Did you ever want to learn how to make soy candles?
If you answered positively, you are one person in the growing population of candle-makers.
The candle market has been booming for a couple of years, but more and more people are starting to experiment with making their candles. Soy is especially popular due to its wonderful scent.
Although the business is booming, the internet still doesn’t offer many quality guides on candle-making. With that in mind, I’ve decided to make an instructional article on making soy candles as a DIY project.
Photo by Pairfum London on Unsplash
If you are keen on learning about this, keep reading and prepare yourself for a shopping trip before you start!
What Gear Do I Need?
Soy candles are specific due to the wonderful scent and health benefits they offer. The making process requires certain ingredients. You should get soy wax flakes, fragrance oil (you blend it with a candle dye). Next, you need to get a glue gun, wick, and stabilization which connect to the jar’s bottom.
The process itself could be broken down into a few key steps. You need to melt the wax and color using candle dye. Then you need to thread the wick using a wick holder, and then you put the wax into the jar. After that, you need to wait until the candles cool down. Next, you cut them with scissors.
What is a Soy Candle?
Before going into the depths of the making process, it is crucial to say that soy wax is a container candle because its melting point is fairly low, compared to other candle types. It sits between 49 and 82 degrees Celsius.
However, you can turn these candles into pillar candles if you combine additives with soy wax. It is excellent if you want to enjoy the scent of soy candles without having to carry a container everywhere you go.
Why Do You Need to Make Soy Candles?
Although soy candles offer many unique benefits in terms of smell, their utility is not limited to their fragrance. One of the reasons why they are booming in the health and therapeutic world is due to their health and environmental benefits.
Soy Candles Are Good for Agriculture
The health benefits soy can provide to our bodies are already well-known. There are lots of healthy recipes that include soy, but their power goes beyond that. Many candles use paraffin as their base.
Since it is petroleum content it is not a renewable source and its effect on the environment is quite hazardous. On the other hand, soybeans are grown by farmers, often in a completely natural manner, which means that it is a much safer and environment-friendly option. Moreover, if you are keen on farming, you can grow your soybeans or buy them from a local farm owner.
They Provide Cleaner Burning
Having a clear burning cycle is one of the main properties of a high-quality candle. Paraffin candles burn a lot of soot, which can result in black soot that collects inside the jar and can negatively affect house walls.
Soy-based candles offer a clean-burning that doesn’t produce black soot and you don’t have to worry about health issues. Moreover, they are non-toxic which translates as a good choice if you care about keeping the environment clean.
Long-Lasting than Paraffin Candles
When you make a purchase, you want to make sure that the product you’ve to spend the money on will provide a long-lasting value. Soy-based candles last longer compared to paraffin-based counterparts. The burning time of soy candles is slower and the burning temperature is lower than paraffin-based counterparts.
The slower burning time translates as a good investment in the long run since you will have the candle for a prolonged period. In that way, you can save money (and even more if you make them by yourself).
Creates a Pleasant Atmosphere
Soy candles come with the fragrance of essential oils, which is one of the favorite scents people love to smell. Furthermore, the burning time autonomy is much better with soy candles, so the fragrance will stay inside your home longer.
How much soy wax do I need to make soy candles?
The first thing you need is to determine the size of your container. For reference purposes, let’s assume that you have a container with a volume of 650 ml. How can you determine the amount of wax you need to make a candle?
First, you fill the container with water up to the point where the wax should be. Next, you should leave enough headspace for the candle’s wick. After that, you empty the water on the jug (or cylinder), and you measure (for reference, you can use milliliters or grams).
Hypothetically, the container volume measures 650 ml. Then the volume of the jar is 552,4g. To get the result you multiply the water’s measurement by 0,85 because the water weighs as much as its volume. One tip I can share is to add more wax to make sure that you meet the desired wax measurement.
What You Will Need to Make Soy Candles?
Prior to moving the DIY project into the practice phase, make sure to take notes of the following materials you will need to create soy candles.
The following are the essential things you need:
- Soy wax flakes
- Candle Dye
- Fragrance Oil
- Mason Jar
- Wick and Stabilizer
- Pencil or Wick holder
- Thermometer Gun
Now, you’re ready to start making your first soy candle. Be prepared to dive into the process. Here we go.
Once you have bought all of the necessary tools and ingredients you are ready to start the next phase. Read the following instructions carefully and thoroughly and you shouldn’t have problems creating great candles.
Soy Candle Making Instructions
Step 1. Connect the candle wick to the stabilizer. Then, affix the wick and stabilizer at the bottom of the jar using a hot glue gun. Make sure to stick the stabilizer properly so that you don’t have trouble when you’re about to pour the wax.
Step 2. Now, it’s time to melt the wax, but you have to be careful during this process. Why? Soy wax causes a fire if you don’t melt it properly. So, use your double boiler in melting the soy wax.
Then, place a pan filled with water on the stove. Don’t forget to put a metal mixing bowl or Pyrex on top so that it holds the container in place for it not to submerge in water.
Turn on your stove to medium heat and boil the water. You pour flakes into the bowl and stir it using a spoon or whisk. For those who would like to know how to make candle fax from scratch, we covered that too.
Important note: Be careful upon using the whisk so that you wouldn’t see bubbles after the process of candle-making.
Step 3. Here comes the fun part – you now add color to the wax.
How do you do it?
First, make sure the wax is 82C but no hotter using a thermometer gun. What if the dye flakes don’t melt quickly?
No problem. Turn on the heat a little. If you’re using black candle dye, you smash it up a bit and add the color to the wax. In this way, the dye would melt faster.
Now, here’s a question some of you might ask:
How much coloring do I need for this process?
Well, the amount of dye depends on the type of color and the size of the container. Try to do a little experiment on the color. For example, let a few drops fall from the spoon into a parchment or baking paper. Remember: the temperature shouldn’t be above 180F because the dye doesn’t melt quickly.
I found out that soy wax doesn’t color like paraffin wax. So, if you observe that wax has no color yet, then you’re using a dye unsuited for soy wax.
Step 4. This step is the exciting part for me. Why? Here, we would add fragrance to the wax. Bring down the wax temperature to 150 to160F because candle fragrance oil would evaporate if it’s above this temperature. How will you find the right candle fragrance you need? You need to work out 1/10 of the total wax weight.
Then you divide the weight of grams you calculated by 10, and that would give you the amount you need. In case the fragrance is too strong, you reduce the wax weight by 7 to 9%. You can add 11 or 12% wax if you like a strong scent.
Step 5. Now, you thread the wick through a pencil or wick holder so that the wick appears in the center of the jar when you pour wax. Take note that this step is one of the essential steps you need to know. Why? Your candle would burn unevenly if you don’t place the wick to the wick holder properly. Also, be careful when you’re about to pour your wax so that the process is successful. I’m challenged a bit by this process, but this was fun to do.
You should try it and be amazed by the result. Now, we proceed to the last, and I feel most of you are excited to find out the result of the candle-making process.
Step 6. Let your candles cool down and cut the wick using a pair of scissors. You should wait for days before you test the soy candles and give them as gifts.
Summary
Creating candles that offer both health benefits and an extraordinary smell is a process that any enthusiast can easily enjoy. As you can see, the making of soy candles is a lighthearted and fun project you can do with your family and friends, or, like me – by yourself.
Although paraffin candles have their merits and uses, soy materials are becoming more of a norm every day, and with a good reason. If you’re keen on hopping on the healthy and trendy candle train, read the article carefully a couple of times and you’re on your way to becoming a true candle-making pro!
