Making your own gel candles is an easy way to enjoy a night in with a favorite scent. They are also a great way to teach children, or young adults, about the science of chemistry.
Gel candles are one of the oldest methods for making candles. The term is technically from the word gel, which is used to describe an immobile solid that can be rolled into a ball and wound like a tube.
This technology was first introduced around the Middle Ages to use during winter time when fireplace ashes were readily available. Since they required very specific skills to succeed at, wood burning gel candle making was considered challenging even for the expert.
Today, there are many ways to make your gel candles. They can be made by using either wax or wicks, but the most common way is by using wax and wicks.
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Buy clear wax
When wax is burned, it creates waxy deposits that stick to the walls of the flame. These deposits are called flames and they create a molecular dance that creates heat and pressure, making wax hard and sticking.
When making gel candles, you will need some form of wax to create the base for your candle. Most commonly, this is clear wax. There are also colored or special type of wax such as soft butter which makes a very rich butter soaps.
If you want your candle to be lighter or have a longer burn time, then use stronger wax such as cedar or sandalwood oil. If you like your candle being softer and less fragrant then use less strong wax such as olive oil or rice bran oil.
Buy color wax
When making gel candle at home, you will need to buy color wax. This is possible either by buying a bag of white wax or by buying a colored wax. Either way, you will need to grind the wax before applying it to your candle.
The process of grating the wax is called cutting. When the Wax Coop teaches you how to make your own candles, they use either far infrared or static charge grooms. These require special equipment and training to use.
If you want a soft, gentle candle that does not burn as long, then far infrared is your best bet. If you want a more powerful candle that lasts longer, then static charge is your better choice.
Buy scents
Before you can make gel candle at home, you must buy some scents. There are many brands sell scent, but here are some of the best:
Vanilla – This is the classic flavor that everyone loves. You can make a sweet and savory dessert invanilla candle form by adding brown sugar to the mixture and baking until golden. Or you could add chocolate chips if you are making a chocolatey candle.
Cedarwood – This is another classic scent that everyone likes. It is hard to find it at your local grocery store, but here is an article about making your own at home: http://www-6346/iledepot/article/how-to-make-cedarwood-candy-candle.
Peppermint – This is another favorite smell that people like.
Get plastic spoon
If you do not have a spoon to make gel candle at home, get a plastic spoon. You will be using it to pick up the wax, so make sure it is long enough to pick up the wax.
Pick your color
GCs are usually color based. You can choose between blue, pink, red, or white wax. These colors can be exciting to mix together!
Mixing them is the fun part. How you mix the colors depends on what flavor your candle is. Some color combinations are positive and neutral: pink and white, red and white, and blue and white.
Melt the colored wax
Once your gel candle has been burning for a while and you have taken a few breaks to enjoy it, you may need to add more wax or wax embers.
This is due to the wax being hard to melt. It may be taking the correct heat level and flame length to create enough wax to hold its shape. If this is the case, allow it to cool slightly before trying to remove the bottom of thewick.
Once it has cooled, re-torch if needed and then simple insert a wick and pour in some burnable liquid. Let it dry for a short time and then fire up! Now you can take your first burns for fear of breaking it, because it is hot!
Make sure you have used enough wax so that your candle looks completely full or solidified on the end of thewick.
Mix the colored wax and clear wax
Once the gel wax is mixed, it is time to create the base for your candle. You can use boiling water or a candle simmering medium depending on which side of hot and clear wax you are talking about. Either way, it does not matter as the wax will be mixed together in the same way once it is melted.
Some waxes are naturally more soft while others are harder. We recommend using a softer wax because our customers do not like hard candles very much. When making your own, remember that slightly too much of a wax can result in a hard candle. If you like this style of candle, try adding some softer Wax next time!
The last step is to let your honey and spices do their work before pouring in the flame.
Pour into candle holder
Now is the time to pour your gel into your candle making device! Make sure your device has a Ceran stick or flint, if you do not have one of those.
Then, place the flint on the bottom of the cartridge and turn it on. If you have to purchase one, make sure it has both sides!
Now, place the top onto your candle making device and press down firmly to create your wick. Now, take a taper flame and start burning! If you want a thicker candle, add more firewood or burn longer!
That is it for making your own home tinted candles! You can add some scent oils if you want to add some scent too.
Let it dry
Once the gel candle is burned down to the bottom, you need to let it dry. This can be tricky if you are using a small burner or no burner!
If using a large burner, take some time to set up with the wick and gear. Then, sit back and enjoy your wax-burning monster! If using a flameless burner, let it sit until it has cooled completely.
If making with an air-flame method such as stove-to-burn or burning stelle, wait until the wax has cooled sufficiently before wrapping up the flame. Similar to setting your water heater hot water tank on thermal mode, you want to activate this mode when starting out with wax burning.