How To Make Homemade Scented Candles

When were scented candles invented?

The Egyptians are credited with crafting some of the first wicked candles as far back as 3,000 B.C., using waxes created from plants and insects. However, Scented Candles weren’t used until the Middle Ages, when beeswax candles were brought to Europe. The beeswax burned pure and cleanly (it didn’t create a smoky flame), and it produced an enjoyable, sweet aroma rather than the unpleasant odor of tallow, which was widely used in household candles at the time. Due to the prohibitive cost of beeswax in the Middle Ages, few people other than the wealthy could afford to burn them at home. There was a brief stint in colonial America when women used bayberries to create a sweet-smelling wax, but the process was very tedious. So, scented candles didn’t end up taking off until the mid-19th century when advancements had been made in wax and mechanization of candle production.

How does a scented candle work?

When you light the wick of a scented candle, the heat from the flame begins to melt the wax. When the fragrance molecules in the wax are heated, they emit an aroma. The scent grows stronger as more of the wax melts, so the larger your candle, the greater the fragrance you can expect once its wax pool extends to the edges of its vessel. The best way to make sure your candle melts evenly is to confirm that the wick is in the center of the candle, the candle is on a level surface, and the candle is out of the way of drafts.

How To Make Homemade Scented Candles

Scented candles are easy — and cheap! — to make. Everything you need to make them is available online, and affordable too, but a lot of this stuff you will have at home. Once you nail this recipe, they will be your go-to gift, as you can personalise the scents.

Materials

• Heat-resistant pouring pitcher (I use a 4 lb. aluminum one)
• Old saucepan
• 8 oz. canning jars
• Cooking thermometer
• Soy wax flakes
• Candle wicks
• Fragrance or Essential Oils (I use 1 oz. bottles I buy from CandleScience.com)
• Pencils or chopsticks (to hold wicks in place)
  

1. Prepare materials

You need wax melting pots, glass cups, glass stirring rods, small induction cookers, candles, molds, candle leads or wax cores

2. Wax melting

Add the prepared soybean wax (or beeswax or paraffin wax) into the wax melting pot. A larger pot of water should be added outside the wax melting pot to melt it in water to prevent the wax liquid from being burnt due to excessive temperature.

3. Fill into the cup

Pour the melted wax into the glass. During wax melting, pay attention to that the small manufacturing temperature should not be too high, and the difference between the small manufacturing temperature and the room temperature should be as small as possible. If the difference between the small manufacturing temperature and the room temperature is too large, cracks on the wax surface will occur during solidification and cooling

4. Drip in essential oil

Drop the essential oil with the flavor you like into the wax liquid, and stir it with a glass rod. The proportion can be controlled at about 5% to have a fragrance.

5. Decorative embellishment

Dried flowers can be used for decoration. Of course, decorations can be made according to personal preferences, such as peel and branches.

6. Production completed

The finished aromatic candle can be used for lighting or decoration.