Teaching my girls that a homemade gift is one of the best gifts you can give, has been a priority to me since they were little. There is just something heartfelt about a homemade gift. That is why these DIY soy wax candles makes the perfect gift!
You don’t have to have a lot of money to give a gift. And quite honestly our society has gone away from the true meaning behind giving a gift. This doesn’t just apply to Christmas time… it can be birthdays, anniversaries, or even just a simple “get better soon” or “I’m thinking of you” gift.
Our culture and society have told us that if you don’t spend a lot on a gift or have the brightest coolest gift, then it doesn’t count. Inside you feel guilty and like you didn’t do it right, when in reality it’s the simplest most thought out gifts that usually mean the most.
I struggle with this every year too!
What if we didn’t feel that way? What if you could make something, from your heart and it was the best gift the person unwrapped??
I believe we can! Let’s bring back the simple homemade gifts that show someone that you love and cherish them. Make sure to also check out my favorite homemade gifts in a jar ideas!
These DIY soy wax candles are simple to make, the supplies don’t cost a lot, you can easily mix and match the scents so everyone gets something different, and you can easily make a lot at one time. This is a great project for your kids to help with too!
What equipment do I need to make soy wax candles?
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The best part about these candles is you can use items right in your own home to make them. All you truly need is soy wax, a wick, and a glass jar of some sort.
Some items like a wick holder and pouring pot can make it easier but it is not necessary.
If you don’t want to buy any supplies, you simply need 2 pencils and a glass jar that fits in a large pot, for a double boiler effect. It’s that simple!
Supply List Needed for DIY soy wax candles:
- Natural soy wax
- Candle wicks
- Candle jars or some sort of heat safe container for your candle to be in. I like to use different sizes of mason jars.
- Large pot or even a crockpot (although the crockpot takes a bit longer)
- A popsicle stick or any object to stir with. I like the popsicle stick so you can just throw it away.
- 2 pencils or wick holders
- Essential oils or fragrance oil
- Tag or little stickers and ribbon to decorate (optional)
I purchase all my supplies on Amazon. This natural soy wax flakes and wick set is perfect to get started because it comes with 2 wick holders (so you don’t need to use the pencils) plus it is in bulk, which is a huge deal. You can get many many candles out of this one box of soy wax.
I always have loads of mason jars hanging around. Which means I usually use one of those to make my candle in. You can really use any container you would like, as long as it’s not plastic since you will be burning a candle in it!
If you have different essential oils, feel free to use that to scent your candle. However, essential oil candles use up a lot of essential oils to smell strong enough which isn’t really cost effective.
I find the easiest way to scent your candle is to use fragrance oils. Since I am not putting it on our bodies I feel safe doing so. You can buy fragrance oils on Amazon, at a local craft store, or I prefer buying them on Bramble Berry. You don’t need much fragrance oil to make a candle smell good which will give you the best results!
If you don’t feel safe using fragrance oils and don’t have essential oils, see below how you can make your own fragrance oil using natural ingredients such as spices and herbs. A good candle fragrance is part of the whole gift giving experience, so you want to make it right.
Simple steps to making soy wax candles:
Making your own natural candles is really easy. There are two ways that you can do this, one is on the stovetop for small batches and the other is in your crockpot for large batches.
On the Stovetop:
- Take your large pot and add about 2- 3 cups of water in it. You want the water to go about a quarter of the way up the jar with soy wax flakes.
- Fill your jar or container that your candle will be made in with enough wax to fill the jar, using a wide mouth funnel.
- Turn your stove onto medium heat. Stir the melted wax occasionally and pour wax flakes as your wax melts down into a liquid.
- Continue stirring occasionally until all your wax is completely melted and you have a complete liquid.
- Remove jar out of pot and let cool slightly, it should not start to solidify yet.
- Add in fragrance oil to your desired smell and give it a stir.
- Place your wick in the center of your jar and use either a wick holder or two pencils to hold it into place.
- Leave your candle sitting on a flat surface, undisturbed, until it is completely cool and your wax has become a solid again.
- Remove your pencils or wick holder and carefully cut your wick to just below the top of the jar.
- Place a lid, label, and ribbon on your jar to make the perfect gift!
In the Crockpot:
- Plug your crockpot in and turn it onto high. Using this method is great to do large batches at a time!
- Fill each of your containers with the soy wax using a wide mouth funnel.
- Place your jars in the crockpot and leave the lid off.
- Stir wax occasionally as it melts and add more soy wax as needed to each jar.
- Continue stirring occasionally until all your wax is completely melted and you have a complete liquid.
- Remove jar out of pot and let cool slightly, it should not start to solidify yet.
- Add in fragrance oil to your desired smell and give it a stir.
- Place your wick in the center of your jar and use either a wick holder or two pencils to hold it into place.
- Leave your candle sitting on a flat surface undisturbed, until it is completely cool and your wax has become a solid again.
- Remove your pencils or wick holder and carefully cut your wick to just below the top of the jar.
- Place a lid, label, and ribbon on your jar to make the perfect gift!
Adding natural scents to your homemade candles.
I usually keep my candles white, add my fragrance oils and call it good. However, you can also make your candles very unique by using your own homemade blend of fragrance oil using only spices and herbs. This process does take a couple weeks to get the right scent strength so you will have to plan ahead if you are making your own fragrance oil
I love finding natural ingredients to add to my candle scents, this is just an added step that makes your candles smell so good.
Some ideas of spices and herbs to make into fragrances for your own soy candles:
- flower pedals
- herbs, such as lemongrass, lavender, rosemary.
- spices, such as cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg.
What you will need to make your own fragrance oil:
- almond oil, jojoba oil, or olive oil
- dried herbs and spices. Or fresh flower petals
- warm water
- jar with a lid and ring
- large pot
- wooden popsicle stick
- cheesecloth
- sieve
How to make your own fragrance oil:
- Measure out 1 cup of oil, I like to use olive oil since I buy it in bulk on Azure Standard.
- Put a 1/2 cup of flower petals or fresh herbs in a pint size jar. Use 1/2 tsp of dried herbs or spices.
- Cover completely with the measured oil. Break any large pieces up and crush/push them down so they are nicely coated and beneath the oil.
- Pour 2 cups of water into a saucepan and turn your stovetop on low. Leave on low for 5 minutes. Place your jar of herbs and oil into the water.
- Let the jar sit in water on the lowest setting for an additional 2 minutes. This will speed up the infusion process. Do not let the water boil.
- Gently remove your jar and place a cover on it. Put it in a cupboard out of direct sunlight for 1 week. Stir the mixture at least 1 time a day.
- After 1 week, line a sieve with cheesecloth and strain your oil into a clean pint size jar. Add some pressure to the flowers or herbs that are in the cheesecloth to extract as much oil as possible.
- Put the lid back on and place back in the cupboard for an additional week.
- Now it is ready to use in your candles!
Homemade fragrance is a great way to make your own candles smell so good but also to know exactly what is in the oil.
Store any remaining wax in a closet or dark place until you are ready to make more candles!
DIY soy wax candles make the perfect gift. You can change up the scents so that every person in your life gets a little bit different gift at little cost.
Every time someone lights your homemade candle up, they will think of you and how something as simple as a candle can mean so much more when it is homemade!
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