Natural soy wax candles with essential oils are one of the prettiest gifts for friends and families. They are made from soybean fat which is all-natural. And while burning, soy candles don’t give off soot-like some other candle waxes. It’s really easy and fast to make your own scented soy candles, even if you’re a beginner.
What’s better, you can get a professional soy wax candle making kit that helps you easy to get started. If you’re looking for a home-based business project to earn extra money, soy candle-making is also a great option.
Can I Add Essential Oils to Soy Candles? And Is It Safe?
Of course, yes. Soy wax holds scent very well. It is one of the best candle waxes to make scented candles. According to your preference, you can add essential oils like Lavender, Lemongrass, Golden Gardenia, or any other scents. Regarding safety, a well-made and properly burned candle, whether scented or unscented, will burn cleanly and safely. And fragrances approved for candle usage, whether man-made or natural, are toxic-free. When making scented soy candles, you need to calculate how much essential oil you’ll need for a batch of soy candles.
Just one thing to point out, compared with fragrance oils, essential oils have lighter scents for candle making. You need to add more essential oils to achieve a decent smell.
Can I Add Dried Flowers, Herbs, or Other Things to Decorate My Soy Candles?
If you want to make your handmade soy candles look more beautiful, it’s a good idea to add some decorative items, such as dried flowers, flower petals, pine needles, etc. Just two tips to remember: peel the decorations into small parts, and don’t add too much.
Now, let’s get started to make scented soy candles with essential oils at home. We also have a beginner’s guide to make any candles, including making beeswax candles, soy candles, container candles, pillars, votives, etc.
What Candle-making Supplies You’ll Need to Make Soy Wax Candles at Home?
What You Need to Make Soy Candles
- Soy wax
- Essential oils (or fragrance oils), if you want to make scented candles
- Soy candle containers
- Wax melting pot
- Wicks
- Glues
- Wick holder
- Thermometer
- Kitchen scale (optional, but recommended)
- A spoon or a stirring stick
You can get everything from the Soy Candle Making Kit PRO or a candle-making starter kit. Besides, you can recycle the leftover soy wax from finished candles to make new soy candles. As for containers, you can reuse old candle containers that were once used for finished candles or upcycle mason jars.
How to Make Scented Soy Candles Step by Step?
Before starting to make soy candles, we need to prepare a flat surface as the work station and cover it with newspapers or a table cloth. It will save you a lot of effort to clean up after pouring candles.
You can watch a video tutorial about how to make soy wax candles.
Let’s go on with the tutorial.
Step 1: Prepare wicks and containers.
For candle-making beginners, it’s better to prepare wicks and containers before starting to melt soy wax. Now, take out one wick and stick a glue dot to the bottom. Then, place the wick to the bottom center of the container. In addition to glue dots, the superglue or glue gun can also be good. Finally, use a wick holder to hold the wick and keep it center and straight.
Repeat if you plan to make several soy wax container candles.
Step 2: Melt soy wax.
Pro tip: Calculate how much soy wax you’ll need at first. On the one hand, this helps save candle-making supplies. On the other hand, it will save you time and effort to clean up leftover wax after making soy candles.
After measuring the soy wax you need to make candles, now we can go on to melt it. Fill a pan with water and put it on the stove. Don’t fill it with too much water; about 1/3 full of water will be good. Pour the soy wax into the melting pot, then place the pot into the pan. Heat the water and stir the wax until it becomes soft and melted.
Please note that the melting points of soy wax may be different depending on the ratio of the ingredients. For example, the melting point of the soy wax we’re using is 125°F/52°C. Keep heating until the wax melts completely. Usually, you need to heat the soy wax to about 185°F/85°C.
Read more: 4 Methods to Melt Wax to Make Candles at Home
Step 3: Add essential oils to soy wax.
After the soy wax melted completely, remove it from the stove and let it cool. At about 175~185°F (79~85°C), add essential oils to the wax and keep stirring. Usually, approximately 1oz essential oil per pound wax will smell good. If you prefer a stronger scent, add more essential oils.
Step 4: Pour soy candles.
When the mixture cools down to about 130~135°F (54~57°C), pour your own soy candles into the containers. You need to pour it slowly and steadily to prevent bubbles and candle cracking later. Leave some room at the top.
If you want to add decorative items to your soy candles, do it now.
Pro tip: If this is your first time making soy candles, you can leave a little soy wax mixture aside. Let the candle cool and poke holes, then remelt the wax mixture and pour in. You may get a much better result.
Step 5: Let your soy candles cool.
Let the soy candles cool completely. It may take one or two days to harden. Then trim the wick to about 1/4 inch.
Voila! You have made your first scented soy candles.
If you want to give these handmade soy candles to your friends and families as gifts, you can further embellish them with beautiful ribbons, personal drawings, or other décors. Put them into a gift box. Then give and enjoy.
Conclusion
It’s so easy to make scented soy candles at home. Following this beginner’s guide, you can make your own soy candles and give them to your loving ones as creative gifts. Happy candle-making.
FAQ about How to Make Scented Soy Candles with Essential Oils
Q: Are Soy Candle Better/the Best?
A: Not necessarily. Soy wax is widely accepted by candle makers and users nowadays because it’s natural, easy to color and to clean up, burning long and clean, and also cheaper than other natural candle waxes, like beeswax and coconut wax. As pure soy wax is very soft in texture, it is great for container candles but not that good for candles without a holder or container. Refer to this guide to choose wax and make different candles.
Q: Are Soy Candles Bad for Environment?
A: No. Soy wax is made from soybeans which are all-natural and eco-friendly.
Q: How Long does Homemade Soy Candles Last?
A: It depends on the size of soy candles you made.
