Making a candle at home for the first time has never been easier! Here at Candle Shack, we have been creating a number of resources to help you go from a zero to a candle making hero. In this blog we will take a look at the general steps involved in making your first candle and some options for getting started.
RECOMMENDED STARTING POINTS
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CANDLE MAKING KITS
Shop Candle making KitsThese Kits give you all the components needed to make four amazing wood wick candles with a select fragrance. Perfect for beginners or as a gift for the crafter in your life!
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STARTER BUNDLES
Shop Starter BundlesThese great value bundles include everything you need to start candle making as a hobby, including wax melting equipment as well as professional grade tools to really kick start your candle making journey.
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Recipes
Investigate RecipesGot the basics and want to try new delicious scents? Our lab developed recipes give you a head start when trying a wide variety of our fragrances. Including recommended Fragrance % and wick suggestions for a wide range of candle sizes and waxes. All available for FREE!
WHAT YOU WILL NEED
Candle Vessel.
Could be made from glass, metal or ceramic depending on your taste but make sure that it is suitable for candle making.
Wax of your choice.
There are a number of different waxes available with their own properties. You can learn more about waxes in other blog articles.
Fragrance oil.
This should be high quality oil which is designed and has been tested for use in candles.
Wick of your choice.
This could be a cotton or wood wick. Choosing your wick is the most difficult part of candle making so using tested recipes is the easiest way to start.
Next steps
Find a recipe
Once you know your wax and the fragrance you would like to try, go to the Candle Shack website, find the fragrance page and download the recipe that matches your candle size and wax selection. If you are starting with a candle making bundle, you may already have these.
Prepare your wax
Using the measurements in your selected recipe, weigh the recommended amount of wax into your selected wax melter and allow the wax to melt to the desired temperature.
Wax melting options are discussed in depth in the blog post listed below.
PREPARE VESSEL
While you are waiting for the wax to melt, now is the perfect time to prepare your vessels.
Clean the insides with a cloth to remove any dust or debris (If you are using tins, you may need to use isopropyl alcohol to remove manufacturing coatings).
Attach wick sticker to the base of your wick sustainer.
Place wick into the vessel and secure with your hand.
Secure the wick at the top of the vessel with a wick tool. (If you are using wooden wicks, this step is not needed as wood wicks hold their shape without support).
WEIGH THE FRAGRANCE
Weigh the correct amount of fragrance listed on the recipe into a beaker. This could be a lab beaker, a small candle vessel or glass. Weighing fragrance into a beaker allows better control and accuracy than pouring directly into the wax.
MIX WAX & FRAGRANCE
When the wax is melted to the correct temperature (Between 50-70°C depending on the wax being used).
Add your measured fragrance and mix thoroughly until the mixture is homogenous. Mix slowly to reduce risk of bubbles forming in your mixture.
Measuring the temperature of wax and fragrance in a stainless steel jug.
GET READY TO POUR
When your wax and fragrance are fully mixed, check the temperature of the mixture.
At this point for some waxes such as RCX and S41 you will need to wait for the wax mixture to cool to the optimal temperature for best results. Stir the mixture so it cools evenly.
Other waxes like GW464 and paraffin blends give their best results when poured when the wax is still quite hot (60°C and above).
POUR YOUR CANDLE
Place your vessel on a flat, stable surface.
When the wax mixture is the correct temperature, slowly and carefully pour the mixture into the vessel. Try to avoid covering the wick tool with wax as this increases cleanup.
If your melting pot does not have a spout, you can place a stirring stick against the lip of the pot to direct the wax more accurately.
LEAVE TO COOL
Once poured, your candles should be left to cool and turn from liquid to solid wax in a temperature controlled area which is around 20°C +/- 3°C. This will minimise problems with the wax when it cools such as cracking and polymorphism.
Once the candle has solidified over the period of several hours (Depending on the size of the candle and the temperature it was poured at), the candle is then ready for finishing steps.
FINISHING YOUR CANDLE
After a few hours your candle will be solid.
If you have used plant based wax like Soy or RCX then all you need to do is carefully snip the wick with some sharp snips or candle scissors to a length of around 10mm.
If you have used a paraffin blend, you may notice that (like in the picture) the surface has dipped as the candle has cooled. Apply heat to the surface with a heat gun or radiant heater to melt the surface of the candle and fill in the dips. Be careful that you do not burn the wick with this process.
What next?
Congratulations! If you have followed these instructions, you should have a beautiful looking, safe candle that is almost ready to fill your space with fragrance.
Before you light the candle, it is important to let it cure for at least 48 hours in the same temperature controlled space so that the wax can crystallize properly to give the best performance. We have noticed that scent throw will also increase up to about the 2 week mark with some candle waxes.
