Candle Making – A New Hobby While Spending Time At Home

Candle making is one of the hobbies which could help you feel relaxed after a long day. With time, candle making has become an art form. Individuals have their designs and ideas for candles. In this situation, no matter what design is made, it becomes a work of art, at least to the creator. Candle making isn’t a difficult task. The great thing about this hobby is that if your design is wrong, you can melt the candle and make one entirely again.

Essential Items For Making Candles

Before you start making candles, there are necessary materials you have to gather. Candle molds are the most basic requirement for making candles. You can get these molds from any craft shop. Paraffin wax is another necessity, available in the form of cubes or granules. Also, you need to purchase stearin, which is a substance added to melted wax so that the candles you make are hard, opaque, and long burning. First, if you are using dyes, you must dissolve it in stearin and then add it to the melted wax. Paraffin wax can be made longer burning if you add some beeswax to it. Some of the other materials you want are:

• Votive wicks
• Silicone spray if using metal votive molds
• Any old Saucepan for forming a double boiler
• Oven mitts

You can use aluminum foil to cover the burner and spread an old rag or newspaper on a flat working surface so that it is effortless to clean up after work.

Starting Candle Making As A Hobby

Candle-making will help you relax, but when you see the result, it will also provide you great creative satisfaction. In case you are extremely good at it, you may even think about starting a home-based candle-making company and earn some additional bucks. This hobby can be a delightful experience for anybody. You can ask your children to support you since it’s safe and straightforward. It can be a terrific way of spending quality time together but do not forget to oversee their activities. Ensure that when you’re working around an open flame, equipment for averting any possible dangerous situation is there. Even though candle making is fun and creative, you’ll need to give it your undivided attention. If you work with hot wax, do not multitask as it won’t only be harmful, but the wax will even turn cold extremely fast.

Candle making kits can be of excellent help to you in pursuing this hobby. These kits are unique for beginners to open themselves to the science of candle making. As soon as you’re aware of the necessary know-how of candle making, this kit will show you the necessary procedures and measures to help you create stunning candles.

Crucial Items To Remember

The protection of the work surface from wax is the most significant step in candle making. You can use thick plastic or paper to spread on a flat surface. For creating beautiful candles, no elaborate tools are required. If you can’t spend on costly, fancy gear, then a roasting pan and thermometer would also do.

Safety is a crucial part of this hobby. Wax melting is a relatively simple process, but still, you’ll have to be very careful when doing it. Don’t let your kids get near it or touch it.

Dyes and fragrances are found in craft shops. Keep in mind to add the dye in the melted wax quite slowly so that it becomes completely dissolved. Always add colors one at a time, so you get to determine which is working best with the other?

You must oversee the wax while it melts because it may burn in the event of additional heat. In case it begins to smoke, remove it from the burner immediately, but do not let it spill on you. Even if it happens, do not wipe but run it under cold water to harden and fall.

Add Your Personal Touch To Your Candles

In candle making, the innovative part is to select the perfect type of candle pattern. You may also add a dash of color; melt your desired crayon color so that a throbbing appearance could be given to your candle. Non-flammable beads or stencils may be used for making a remarkable work of art. It is your own imagination. If you want to get scented candles, then add some mashed herbs so that it will get a refreshing scent when you light it. If you’ve always been fascinated in creating candles, then candle-making kits could be of great support.

Switching over to natural ingredients may be a little learning curve, mainly because they don’t always smell like the store-bought candles you are used to. Figuring out the best form of wax to use, how much oil to add, and when to add can take plenty of trial and error. However, here is a guide that will tell you what works–and what does not –when it comes to making candles using essential oils.

Tips For Making Candles With Essential Oils

1. Pick The Best Wax

When it comes to organic candles, there are just a few alternatives for wax. Most people are a big fan of beeswax since it burns and produces a soft honey-like fragrance, but it’s also costly. On the other hand, Soy wax is easy to find and affordable, but it burns fast.

But, waxes hold aroma uniquely, and if you would like to make candles that smell amazing and keep their fragrance, we recommend for pure soy wax. (Also wax chips are super easy to work with.) Soy wax holds onto natural aromas longer and releases them gradually while the candle burns, so your candles smell better, longer.

2. Select Your Oil Mix Carefully

There are hundreds of oil combinations to select from. When choosing oils, consider personal preference and the possible health benefits of the oil. Additionally, it helps to choose economical oils that smell strong right from the bottle. That way, you’ll reap the aromatherapy benefits without a significant hit to the pocketbook.

Some of the essential oils to explore are (more discussed below):

• Lavender — Most relaxing and anti-inflammatory.
• Lemon — Uplifting and stimulating.
• Sweet Orange — Refreshing, also uplifting.
• Eucalyptus — great during flu & cold season to help with respiratory issues.
• Thyme — Relieves tension and anxiety
• Peppermint — Uplifting and stimulating.

Not only are they powerful aromas, but they mix and match well so that you may combine them in lots of various ways. But because oils have medicinal properties, you should always do research ahead and pick the oils that fit your requirements. If you have kids or pets, always make sure they can be used safely without any adverse effects.

