A Short Story
A few months ago before summer ends, we've experience several electricity power interruption. The power supplies are over beyond it's capacity that leads to unexpected black-out which lasted more than 12 hours. Because of that incident, when we used out our candle that we bought, a sudden thought flashed. "how to make candle?" That's the start of us being so curious about candle making.
After the electricity back, we charged our phone and started to do research online, watch tutorials and written blogs as well. In that way we have learned that candle uses different kind of waxes, dyes, wicks, and vessels. There's a lot of things also like temperature, fragrance oil, tools and curing the candle.
In addition to that we decided to order soy wax since it is more eco friendly and natural. Come and join me how we make our own candle.
What is Soy Wax?
Soy wax made out of soy beans. It is pressed to produce it's oil like olives. It is a kind of vegetable oil so it is natural, non-toxic and don't produce smoke that is harmful when you enhale it. You can bought soy wax by blocks or like pellets for a faster melt.
What is Paraffin Wax?
Paraffin wax are derived from petroleum/crude oil. It is the common used wax and a lot cheaper compared to other waxes. It is a non-renewable source of wax. Most paraffin are sold by blocks like this and compared to other wax it is harder.
When we started to think what wax we want, we decided to try a natural wax so we picked soy wax. I also notice that paraffin wax produce smoke that leads me to cough. I couldn't take to smell it closely and cover our room with that kind of smoke.
I prepare the following in advance:
Soy Wax
Fragrance Oil
Glass jar with lead (100g)
Double Boiler
Thermometer
Stirring spoon
Cotton/Wood wick
Digital Weighing Scale
Melting Temperature 180-185 F
Mixing of Fragrance Oil will depend on your wax manufacturer suggested
Pouring Temperature around 120-110 F
Here's what we did:
1.Weighing the exact amount that our glass jar needed.
It is very important to know the exact amount your vessel will hold. I tried to used a measuring cup and used water and fill the glass jar. Know yout vessels capacity and divide your wax on it.
2.Melt wax using double boiler method.
It is better to start from scratch. We used what we have and wait until it's is fully melted or until it reaches the right temperature.
It is important to have a candy thermometer that will give you an accurate temperature of your wax.
3.Combine wax and fragrance oil by mixing it for atleast 2 minutes.
Fragrance oils needed to mix and bind with the wax. This is the most crucial and sensitive part of candle making.
Note: Don't over mix your wax. It will lead your wax to have tiny air bubbles.
4.Let it cool down until it reaches the right pouring temperature.
Keep an eye on your thermometer and wait until the temperature drops.
5.While waiting for your wax to cool down, pre-heat your glass/vessel. Attach your chosen wick and center it.
You can either use double adhesive tape on the bottom part of your wick sustainer.
6.Slowly pour your wax on your glass with a weighing scale to ensure the right amount for every vessel.
If you have a stainless pitcher, that works great for a hassle free pouring time.
7.Once your done place your candle on a clean, cool and dry surface.
Avoid touching and avoid shaking it. Wait for atleast an hour before checking it.
8.Trim your wick atleast half an inch. You can either to it ahead of time by measuring the right size base on your vessels height.
9.Cure your candle from 3-5 days or up to 2 weeks.
It is essential in candle making. Don't rush to light your candle too soon. The curing time will allow your wax and fragrance oil to bind.
After 5 days we light it up and test if the wood wick will match the type of vessel and if it's gonna melt the wax evenly. Here is the photo of our candle. Actually we chose wood wick because it looks cool and it has a crackles when you light it.
These was our own experience and we've faced some issues especially using soy wax. Many candle maker say that soy wax are hard to work on for beginners and they suggested that paraffin can be mixed with soy wax which we don't tried it yet.
For my personal opinion, candle making are fun to do but requires lots of patience, practice and creativity to make your candle stand out. Candle nowadays are a part of home decor and some expensive brands that sell luxurious candles are in demand though it's pricey. Maybe we can take it to the next level I guess :)
Overall the cold thow of the scent was there and hot throw as well. The wood wick creates an elegant light and sounds. It doesn't have visible smoke. It will last for months before it reaches 1/4 to the edge.
Disclaimer:
It is all based on our own experiences while making soy wax candle. Not recommended for advance candle makers, this is just for beginners for them to have an idea on how to make their own soy wax candle at home. It is not perfect for the first attempt and I will definetly share those issues that we've experience.
All Photos are MINE
To be continued...