How to Make Soy Candles Like a Pro!
How to Make Soy Candles Like a Pro!
Step 1: The Preparation for making soy candles:
Gather your supplies. Just like baking your favorite recipe there’s some prep work before you begin.
You will need a pot to melt the wax. (I recommend one with a solid bottom, and a pourer on the side. This certainly makes life easier.)
You can also pour from the pot into a plastic jug to make filling jars easier.
You will need:
-A Clean Pot
-Clean jars (suitable heat proof jars)
-Double sided tape
-A butter knife or screwdriver to stick the wick to the bottom of the jar.
-Sharp scissors to trim the wick
-Thermometer
-Newspaper to catch any spills when pouring.
-Isopropyl alcohol for the cleanup.
Stick the wicks to the bottom of the jar, Make sure they are centered. A very small amount of double sided tape works well. I find the foam one is the best. Ensure the tape is not larger than the wick as this may cause a fire risk. Press down with a butter knife to ensure good adhesion.
Otherwise, use a hot glue gun, but be careful not to have any glue showing as it will catch fire.
If you want to add candle dye, click here.
Step 2: The making of the soy wax candle.
Melt the wax slowly at a low heat, stir to help it melt. Heat up to 70° degrees celsius.
Set up your making area, lay down clean newspaper to catch any spills.
Ensure all jars are ready with centered wicks, placed on top of the paper.
When the wax has melted, test with a thermometer to make sure wax is between 53° - 54° degrees Celsius and add your fragrance. If the wax is too hot it will burn off the fragrance, leaving you with a barely there, subtle scent, rather than a candle with an amazing scent throw. Add fragrance oils, between 8-10% of total wax weight or essential oils, I recommend 5% for essential oils.
Mix well to ensure fragrance goes through all the wax.
Step 3: The creation of your soy wax candle
Test with a thermometer to make sure wax is between 48° - 52° degrees Celsius and carefully pour the melted soy wax into your jar. As it's at a lower temperature, it will be reasonably thick and easy to control and pour without risk of splashing or spilling. I usually pour into two stages so I can center the wick. Stage 1: pour the jar 80% fill, let cool to semi-solid, center the wick and complete final pour.
Step 4: Waiting is the hardest part.
The soy wax will begin hardening right away, so do not move or adjust your candle until it has set solid. As the soy wax begins to harden, you'll see the soy wax go whitish in colour. Leave to sit for at least three hours before moving. I find it best to trim the wick 5 to 6 hours later to avoid the wick disturbing the top of the candle. Trim the wick, using sharp scissors. Generally, you should trim the wick 1 - 1.5cm above the level of your soy wax.
Make sure you allow 3 days for the candle fragrances to cure before burning. Otherwise, the full spectrum of fragrance notes will not be appreciated.
Enjoy :)
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