Just before Christmas, I wrote a post about ideas for homemade Christmas presents. It was at that point that I found Rebecca’s beautiful tutorial over on Really Pretty Useful for DIY scented candles and I did a little squeal of excitement because I am obsessed with scented candles but they are SO expensive. I was thrilled at the prospect of saving about £30 each time I buy one and there is no easier way of instantly lifting your home than burning a beautifully scented candle.
I hope you will find this as exciting as I do and even better news – they are so ridiculously easy to make. Thank you also to Helen who saw my homemade Christmas present post and made her own candles (see the post for a picture of her candles) and told me about The Soap Kitchen, which is a great place to buy essential oils and fragrances for candles.
You will need:
Soy wax flakes (£3.16) – I bought 800g of the EcoSoya CB-Xcel flakes and this was enough to make 5 candles in the 220ml jars that you can see in my pictures.
Tabbed pre-waxed wicks (£2.05 for 10) – As Rebecca says in her tutorial, getting tabbed wicks is very important as they are a lot more stable.
Jars (£8.95 for 5) – I bought Weck tulip jars just purely because I love the shape. However, any old jam jar, tea cup, sugar bowl, kilner jar, sea shell, egg shell will do and make sure you save scented candle jars that you have bought in the past as you can easily recycle these.
Fragrance or essential oil (£2.35 for 5ml) – I chose the Fig Tree fragrance, which smells wonderful but it is quite subtle. If you want to spend a bit more and want a stronger scent then choose an essential oil.
Scissors
Saucepan (with a lip is preferable or you may need a funnel)
Wooden spoon
I spent about £16 in total but if I had used jam jars it would have cost only £7 for five candles. Amazing!
To do:
1. To work out how much wax you need, pack your jar quite tightly with wax flakes – you will need double this amount for each candle.
2. Melt the wax flakes on a low heat in a saucepan, preferably one with a lip as this will help later when you pour it into the jars. I did it in two batches. Don’t be worried about using a decent saucepan as the wax is natural and washes out with washing up liquid very easily.
3. Add your fragrance or oil once all of the flakes have dissolved. I added about 2ml of the fragrance per candle (just roughly speaking). If it smells overpowering, this is ok. Remember, you have a couple of candle’s worth of wax in your saucepan and when you burn your candle only a small amount of the wax will melt and release scent at a time.
4. Carefully pour the wax into your jars. If your jars have lids that you want to use fill up to a couple of centimetres from the top so there is space for the wick to fit under the lid.
5. Allow the wax to cool in the jar and when it starts to become cloudy and thick, which can take 15-20 minutes, push the tabbed wick in to the centre of the candle. Make sure the tabbed end makes contact with the bottom of the jar and hold in place for a few seconds until it sets in the wax.
6. Allow the wax to cool completely, preferably over night, before you cut off the top of the wick about 1cm above the level of the wax.
I think you will need to experiment with scent combinations and intensity to find the right one for you. If I hit on any winners I will update you as I’m pretty sure I will be making candles forevermore. If you need me, I will probably be making more – I am totally obsessed!
Katy xxx (extra kisses for Valentine’s Day)
Fab tutorial Katy, might just have to get myself some candle making bits and pieces, looks like a lovely craft for an afternoon. Always denying myself the big beautiful candles you see in the shops, now I’ll just have to make one instead. xx
p.s. Loved your behind the scenes shoots!
Indeed! Honestly, it doesn’t take more than about half an hour – it is so quick, so easy. x
yay! I’ve been meaning to do scented candles someday and this is perfect. Thanks so much for all the tips and links! I’ll let you know if I’m successful. xxx
(PS. LOVE the behind-scenes shots….makes me giggle at how far we go to get the most of the day light in the UK. You’d seriously laugh at my antics!)
It’s the positions I get into that must look bizarre. The apartment block opposite us can see into our sitting room and they must think I am MAD! xx
Oh my goodness, I think even I could manage this. I use scented candles while cooking curries. Kind of absorbs the smell.
