Make Your Own Soy Wax and Bees Wax Candles

Learn how you can easily make your own, toxin-free, all natural candles with either soy wax or bees wax and optional essential oils.

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I always like fun and easy projects.

Candle making is one of those.

And you get to choose the ingredients – which are completely natural and toxin free.

After all, lighting candles makes your home feel so cozy and festive.

Why make your own candles?

I have to admit that sometimes I enjoy looking at those pretty, scented candles in the stores. I open them and smell them. Unfortunately, most of the time, I find the scent overwhelming and not natural (synthetic). Maybe I have just become more sensitive over time. But hey, one more reason to go natural.

Commercial candles are often made with paraffin wax which is a petroleum by-product. The wicks are often made from lead. And the scents and colors tend to be synthetic chemicals. All those can create carcinogenic compounds that pollute the air in your home. You can read more here and here.

Better alternatives are soy or beeswax based candles. They are completely natural products. You can either enjoy them unscented – or add your own favorite essential oils or oil blends. Aromatherapy at its best!

What you need for candle making

I find it so worthwhile to invest in a few good products and the wax for candle making. When you ultimately brake down the cost, these homemade candles are not very expensive.

SOY WAX OR BEES WAX – soy wax is pretty much odorless whereas beeswax has a honey smell to it. I prefer the former for when I want to make scented candles but I love the smell of honey of the bees wax candles. Therefore, I like to make both.

You can find soy wax and bees wax in craft stores or online (here and here). Any left over bees wax is also great for making bees wax wraps.

ESSENTIAL OILS – these are optional. Again, I love the pure smell of beeswax candles. But sometimes, I like to add lavender essential oil or a seasonal blend to my candles. After much research, I highly recommend essential oils from Organic Lavendar” target=”_blank”>Plant Therapy. You can get them from the company directly or on amazon.

WICKS – I choose cotton wicks. They can be found wherever you find candle-making supplies or online.

The following supplies you will only need to get once:

WICK HOLDERS – the help the wicks stay upright and centered. You can buy them in stores or online. Alternatively, can you use cheap chopsticks (those that are stuck together) or simply use pencils.

Candle making supplies are also available as complete kits.

JARS – my favorite ones are little glas tea light holders from Ikea but any jar works. You can even use small 4 oz mason jars .

LARGE POT – you will need this for the water bath to melt the wax

How to make the candles

Fill a pot large enough to hold your candle jars on a stove and fill it with water. You want the water to be a bit below the top of the jars. If you have more jars than can fit in your pot, you can make several batches. Heat the water over a gentle heat. You want to melt the wax but not create a roaring boil of the water.

Fill your jars with wax. The soy wax will collapse quite a bit so you’ll want to really pile it in there. It’s up to you how much wax you want in these jars but I like them pretty full. No worries, you can always add more wax as it’s melting and collapsing.

Set the jars in the pot and watch your wax melt. Soy wax will melt much quicker than bees wax. When the wax has completely melted, carefully lift the jars out of the water (they’re hot!!). Set them on a heat-proof surface.

This is the time to add essential oils if you’re choosing that. I use about 20 drops for those small jars. Feel free to play with the ratios, though!

I like to use the wick to stir the wax and essential oils. Set the wick with either the wick holder, your chop sticks, or pencils. Let the candles cool down and harden.

Voilà! Now you have homemade candles!

How to use your candles

You might love your homemade soy or bees wax candles so much that you’ll want to light them in your home.

As you can see, this project is something that you can easily to with children.

The finished candles make perfect gifts, though. Completely homemade and all natural. The recipient will definitely feel the love that you poured into those candles!

I would love to hear your comments and questions below!

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