Discover How To Make Soy Candles

It seems many people who discover how to make soy candles (candles out of soy wax) end up becoming attached to it, despite its expensive price tag. The procedure for making them is similar to making paraffin candles, but there are a few reasons that make soy candles more desirable in the long run. Soy candles are non-toxic, 100% biodegradable, burn longer and burn at a lower temperature then paraffin candles.

Another reason why soy candles are more popular than paraffin wax candles is that they have cleaner characteristics in their burning quality. Every candle emits soot to some degree. The main difference between soy candles and paraffin candles is the color of the soot they emit. Paraffin-based candles emit black soot while soy-based candles emit white soot hence the “cleaner” flame. You should note that none of the soot emitted by these candles is harmful to human beings.

What’s the process for making soy candles?

Making soy candles follows almost the exact same process as making other kinds of candles.

Utilize a double boiler in order to dissolve the soy wax. In case you have forgotten, a double boiler is composed of one smaller pot where you place the wax which is inside a larger pot filled with water.
Put both pots on a stove.
Handle the soy wax with extra care, almost like you are baking.
Set the temperature at around 150-180 Fahrenheit to heat the soy wax.
Do not leave the soy wax longer than necessary in these temperatures because it can burn and may have a yellowish tint.
Once you have totally dissolved the wax, you can add dyes.
If you like to scent the candles, remove it from the stove and add the fragrance of your own choice. Ideally, you will need 5-7% of the fragrance by weight of the wax. This simply means that you will need 1.12 ounces of your scented oil per one pound of your soy wax. Be careful, incorrect dilution of the scented oil and wax will mess up the resulting candle.

NOTE: The moment that you have totally dissolved the wax (temperature 150-180 degrees Fahrenheit), pour the wax into the respective candle molds in order to cool them down. Ideally, you should not let the wax dip below 95 degrees Fahrenheit when pouring it into the molds. The candle might crack if you do. Also, do not try to shorten the cooling process by using cold water.

Since soy wax is softer than most wax, it is not ideal for some applications like pillar candles. It is best used in floating candles. But whether for a money making business or just a hobby, making natural soy candles is fun way of spending your time.

The Basics Behind Making Gel Candles

Trying to figure out how to make gel candles? Dare to stand out? Many people think that making gel candles is harder than typical candles. Despite the hype, you don’t really have to be a master of this trade before deciding to take up the challenge. And, once you do, you’ll find there are seemingly infinite possibilities when creating gel candles.

Recently, gel candles have been gaining popularity. They look like ordinary candles, but have a few differences. Gel candles, compared to ordinary candles, last longer. It is also possible to decorate the wax making designs “float” in the finished product. Because of these thing, gel candles make wonderful gifts.

Gel candles are composed of 95% mineral oil, 5% polymer resin. They are unlike wax candles in that they are not created from pure oil.

Polymer Resin – This is a type of powder which is mixed with mineral oil. It acts as a thickening agent.

The three major states of gel wax include:

Low density
Medium density
High density

High density states are ones that are used mainly for mixing mineral oil with fragrance (when making scented candles). Decorations, like glitter, can be added to thicker gels. If the decorations are small enough, they will suspend or “float” in the candle. Bear in mind, however, that these gels take longer to melt, and are harder to pour.

A double boiler is used to dissolve the wax in other types of candles, but using this method to melt gel wax will take twice as much time as with typical wax. If you are impatient, use another method. A multi-cooker is one of the options that can do this job well for you. This is similar to a deep fryer, which is typically a metal coated non-stick substance. It has different heating constituent with a temperature dial in order to regulate the temperature used in melting the wax.

The process will be similar to this:

The gel will be put directly into the cooker to dissolve.
Using a thermometer is ideal in order to achieve the right temperature when dissolving the wax, shoot for 180-220 Fahrenheit.
Hard plastic or metal should be used in stirring the gel wax to prevent bubbles.
CAUTION: Gel wax is flammable. Make sure you have fire extinguisher nearby. In case the gel catches fire, do NOT throw water onto it!

Finishing touches at the end of the process can be made by using dyes to change the color of the wax. Liquid candle dyes are ideal because they retain the transparency of the gel. Maintaining this transparency will let you see through the candle. Crayons, food coloring, clothing dyes or soap dyes should not be used. They do not burn like the liquid candle dyes, and are not made specifically for candles.

Making My Favorite… Scented Candles

Scented candles can be the finishing touches to nearly every event or occasion. They are the kind of candle I hold most dearly. Not only because its primary purpose of lighting and changing the atmosphere of the room, but because of its fragrance. This adds to its beauty. It enhances the natural emotions emanating from a situation. Weddings – romantic and charming, Anniversaries – reminiscing and warmth, Birthdays – memento of the past… For others it intensifies their allergies – be careful which fragrance you pick!

