Candle Making Do’s & Don’ts

My roommates and I became obsessed with finding new ways to reuse wax after joining Noelle’s Candle Making Workshop. There was a lot of trial and error but I hope that you can learn from my experience. Here is guide of how to avoid a mess and take your candle making up a notch! If you are a beginner check out Noelle’s workshop first. http://irl.depaul.edu/candle-making-at-home-kit/ 

 

 

DO

 

• Lay down news paper on every surface (The floors, counter, table, etc.)

 

 

 

• Drill a hole in you popsicles sticks to hold wick upright while the candle is drying
  (this is way easier than balancing the wick against butter knives and popsicle sticks )

 

 

• Use the cold weather to your advantage! If you are doing stripes and layers of different colored wax,
  put your candle outside to cool and harden faster to speed up the process

 

 

Example of colored layers that I chilled in the snow (notice how the wick resting on the popsicle stick is messy! I should have drilled it)

 

• Add texture to your candle. I experimented with sprinkles, glitter , even coffee grounds
  (but make sure to wait until the very end and sprinkle this on top of an almost hard candle so that everything doesn’t sink to the bottoms and disappear)

Examples of added texture (Left to right: used coffee grounds, sprinkles, glitter)

 

• Melt down old candles and add neutral wax to extend a smell you like
  ( you can use essential oils but it definitely requires more than a few drops to truly smell it when it’s burning)

 

• Switch up your holder, I experimented with mason jars, tea cups, and old candle casings
  • check out our 40 second tik tok that shows you exactly how to do it   https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMeYp7beV/

 

• Consider using more than one wick! If the candle is large sometimes adding two or three wicks is a good choice

 

 

 

 

 

Don’t

• Fill your pot of water so high that your jars can top over (the wax will cling to the side of the pot and be tedious to remove)

 

• Add texture in the middle of the process
  ( I’m saying it again, if you want to see your sprinkles or glitter wait until the candle is almost completely cooled so they don’t sink to the bottom)

 

• Use tongs to handle hot glass  (pour or remove the wax jars from the boiling water with something that has a better grip like pot holders or hand towels)

 

 

Oh No I Messed Up! Now What?  (Don’t Panic! Here are some wax mistake fixes)

 

How to remove waxy residue from the sides of your boiling pot :

If the glass you use to heat the wax falls over in the pot the wax will begin to coat the sides. Boil water and dump it out into the sink
(repeat a few times until the pot feels less waxy and looks less shiny) then go in with a paper towel and wipe the film off the sides.
I usually boil water in it one more time (if the water is really scented continue the process)

How to remove wax off your floor/counter/stove top:

Wait for wax to dry (or add ice to speed up the process) and scrape off really well with a Gift card
(I didn’t like how it felt after so I went over the spot with Clorox wipes)

 

 

How to reuse an old candle:

I cleaned out and reused my favorite candle jars by scraping out the old used wax and throwing it out. Scrape out leftover wax and save for later.
Boil the jar in water and then wipe out the soot and extra wax with a paper towel. Hot glue a new wick into the jar and refill the container with melted wax.

Watch this process in a short clip:  https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMeYp7beV/