How to start your candle making project

December 17, 2021 BC

Candles as a source of light, have been used by humans since the 3rd millennium BC. Candles used to be very expensive, and only wealthy people could buy them. Nowadays, candles in different shapes, sizes, and scents are available to everyone. They are used in the interior for decoration or aromatherapy. When the pandemic hit the United States, many stayed home for safety purposes. Our research showed that while staying at home, many tried to find different interests and hobbies, and making a candle at home was and still is one of the most popular ones. Besides being a fun hobby, it is also an option to make personalized gifts for friends and family. As we have been receiving lots of emails and phone calls regarding handmade candles, we decided to write a step-by-step guide to educate you and make your candle making project safe and fun. These instructions will give you a good foundation for making soy wax candles at home. So, let’s get started! When you are starting out on your candle making project, first you want to choose your wax. There are different types of waxes such as soy wax, paraffin wax, even a soy/paraffin combination blend. Soy wax is a very good wax. Most people choose to use this wax because of its clean burn, but the most important feature is that the soy wax is a natural product. Here at General Wax & Candle, we purchase GMO free fragrances. We use GMO free oils to create our waxes. Check out our websites for more wax options: https://www.generalwax.com https://www.candlemakingsupplies.net Once you have your wax picked, next step is to pick a wick that will match the size of the candle jar you’ve chosen to work with. Be very careful about the size of the wick because, if you choose a wick that’s too big, it will burn your candle extremely fast. You will also get a huge flame. On the other side, a small wick will throw out a very small flame and you will not get a full melt pool. Below is the list of the materials we are going to use to create our candle. Note: you can order the supplies used in this guide from https://www.candlemakingsupplies.net. Materials needed:

Cargill c3 naturewax 100% soy wax
Standard wick
Wick sticker
Wood wick bars
Thermometer
A standard melting pitcher and a pot to use for double boiling
Candle jar.

If you are making a candle for the first time, you can purchase our DIY soy candle making kit that includes detailed step by step instructions and equipment for your first candle making project. Step 1: Pour a little bit of water into the pot for double boiling. Put the soy wax into the melting pitcher and put the pitcher into the pot to melt the soy wax. Heat the wax up to 175 F.

a metal cylinder with a yellow substance

Step 2: Place the wick sticker on the bottom of the wick you chose and center the wick inside the candle jar.

Step 3: When the wax temperature hits 170 F, carefully pour the wax into the candle jar. Note: you can use your leftover wax to later top your candle if a small cavity is formed.

Step 4: Place the wick bar with the center peak facing up on top of your jar. Pull wick taut and gently press wick into the opening of the wick bar.