UncategorizedHow To Make A Simple Soy Candle

Take it to the next level – Teach someone else

“While we teach, we learn.” 

Roman philosopher – Seneca.

For the last 3 years, I have been successfully selling soy wax candles at various local markets.  It’s probably bad business practice to give away all your trade secrets, but I have always loved teaching other people what I have learnt along my journey.

So in this post today I am going to explain how to make a simple, stovetop soy candle.  At the bottom, I will add resources and a link where you can purchase these ingredients.   Also, I will be suggesting some tips and tricks that I have learnt to overcome common candles errors.   If any of these instructions overwhelm you, then you can also purchase some lovely pre-made candles from my website here: www.mywayhome.co.nz

Many customers ask me what the big deal is about Soy Wax…quite simply Soy wax is a natural product derived from the oil of soybean.  Since it is plant based it is environmentally clean and biodegradable.  Another great benefit to using Soy is the wax has a lower melting point than other waxes therefore your candle will burn brighter for longer.

Often people tell me how clever I am to make candles, but in all honesty folks, this is not rocket science.  However, soy wax is very sensitive to heat so you will need to monitor your pouring temperatures to ensure your wax creation has the best possible chance.

The equipment you will need to make one candle are:

• 200ml appropriate Heat Safe Glass container
• 100 Grams of Soy Wax – approx
• Aluminium jug or a Pyrex jug
• A big, heavy duty pasta pot
• Wick
• Fragrance
• Wick Holder or popsicle stick with a drill hole in the centre
• Wick sticker or a glue gun to glue your wick down

Step 1:  Measure the amount of wax you will need for you container by filling your jar with water to where you plan to pour the wax too.  Measure the amount of water with a measuring jug.

Step 2: Place the wax in aluminium jug or in a pyrex jug and then hook it over your pasta pot.  Do not allow the bottom of the jug to touch the element.  Fill half the pot up with water and turn the element onto a medium heat.  This is what they call the double boiler method and in my opinion, is the best way to melt wax at an even and consistent rate.  Heat gently until you reach 85 Celsius.

Never heat your wax to more than 100 C.

 Step 3.  While you are waiting for your wax to melt, turn your oven onto a low heat.  Place your candle jar onto a baking try and put into the oven to warm for a few minutes. Heating your jars will reduce the occurrence of wet spots and frosting of the tops.

Step 4. Now it’s time to attach you wick to the jar by using a wick stickum or a hot glue gun.  Press the wick down firmly in the middle of the jar.

Step 5. Once your wax has reached between 80 – 85 C pour into your container and add your fragrance oil.  Your fragrance load should be around 10 -12% of your wax amount for an optimal hot scent throw.

Step 6: Stir gently in alternating motions for 2 minutes.  This will help bind the wax with the fragrance oil.

Step 7: Measure the temperature of wax shortly after and once it has reached between 60 -65 degrees pour into your container.  Place your wick holder over the wick and tie around the wick holder if you can.  The will help the wick stay straight while it sets.

For best burning results allow your candle to cool and cure for at least 24hours before burning.  Trim the wick to your desired length.

Tips

Just like cooking, not every batch of cookies will turn out the same.  Even if you followed this recipe to the last letter, you might find that sometimes the tops of your candles are not smooth and glossy.   There are many unexplained reasons such as air temperature, soy wax not interacting with a fragrance or a different amount of fragrance, conditions of the room -are your candles near a heat pump or draught?

• However, there is a quick way to remedy this and you can do this by turning on your hair dryer (preferably with a diffuser) and heating the tops just until they melt again.
• For your initial lighting I highly recommend keeping the candle lit for 2 hours. This will allow the candle to create a full and even burn pool across the entire candle. Before each burn, trim wick to 5mm as this will also increase the burn time of your candle
• If the room temperature is cold, I will often wrap towels around my setting candles to ensure that they cool down at a slow rate which helps to avoid wet spots and separation.

Links for Candle Jars and Aromas: 

NZ Candle Supplies

Candle Supply