An Overview of the Candle Making Process

Who doesn't love candles? Some people may only bring them out for special occasions such as religious ceremonies or to put atop a birthday cake. Other people may incorporate the use of candles into their everyday lives. Relaxing bubble-baths, on the dinner table, for a daily dose of aromatherapy, or to simply create the calm ambiance that the glow of candles brings.

When you shop for candles in the stores, you get what you pay for. Candles that are inexpensive are not often of high quality. However, the high quality candles can be quite expensive. So what is a person to do? Make your own! Learning the techniques of the candle making process is easier than you may think. There are really not many materials involved in the making of candles, so it is possible for you to go from a novice to a pro in a very short amount of time. And what is additionally wonderful, is that all of the materials are relatively inexpensive.

For the materials, you can go to the local hobby or craft store. However, once you begin to create more and more, you may find that shopping online will offer you more of a selection at an even more discounted rate. What you will need to begin, is wax...paraffin, beeswax, and gel wax are popular among candle makers. You will need color and fragrance and wicks. Other than that, just a stove, a wooden spoon, and a double boiler. The double boiler is as simple as the use of an old coffee can put into a larger pot of water.

And now the candle making process can begin. If you do not have wax in flake form, break the wax from the block into small pieces. Put the wax into the double boiler. Have a thermometer ready and heat the wax to 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Making sure that the wax stays at an even 160, start adding in the color...slowly stirring it in until you get the hue that you are looking for. Once the color is there, do the same with the fragrance. With concern to the fragrance, add it in slowly as you can always add a bit more, but once there is too much...there is nothing you can do but have a very potent candle to burn.

The next step can be done in couple of ways. One way is to pour the wax into a glass container. To to this you want to have the wick in place, held by either toothpicks or pencils. You then slowly pour the hot wax into the container. Allow it to set up. And you're ready to burn your candle. You may choose to pour your wax into a mold. There are a variety of different kinds of molds out there, the key is in finding one that you like to work with. Another more time consuming, but very interesting method begins with cutting your wick to the desired length. You then dip the wick into the hot wax, pull it back out and wait for the wax to dry. You repeat this process until you have the desired sized candle. If you have a few different colors of hot wax going, you can alternate dipping into the different colors which will produce a multicolored candle when it burns.

And thus, the candle making process in a couple of easy steps. Once people find the joy, the creative expression, and the cost effectiveness of making your own candles at home, quite often they become hooked. What begins as a hobby, may turn into a very successful career, in the creative art of candle making.