The Easiest Way to Make Beautiful Candles at Home

And the Safest, Too

Candle sales in the United States are brisker than ever right now. Surveys show that women purchase the majority of the candles sold. And, it's no wonder! Candles are a welcome gift to give at any time of the year, especially as housewarming gifts, birthday gifts, or as wedding presents. Candles are available in all shapes and sizes, and they come in an attractive variety of colors and fragrances that will match your decor as well as your mood.

If you're interested in making your own candles, the process is not as difficult as you may think. All you need are some basic materials. These materials can be purchased at your local craft store. Or, you can perform a search on the Internet and find all the items you need there. You'll need wicks, a pound of beeswax, stearic acid, candle molds, vegetable oil, a double boiler, and a candy thermometer. If you want to make your candles smell good, you can buy fragrances to add to the wax. The range of fragrances available are virtually endless! You can choose French Vanilla, Apples 'n Cinnamon, Lavender, Rose Petals, Homemade Apple Pie, and Mocha, just to name a few.

The first step in this project is to carefully heat the wax by placing it in a double boiler. Once the wax is melted, you'll need to add approximately three teaspoons of stearic acid to it. The stearic acid helps the wax to harden properly. In the meantime, while the wax is melting in the double boiler, you should use a little vegetable oil to place a thin layer of lubricant on the inside of each candle mold. The vegetable oil will help the hardened wax release from the molds. The next step is to use a candy thermometer to check the temperature of the melted wax. 

Once it reaches two hundred degrees Fahrenheit, you'll need to remove it from the heat. Quickly stir in any fragrance you desire. Then, carefully fill each candle mold up. Allow each candle to just start to harden. Then, stick a wick all the way down into the wax of each mold. Each wick should be as long as the candle is tall, plus an inch of it should stick out of the top. Once the wax is completely cooled and hardened, carefully remove each candle from its mold.