How to make a candle at home
Put you wick in the jar
Melt your wax
Add your dye if you want
Add your fragrance oil
Pour the candle
Let it harden
It’s really that easy.
Are you researching how to make your own candles?
Making your own candles is cheaper than buying store-bought, and you know what’s in them. Plus it’s a really fun craft day.
There’s a little bit of science that goes into making a candle that performs well. It just takes planning. All the candle ingredients work differently with each other, so you may need to adjust as you mix and match them. But once you nail down exactly which ingredients and how much, it is literally that easy.
Choosing your ingredients
The jar
It’s really tempting to see a cute jar and want to turn it into a candle. Or see a trend where people are making candles out of what would otherwise be recycled. I’m biting my tongue here so I don’t call out any specific products. But the planning starts with the container. Not all containers are safe for that kind of heat. As in, the jar could literally shatter. And this is the first reason why we TEST before giving any homemade candles away. But beyond that, it’s also helpful to think about how the wax will burn down. A cocktail glass would make a pretty candle, but it would probably have some issues as it burns.
The wick
The wick depends on the size of container you use. Each wick has its own size. Choosing the right wick size will make the candle burn just right. You’ll want to avoid a wick that would leave wax around the edges, or one that would cause the jar to get too hot.
The wax, dye, and fragrance oil
I covered all of this in my last blog, so I won’t be very detailed here. If you’re curious about looking into those, find more info here.
How much wax, dye, and fragrance oil all depends on the jar. You’ll have to see how much wax will safely fit in your jar. Just leave a little bit of room at the top of the jar. Enough for the candle to melt without spilling over. I believe it’s recommended to leave an inch or so.
If you’re using any dye, that will always be just a tiny bit. The fun part about dye is using less for a muted color and more for a more vibrant color. Each batch will always turn out a little bit different. It’s just a sign that it’s hand-made.
The fragrance oil depends on the kind and amount of wax. Different waxes need different amounts of fragrance oils. And the more wax you use, the more fragrance oil you need. A generalrule of thumb is to use a 6% fragrance load. If you want your candle to be extra strong, you can also experiment with adding a little extra fragrance oil.
Red flags
If your wick is starting to mushroom, then it might be a size too big. Same thing if it’s flickering or seems to be melting too much wax. On the opposite end, a wick that might be too small could mean that only the wax in the middle will melt.
Creating a candle is all trial and error. You just have to test out which wick works in which jar, and then find out how much wax and fragrance oil to use. You’re looking for a candle that burns evenly across the top and fills the room with fragrance.
Have you made your own? Share your candles and tag Copper Lane Candles!