Making Your Own Candles

Whether you're using candles in a religious ceremony, for a birthday party, or just for decoration around your house, it's a fact that candles are used often in our society. In this article you will find the basic information to help make your own candles at home.

The first thing that you need to do is be aware of what can go wrong and how to prevent it.

Safety in candle making is not that far off from cooking an average meal. If you have long hair, pull it back out of the way. Make sure that you aren't wearing any dangling jewelry. Make sure that the handle of the pan you use is turned inward.

In case of fire keep a fire extinguisher close by. If the wax does catch fire turn off the heat. Do not remove pan from burner. If you don't have a fire extinguisher, then use a lid, a damp towel or baking soda to douse the fire. Never use water to extinguish a fire in candle making or any form of oil cooking. Using water will only spread the fire. It's important to keep the wax at a temperature of 212^o F (100^o C). According to Dee Stapleton, wax doesn't boil, so watch it for smoking. If it starts to smoke turn off the heat immediately and let the wax cool. It's best to place a thermometer in the pan to keep the wax from overheating.

In case of spills surround your immediate cooking area with aluminum foil for easy clean up. If the wax does spill it's ok. There are ways of getting it up. If it's a spill on a metal or plastic surface you can either let the wax harden then simply break the wax off, or you can place the object in boiling water and the wax will melt and float to the top of the pan. If wax lands on carpeting or clothing then scrape as much wax off as you can. Then, place a paper towel on the stain and press a hot iron into the towel firmly. The heat will move the wax from the cloth to the paper towel.

You need to make sure and have plenty of room in your work area to move. Also make sure this area is clean and free of clutter. Keep all equipment that you will be using on this project close at hand.

You never want to leave the melting wax unattended, so also make sure that you can be distraction free.

Now that you know basic candle making safety, you will need to make a list of the tools that you need.