after walking into someone’s house or a business that has scented candles burning, you feel the holiday spirit. The problem is that store-bought candles are expensive. To save money and choose a fragrance that you love, why not make holiday candles? Doing this is a lot easier than you think.
Endless Possibilities
One of the most exciting things about DIY holiday candles is the endless possibilities. Along with colors and embellishments, you can select the fragrances that you like the best. In addition, you can make all kinds of different shapes and sizes. You can make candles for your home or business. In addition, DIY candles make great gifts.
Here are the supplies you’ll need for a DIY candle to enjoy during the holiday season:
- Small glass measuring cup
- Wick
- Wooden dowel
- Glue gun and glue
- Colored soy wax flakes
- Essential oils (your choice)
- Thermostat
- Scissors
- Double boiler
- Oven mitt
Getting Started
For DIY holiday candles, measure out two cups of soy wax flakes. Since they’ll melt during the process, this ensures you’ll have the right amount of wax to make one candle. Then, place the flakes in a double boiler. Using the wooden dowel, stir them until they’re completely melted, or they reach 180 degrees Fahrenheit on the thermostat.
At that point, the wax needs to cool to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Allowing the wax to cool prevents any cracking while it begins to harden. While the wax cools, place a small dab of glue in the bottom of the container used to hold the candle when it’s finished.
While it’s still warm, place the wick on top. Next, use the wooden dowel to keep the wick upright as you pour the wax into the container.
Making Your Candle Smell Amazing
This is when you’ll add the essential oil. Because you’re making a holiday candle, choose scents accordingly. For instance, cedarwood, evergreen, and apple pie are popular choices. On the other hand, you can create a scent by mixing different essential oils.
For example, if you want your DIY holiday candles to smell like homemade snickerdoodle cookies, you’d use five drops of cinnamon and 10 drops of vanilla essential oils. However, if you prefer a spiced cider scent, use five drops of clove bud and 10 drops of sweet orange.
With that done, you’ll now pour the wax into the container. After letting the candle sit for 24 hours, use the scissors to cut the wick to the appropriate height.
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Now for the Fun Part
Before burning your candle, setting it out for display, or gifting it to someone, you want to decorate the container. For Thanksgiving, you could wrap a ribbon of orange, yellow, red, and black around the rim. Finish it off with a fresh sprig of pine or evergreen.
For a DIY Christmas candle, consider wrapping a small plaid ribbon in green, red, and black colors. On top of that, add a small piece of twine. Depending on the look you’re going for, you could stencil on decals such as snowflakes or snowmen.