As far a creating scented candles, most stores offer a variety of special scented oil that you can use for candles. If you can’t find them in your local craft store, you can buy them online. Read the label before you purchase one. Do not buy water-based or alcohol-based fragrance. When making scented candles, oil-based fragrance the way to go.

Even without lighting a candle, you still can appreciate it’s beauty. Candles can make excellent gifts for all seasons and occasions, especially homemade or personally crafted scented candles. Always keep in mind the person’s health before giving them as a gift, as some of the scents can irritate others allergies.

The procedure for making scented candles is pretty much the same as with other types of candles, there is just an extra part added near the end of the process.

1. Choose your wax. This can be soy, palm or beeswax for natural ones and paraffin wax for synthetic ones. Gel wax is not ideal for scented candle making because of the difficulty of keeping the ratio of the wax and scent in an exact balance. Only if you are up for a challenge should you choose gel wax.

2. Totally dissolve your wax. Make sure that you melt it completely before pouring it into the candle mold. Some people neglect this step and achieve somewhat unsatisfactory results. A double boiler can assist you in totally liquefying your wax. This is as simple as putting the pot of wax into a larger pot filled with water. Caution: Do not set the stove-top temperature too high to prevent the wax from burning.

3. When you heat the wax, maintain temperature at 170-180 Fahrenheit. Use a thermometer to regulate this.

4. Place wick into the candle mold.

5. After totally melting your wax, take the pot off your heat source and add the scented oil. For every pound of wax, you need to add one ounce of scented oil. This is about 6% and is considered to be the optimum fragrance to wax ratio. It is not ideal to go over this ratio, so less is more here. Your base should be wax, not oil. Wax will facilitate more flame than oil, resulting in bigger brighter candles.

6. Experiment on your candle making adventure. Keep all records of what you try, and what you find works for you. It’s best to start simple, and experiment as you gain confidence.

The possibilities are endless in making scented candles. Enhance them through the use of creative scents and colors. You can mix and match them to create masterpiece after masterpiece. Then share your creations with your loved ones!

The Varieties Of Candle Making Molds

Candle making molds are defined as: the container where you pour the wax after melting, where it will cool. Not exactly rocket science here. However, there are a seemingly endless variety of of fun and interesting molds available to those who like to make candles in their own home. The molds are available in various materials, styles and shapes and provide a range of uses. The shape of every candle is based on the candle making mold.

Here are some of the popular ones available today:

Plastic Candle Molds – In candle making, this type of mold is the cheapest, but they can be plenty useful to the average candle maker. You might find as you gain experience that plastic molds usually last in correlation to its price. Its shelf life is shorter then the rest because they are more frail and delicate. They are the easiest to clean, though. Ordinary soap and lukewarm water is all you really need to clean it up. Make sure they are absolutely dry before using them again, otherwise you will get bubbles in your next candles. If is it your first time at candle making, this type of mold is for you. Only as you take your hobby into higher levels will you find you should use other types of molds.

Aluminum Candle Molds – This particular mold is popular because its durable and light. The candles made from this mold will have a smooth and seamless quality that might be mistaken for those made by professionals. This mold is especially good for votive and pillar candles. Compared to rubber candle making molds, it is relatively cheap and affordable. They are also somewhat easier to clean than most rubber molds.

How to clean aluminum candle molds?

Put the aluminum candle molds upside down on top of a baking sheet
Make sure that you line the baking sheet with wax paper
Place it inside the oven
Set the oven temperature to around 150 degrees
Left-over wax will melt right into the baking sheet

Disadvantages of aluminum candle molds

Lack of flexibility making the choices very limited regarding the shapes and textures
Releasing agents are necessary to get the finished candles out of the molds

Rubber Candle Molds – This type of mold – polyurethane molds – are flexible however you can’t stretch them out well when trying to release the candle. They also have a pungent odor that is comparable to a tire store. Because they don’t stretch well, rubber candle molds also require releasing agents in order to take out the candles from the mold. Usually candles used in pillar and taper are molded using rubber candle molds.

Silicon Candle Molds – Another variant of a rubber mold is the silicon candle mold. This type of mold is the most expensive but the investment is worth it. No parting seams are evident on your resulting candles. They are highly flexible and stretchable, which makes the candles easy to take out from them. Plus they require no releasing agent.

Latex Candle Molds – This particular type of mold used to be popular, but with the newly released types of candle making molds, it took the back seat. Pros with latex candles are its paint and its ability to take whatever shape you want.

Choose wisely, the shape away!

What Kind Of Candle Making Wax Should You Use?

