Soy Candle Making Tips

You are in for so much fun when you make your own Soy Candles. I use NuSoy wax because of it’s purity and ease of melting. Once you decide to make your own you will want to purchase a good candle making kit so that you have everything you need without having to buy everything separately, which will be more expensive.

First you need to know that Soy burns at a much lower temperature which is why you pour the melted wax into some kind of container. That is the fun part. I go to discount stores, Dollar stores, Goodwill, etc. and find some fabulous containers. Wine glasses, antique cups, small vases, ashtrays, bowls, you name it. Since the wax is not so hot that it breaks glass or melts hard plastic, you can use most anything. The great part about going to Goodwill and the like, is that you can give "one of a kind" gifts to your friends.

I also like to find containers that hold 2 to 7 ounces of melted wax because it is more cost effective. If you find large containers that you just love, you can add some kind of filler (coffee beans, marbles, porpourri , pebbles, etc.) in the bottom, then pour your wax into a smaller container and set down inside the filler.

You will use a double boiler (comes in the kit) to melt the wax) 1 pound of NuSoy wax = 18 ounces of melted wax. So you can make 3 or 4 candles of 5 ounces or less. NuSoy is melted when it reaches a temperature of 180 degrees. You will then add you color and let it cool to approximately 150 degrees then add your fragrance.

One of the neatest things about making your own is that you can make whatever colors you want and add as much or as little fragrance as you like. When the wax has cooled to approximate 110 degrees you pour into your containers. You may have to adjust to cooling depending on your altitude. If your candle looks bumpy or has little imperfections on the top, 110 degrees is usually the best pour temperature. If the top is not smooth, you can use a hair dryer and heat the top a little bit to smooth it out.

Now you are ready to decorate your container. Sometimes you can decorate the container before you pour if you know the color your wax will turn out, but sometimes it is better to wait until after the pour to decorate because you can match your ribbon or stones, or other decorations to your color better.

More on decorations and pictures of finished candles to come.

This entry was posted on Saturday, June 14th, 2008 at 4:58 pm and is filed under Tips and Tricks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.