3. Use the Correct Amount of Oil

Since oils do not contain scent as strongly as artificial fragrance oils, you want to use a lot to be able to get a remarkable scent. A good rule of thumb is:

200 drops oil for a 4-ounce candle

You can fix this ratio for different container sizes. For example, if your candle vessel is 16 oz, use 800 drops. This ratio will give you approximately a 6% dilution, which is described as a way to obtain a fragrance without any of those side effects.

If you would prefer to not count drop, you could add your oils in bulk to save time.

4. Add Oils At the Right Temperature

To get the scent from your oils, add them when the wax is at the right temperature. If the wax is too hot, it lessens the odor and may ruin the compounds on your oils. And if the wax is too cool, the oils might not equally disperse throughout the wax.

You have to add the oils once the wax is around 185 degrees Fahrenheit. As soy wax can catch on fire quickly, so every time you make candles, melt soy wax flakes in a double boiler and see the temperature every couple of minutes until melted.

5. Maximize the Scent

Once poured, you will want to let your candles cool(cure) before burning. And always cover candles tightly using a lid between uses, so the scent doesn’t fade away. We go into more detail below about the benefits of using essential aromas in your candles.

Aroma Candles

Aroma Candles made with essential oils also have aromatherapeutic properties. That’s to say, aroma candles are created for holistic therapeutic care — for providing well-being to the body, mind, and soul. Aromatherapy is therapeutic that we have for centuries. It is used to acquire energy, relieve stress, improve concentration, and manage pain. The scents of essential oils are emanated to invigorate the senses. Some scents can even lower systolic blood pressure. Fundamentally, aroma candles are used, not only for their pleasant fragrances but also because of their capacity to change our mood to help us feel great.

Studies have shown that the negative feelings we attach to some situations can be eliminated or altered by aromatherapy. According to the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, in the same manner, that meditation can make changes to physiological responses, some scents can also create changes to physiological activities. This is because the scent has a complicated relationship with the brain.

The smell can cross the blood barrier and go to the central nervous system. Throughout the olfactory system, scents have immediate access to the limbic region of the brain, which can be termed the “emotional center of the brain.” Our senses and our emotions of smell are highly connected. Thus, when you inhale an aromatic candle, a very intricate connection between your sense of smell and your mind is triggered. It is a strong relationship that can improve your health and your mood.

Aromatherapy Scents And Its Benefits

Aromatherapy candles can open a way for wellness. Aroma candles are available in a variety of scents. Following is a longer list of some of the most common scents people use to positively influence their sense of well-being.

• Lavender: A relaxing and soothing scent, lavender can alleviate anxiety, depression, and anxiety. It’s used to treat sleeplessness and headaches.
• Citrus: Orange, lemon, and grapefruit have strong citrus scents that enhance the mood and improve concentration.
• Vanilla: A warming and sweet scent, vanilla is soothing and comforting. Additionally, it helps to reduce stress.
• Cinnamon: Known to promote nerves, exhaustion, and fatigue, cinnamon has a very pleasing odor that scents like freshly baked cookies.
• Geranium: a scent that reminds folks of being outdoor, geranium has a superb effect on the nerves. It has calmative properties that help with comfort.
• Jasmine: One of the people’s favorite scents, jasmine, is soothing and relaxing.
• Sandalwood: Having a number of the very same benefits which people claim to get from meditation, sandalwood helps soothe irritation and lifts depression.
• Eucalyptus: With an uplifting and minty smell, eucalyptus helps decongest the nose and supply relief from colds, sinusitis, and allergies. It’s emanated to construct energy.
• Peppermint: A scent that everybody is familiar with, peppermint aroma candles, may alleviate muscle pain, headaches, and digestive issues.
• Damask Rose: The candles made with damask rose are lavish ones and promote romance and better sleep.
• Eucalyptus: The mix of chamomile essential oil is proven to soothe headaches and ease cold and clogged sinuses.
• Cedar-wood beeswax candles- These candles have a lingering woody aroma and are determined to boost brain pattern and concentration.

In fact, the vanilla fragrance is introduced as a regular part of MRI scans in the Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York City’s research institute. Their research study on the fragrance traits has rated vanilla as the best relaxing one.

If you need to reap the benefits of aromatherapy candles, then light one before sleep. Also, most importantly, build a comfortable sleeping space as in a particular zone where you can really relax.

Lemon Lavender Essential Oil Candles

For 1 candle (4-ounce)

Ingredients

• One 4 ounce glass or tin
• 2 cups refined soy wax flakes
• 100% cotton wicks
• Saucepan
• Old aluminum can or glass jar for melting wax
• popsicle sticks or tape to hold the wicks
• 100 drops lemon essential oil
• 100 drops lavender essential oil
• Old kitchen thermometer

Instructions

1. Add the soy wax flakes in a traditional glass jar or an aluminum can.
2. Bring 1 inch of water to a gentle simmer in a saucepan and place the can with the soy wax in the center. Simmer the water until the wax melts completely.
3. Remove the pan and put your kitchen thermometer in the hot wax. Keep checking the thermometer until the wax cools down to 185 degrees. It does not have to be precise, but a slightly lower temperature is far better than higher.
4. Add your oils and stir to mix.
5. Set the wick in the center and use popsicle sticks to keep it upright.
6. Pour the wax into the tin and let it cool for 24 hours before light.