More and more people are trying the fun, easy and popular hobby of candle making. Because of this, candle making wax has also gained in popularity, with more options available at a high quality. Some of the wax options that you can choose from are as follows:

Paraffin Wax

This is the most common and readily available type of candle wax. Paraffin wax is refined from petroleum and is excellent for beginners. One good thing about it is that it is not expensive.

Natural Wax

Waxes that are refined from soy, palm, beeswax and bayberry are natural types of wax. People enjoy the fact that they are renewable resources, yet still get optimum performance from these waxes, even in the case of soy. A few examples of natural waxes:

Soy-based wax is produced by processing soybeans by hydrogenation, making it extremely suitable for candle use. Even if it is more expensive than other wax, the fact that it is from renewable sources wins people over. Year after year, more and more soybeans are being produced, making soy waxes more readily available for candles.
Palm-based wax is another renewable source for making candles. However, its gain in popularity raised red flags regarding environmental issues, so it took a back seat to other more environmentally friendly resources. It turned out, growing palm trees for wax was slowly causing more harm than good. Fortunately, there are now methods used to be sure that the source of your palm-based wax will not cause environmental issues. This means you always have to be cautious and perceptive when choosing palm wax though.
Beeswax is derived from bees and is available in either yellow or white. This type of wax is expensive but many candle-makers are attracted to its scent, burning qualities and robustness of the resulting product.

Gels

An entirely new way of making candles is with the use of gels. Gels characteristically are transparent and rubbery in texture, but they operate basically the same as other types of candle making wax. It is available in three densities – low, medium and high. The density of the gel affects your desired final product, as well as the amount of fragrance planned to be used. Candles with 0-3% scent are made from low density gels, which are poured in lower temperature. Medium gel density is ideal in making candles with 3-5% fragrance, and is the most popular of the three densities. More than 5% fragrance load should be done in high gel density only.

With all of these options available for you, choosing what will work best entirely depends on you and your candle tastes. The most important thing is that you need to understand each type of candle making wax so that you can maximize your success.

You need to remember that success in making candles relies on your ability to choose the kind of wax suitable to the type of candle you are going to make. A lot of time and effort will be wasted if you don’t know what about your waxes!

Make Candles Your Own By Making Them From Home

A lot of people assume that candle making is somewhat difficult to do. While it might be good for the master crafts person, it’s hardly something an inexperienced hobbyist could easily accomplish.

This couldn’t be further from the truth. Candle making is actually a great hobby for people of any craft experience or background, and can be very rewarding if you desire to take it to higher levels, such as making profit from it. When you make your own candles, your creativity can open limitless opportunities both in your candle creations, and in the ability to make money from them.

In case your new to the game, candle making starts with some basic supplies:

1 – Wicks – These are a braided cotton cord or string with an inner core of lead or zinc. Cheaper candles like birthday candles have paper inner cores.

2 – Wax – If you are a beginner candle maker, you might start by using paraffin wax, then work your way to beeswax, gel or soy wax,.

3 – Wax Melting System – You can set up a double boiler easily at home by using one small and large pot. Direct heating using melting pots and tanks can also be used.

4 – Candle Making Molds – This is where you will put the wax after totally dissolving it, and where the wax will cool in order for it to take the shape of the molds.

5 – Thermometer – This is used to regulate the temperature of the melting system. Direct heat melting pots or tanks have built-in thermometers, but it is ideal that you have a thermometer of your own.

6 – Dyes – You will need liquid candle dyes to color the candles.

7 – Miscellaneous supplies including:

Fragrances
Putty

The general process of melting the wax and making your own candles is presented in the following:

Use the double boiler set up or the direct heating melting pots (or tanks) to dissolve your wax. (Double boiler will make use of two pots namely – small and large. Place the wax on the smaller pot and put it inside the larger pot that is filled with boiling water).
Place the entire system into a low to medium heat stove or burner.
As soon as the wax has totally dissolved, remove it from the heat and add the scented oil and dyes at your discretion.
Pour the melted wax into the candle molds where it will cool down.

NOTE: If you are using beeswax, there is no need for you to melt it. You only need to mold it into a candle size you wished to have.

Centering a wick:

Cut candle wicks several inches longer than the candle
Place it into the bottom hole of the mold then plug the hole with putty
Put a pencil above the mold and tie the top of the wick to it.

More Notes:

For plastic molds or glass, the wax needs to be heated to 135 degrees Fahrenheit.
For metal ones, heat the wax to 180 degrees Fahrenheit.

Pour the wax into the candle molds, cool it for 12 hours, refrigerate for another 12 hours and remove it from the mold. You may need to utilize releasing agents for some types of molds.

And that’s about it, your candle is ready. Nothing to it really. Those basics will get you started, but the creative part is up to you. Go on, the possibilities are endless. Start making your own candles today!