If you’ve ever wanted to make your own soy wax candles but thought the process looked too complicated — keep reading! We promise — it’s much easier than it seems.
Before you begin, we recommend choosing only high-quality ingredients. This will determine not only the candle’s visual appearance, but also its burn performance and fragrance throw.
And now — let’s get making! Follow these 8 simple steps and you’ll have your own handmade candle in no time!
First of all, make sure you have all the materials you need ready for this creative experiment.
You will need:
- Candle container
- Soy wax
- Fragrance oil
- Wooden wick – select the correct size according to our wick-size chart found in each wick product description
- Wick holder
- Wick sticker
- Safety labels – apply safety labels if you plan to gift or sell your candles
- Pot for a water bath
- Wax melting pot
- Spatula for stirring wax
- Thermometer
- Scissors for trimming the wick
8 steps:
- Prepare your containers. If you’re reusing jars, ensure they are fully cleaned and free of any old wax residue.
- Set the wick. Place the wick in a wick holder and trim it to the needed height — trimming after the candle sets can be more difficult. Stick the wick to the bottom of the jar using a wick sticker. Gently tug upwards to confirm it is secure.
- Melt the wax using a double boiler. Avoid direct heat — this prevents overheating and color changes. Warm the water, but do not let it boil.
- Weigh the wax. For a 200 ml container, you’ll need about 200 g of wax. Place the wax into your melting pot.
- Heat until fully melted. Place the pot into hot water and allow the wax to completely liquefy.
- Add fragrance oil. When the wax reaches ≈ 71°C, remove the pot from the water bath and add fragrance oil. Start with 3–5% for a light scent. Choose 5–8% for a stronger scent. Do not exceed 8% in soy wax candles. Stir gently for about 2 minutes to help the fragrance bind well with the wax.
- Pour the wax
Slowly pour it into the containers at 48–73°C. Leave 0.5–1 cm of wick exposed above the surface. - Let it cure Allow the candle to fully set for at least 24 hours. If gifting or selling, attach a safety label to the bottom of the container.
It is recommended to burn the candle for 2–3 hours on first use (until the entire top layer melts), but no longer than 4 hours at a time. This prolongs the overall life and reduces tunneling.