If you're looking to take up a new hobby and add some light and fragrance to your home at the same time, making your own candles is an easy way to do both. Mastering the basics of candle making is simple, but it offers a huge variety of ways to produce different candles that express your character and creativity.
Getting started
The easiest way to being making candles is with a candle making starter kit. A starter kit contains everything you need to make your first candles, including wax, wicks and containers, as well as fragrance oils or colouring agents. Once you have your kit, all you'll need is a double boiler; this simple arrangement of a separate bowl inside a pan of boiling water allows you to melt the wax without it heating unevenly.
Your first candle
Making your first candle is a simple process. Once you've measured out the necessary amount of wax, pour it into your double boiler and heat it until it melts evenly. Your starter kit will tell you everything you need to know about the correct temperature and melting time to begin with; as you gain experience, you'll learn how to work with different types of wax. Once the wax melts, you can add colour or fragrance. As the wax is cooling, insert your wick into the container. You can attach it to the bottom of the container using a special wick tab or a small amount of wax. Holding the wick upright, pour the wax into the container and let it cool. You'll need to hold the wick upright during the cooling process, which can take several hours. Your starter kit will include a wick holder to keep the wick upright; if you haven't got one, you can use chopsticks or pencils laid across the top of the container to keep the wick in place. Once the wax has set, cut your wick to about half an inch or less above the surface of the wax. If in doubt, cut the wick long; you can always trim it later.
Taking it further
Once you've mastered the basics of candle making, it's time to go beyond the basics that you learned with your candle making starter kit. You can add personal touches to your candles by decorating the containers, both inside and out, as well as experimenting with different combinations of fragrance oils and colouring materials. You can even use ordinary crayons to add colour to your candle wax or reuse vintage tins and jars as containers. These homemade candles can add a personal touch to a room or make quirky, individualised gifts. A wide range of possibilities begins with a candle making starter kit.
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