You could definitely make these, Farah! I dare you to try! x
Love this tutorial both for myself and as ideas for homemade presents. I love candles, for me they’re the winter equivalent of having flowers in my home!
Thank you for the behind the scenes shots, this is similar to how I take photos of my cards so I’m glad I’m not the only one making a big pile of mess while I masking tape fabric to the walls. I’d love more tips on bodging photos if you have them 🙂
I will get to work on more bodging tips 😉 x
I can’t believe how easy these sound to make – I’d always assumed it would be a lot trickier. Thanks for sharing the ‘behind the scenes’ photos too!
I think that’s why I have put it off for so long, plus I didn’t know what I needed to make them. Hope you give it a try x
Hi Katy, does the candle dip as it cools and then need topped up to make it flat again?
Nope, mine cooled completely flat with a lovely crisp line. A couple cracked slightly but nothing major and once you start burning it it all melts into itself anyway. x
Great – thank you!
Woohoo! So happy you enjoyed it too. Rebecca’s lovely tutorial brought so much pleasure to the female half of my family this Christmas. Thank you Rebecca!
Is it possible I am about to blow the same small fortune I once spent on scented candles on an account at the Soap Kitchen…? I think so X
I know! That’s why I restricted myself to one fragrance…for starters! x
How do you push the tabbed wick into the candle…..is it still liquid enough so you drop it in, or do you need to use something to push it down into the wax? Thanks, and love this and all your posts!
Hi Shelley. You need to wait until the wax turns from clear to slightly cloudy and white (it is still liquid, but has become thicker). You just push the tabbed wick into the centre of the candle (just holding it at the top with your fingers – no special implement required). You push it to the bottom so that the tabbed end comes into contact with the bottom of the glass, which is really easy as the wax is still liquid, and you hold it there for a few seconds until you let go and it will stand on its own. I promise you, it is really simple and as soon as you have done the first you will get the hang of it immediately! x
Thank you….I think these will be perfect for Easter baskets!
Ah BUT your house is still tidy even when doing a product/ diy shot. MY house is a constant tip! Hence only photographing my mantelpiece. I might be brave one day to show a ‘real’ shot. 😉 xx
I don’t believe you, Lou! It always looks soooo dreamy beautiful in your shots xx
I have a friend who adores scented candles – this is perfect! The little jars are so sweet. Trouble is I would make them and then not want to give them away (how mean of me!). xx
Ha ha! I made five and only managed to give two away 😉 xx
Great tutorial. I’ve found that melting the wax in a big old jar in a pan filled with water saves on mess in a pan….you can just ditch the jar after use! (Maybe that’s just the lazy in me that loves that!)
I also love that you have to create your ‘studio’ – it’s really great to see some behind the scenes shots!
Author
With the soy wax flakes it is so easy to clean that there really is no mess. I was well prepared with surface coverings and an old beaten up pan, but I didn’t really need any of that xx
you are such a super star sharing this brilliant tutorial. such great tips & so kind with all the links. The candles are my idea of perfect & am going to get cracking, thank you. olivia X
Author
Yay! Enjoy xx
Hey Katy, I love this idea! But I’ve got to say, I love your photos even more! Seeing how you create such gorgeous imagery is really encouraging me to spend more time on my photo set up – so thank you! 🙂 xx
Author
So glad to hear that, Leanne! It’s not to difficult to produce simple, clean shots if you just go with a plain background and natural light, which seems like a good place to start. Xx
Finally got around to reading this in full…what a treat! Super tutorial, as ever Katy! {and as much as I’m all for recycling jars etc, these tulip glasses are just beautiful} x
A lovely post! I’ve been wanting to make my own soy candles for a while as I’m sick of forking out a fortune on expensive ones. I love those little weck jars too – I bought a jar of mustard back from Paris just for the jar! x
Author
Ha! I’ve done that before, too. It’s now my utensil holder (a big stoneware one). Good luck with the candle-making xx