blocks to put in for desired color in scale. I really wanted a hint of pink so only put in slight bit as shown in above photo. 
• Candle wicks. They have different lengths as to how tall your container would be. 
• Fragrance Oil or Essential Oil - I used my favorite garden rose. Guideline is to use 5-10% of your wax amount. I used all 100 ml and I love it! 

I went to the supplier store and purchased them after being able to smell and feel the products - as there are many different choices even as to which soy candle base to buy. It wouldn't be a terrible mistake to purchase them online though, since we all need to experiment a little bit anyway.

My store: Voyageur Soap and Candle - One of the largest supplies carrying natural ingredients for handmade soaps, candles, essential oils, and natural makeup products (available both online and offline). Their website offers Recipes and Resources as well and was very helpful. Their store (located in Surrey, BC) also offers classes for first timers. They're also a BC based company!