If you make your own candles....

[FizzyPink]

How would you recommenced a complete beginner non-crafty person get started?

I’m a bit of an expensive candle addict and have been collecting the empty jars for years now so have quite a collection I’d love to be able to refill them with homemade candles instead of forking out £30 each time.

What would I need to invest in to get started? And is it actually worth the time/money spent?

I’ve only made them with beeswax, which is relatively easy but not cheap (unless you keep hives yourself, and move them to Heather moors....)!

I’m imagining the principle is the same - I find it messy but not difficult.

I’ve made a few before. Pop onto eBay/amazon and buy some soy wax and some candle wicks, better to get long ones you can cut down

Start by melting the wax on the stove. When it’s liquid, dip the bottom metal bit of the wick into the wax and push it down onto the bottom of the jar, leave it to dry for a few minutes so that when you pour the wax it stays stuck to the bottom and doesn’t move about.

You’ll also need a stick of some sort to wind the top of the wick
Around and balance across the jar to keep it straight. YouTube/Pinterest it!

Oh and some fragrance oils too of course!

get a proper Bain Marie it's so much easier than messing around with saucepans and glass bowls.

Container candles are much easier so it's a good place to start.

Beeswax is lovely to work with.

You need the right kind of wick for the type of wax and the diameter of the container.

You need to use the right kind of fragrance oils otherwise it is a safety risk.

You need to correctly measure the fragrance and any dyes. And ensure the wax is heated to the right temperature in a double boiler type set up (I think those are the words I want) rather than on a direct heat.

Container wax is different to the kind used for pillar candles. Pillar candles need a wax that can support itself whereas container wax is softer and clings to the jar etc.

Off the top of my head I think the website Thorne's sells candle making supplies (and bee keeping supplies!). All the wicks are labelled according to diameter and whether for containers etc. Likewise with the wax.

Otherwise maybe borrow a book or find a website explaining the basics.

Have fun!

... one easy way of doing beeswax candles is buy sheets of “unwired foundation”. It’s thin sheets of wax imprinted with cell shapes.

Get the wick, lay it on one edge of the foundation. Soften foundation by blasting with hairdryer. Roll the foundation up starting at the wick end.

Please don't use soy wax. It's environmentally destructive. The growing of it is adding to the Amazon rainforest destruction and the pesticides used on it can cause cancer.