Posted by Les Mauvaises Herbes
Making your own soy wax candles… with crackling wooden wicks on top of it all, can seem intimidating.
We invite you to get that notion out of your head RIGHT. AWAY.
Can you make yourself some Kraft Dinner? Then you're up to the task and you'll know how to make candles. No joke! It requires a few specific skills, but we’re going to explain it so well that you won’t have any choice but to give it a try!
In this post, we’re sharing a tested and approved method! For a while, we provided an express recipe without a thermometer, but we are now sharing a more comprehensive recipe for greater efficiency!
For the process, you will need:
- a digital scale (if you are using essential oils or fragrances, you will need a precision scale)
- a digital thermometer
- a calculator, or a pencil if you're more old-school when it comes to doing multiplication
- a double boiler
- a few simple ingredients
- some cute small containers and a little bit of time.
As you know, we have everything you need to make your candles on our online shop and at our storefront: wax, wicks, and essential oil blends to naturally scent them all!
Little flames that have been with us for a long time
"Candles" are part of human history. From oil lamps to wax candles, they were originally utilitarian: a source of light. Now, we use them more for the ambiance, the comfort they bring, the ritual, and the celebration.
A nice hot bath accompanied by a homemade crackling candle (a bit like your own personal little fireplace) and a good moon latte, from time to time, warms the heart.
Since we're warming our hearts with candles, we suggest you make your own personalized ones, based on simple, natural ingredients... rather than opting for a drugstore version with a persistent smell of who-knows-what.
Photo: Jacinthe MorinThe different types of wax
When it comes time to choose the type of vegetable wax to make candles, there is no shortage of choices on the market: soy wax, beeswax, coconut wax, paraffin, carnauba wax, candelilla wax, etc.
Is one better than another when it comes to health? Not really.
As soon as burning something is involved, you shouldn't expect it to be truly beneficial. Let's be realistic.
Are candles dangerous to our health? The impact of candle smoke in a well-ventilated room will likely not have more impact than ambient air pollution. So no, there isn't really a negative impact on health. Not to mention that the positive effect on mood is certainly not negligible!
It is rather the ethical and environmental aspect that we must evaluate to make our choice.
We have chosen to offer only one type of wax in our shop: pure soy wax, without additives.
Is it the perfect wax? Probably not, but we think it is an EXCELLENT choice. We’ll explain why.
Let’s review the options:
- Paraffin is a petroleum derivative. We prefer to avoid it;
- Beeswax? It’s a precious material made by our dear friends the bees. We prefer to reserve it for making products that will truly let us benefit from its virtues (for the skin, for example). Candles are not part of that;
- Coconut wax is very "soft"; paraffin is often added to firm it up, which doesn't get us very far!
- Carnauba wax comes from the leaves of a palm tree in northeastern Brazil. Besides not being very local, its production is said to contribute to deforestation in the Amazon. To be avoided!;
- Candelilla wax, for its part, in addition to not being local, involves an extraction method using sulfuric acid... a process often dangerous for Mexican workers, whose conditions are otherwise very questionable. That is why we stopped selling this product in our online shop after being made aware of this situation.
The soy wax we offer comes from sustainable, GMO-free soy crops in the United States. It is 100% additive-free. Something difficult to find!
Ours contains hydrogenated soy oil, nothing else (the hydrogenation process, without hexane, is mandatory to transform soy oil into wax).
Plus, our wax is 100% safe for cosmetic use. Double YEAH!
Making candles with your eyes closed (or almost)
Ingredients/tools
- Soy wax in sufficient quantity. Soy wax flakes are bulky but very light. Here is a little trick to calculate the amount needed, based on the volume of your containers. To find the amount of wax needed in grams:
Container volume (ml) x number of containers x 0.77
= amount of wax needed (in grams)
Don't know the volume of your container because you found it at a thrift store? Nothing could be simpler. Fill your container with water and pour it into a measuring cup! Tadaa!
- container(s) of your choice (vintage cup, tin can, Mason jar, etc.)
- wooden wick of the appropriate width* + metal base
- epoxy glue, Krazy Glue, or industrial glue
- optional: 5 to 10% essential oils calculated based on your amount of wax in grams. So, if you weighed 100 g of wax, you will need 5 to 10 g of essential oils in total.
- large Pyrex cup, stainless steel mixing bowl, or other heat-resistant container to melt the candle wax
- digital scale
- digital thermometer
*How to choose the right wick size for your container?
We will choose a wick size based on the diameter of our container.
| Wooden wick size | Container diameter |
| Small (0.375 in or 10 mm) | 6-7 cm |
| Medium (0.5 in or 13 mm) | 7 to 9 cm (e.g., small-mouth Mason jar) |
| Large (0.625 in or 16 mm) | 9 to 11 cm (e.g., wide-mouth Mason jar) |
Photo: Jacinthe MorinMaking
1. To be ultra-safe, we recommend fixing the wick to the bottom of the container with epoxy or industrial glue. Some people just insert the wick into the wax when it starts to harden. That works great! But we prefer to fix it, just to avoid the risk of it slipping once the wax is completely melted. A flame in direct contact with a glass wall will cause it to shatter...
2. Measure the amount of wax needed according to your container(s) (see formula above).
3. Melt in a double boiler, stirring regularly so that the temperature rises uniformly. We like using a pot of water with a rag at the bottom, on which we place a large Pyrex measuring cup or a stainless steel mixing bowl containing the wax.
4. When the temperature of the wax reaches 80°C (176°F), turn off the heat and remove the wax from the double boiler.
5. Let it cool until the temperature reaches 60°C (140°F).
Photo: Jacinthe Morin6. Add the essential oils to the wax and stir for a minute with a fork or a small whisk.
7. Let the wax cool again until it reaches 55°C (131°F) and slowly pour the wax into the container(s), being careful not to spill any on the wick!
8. Even if the urge to light your beautiful candle is very, very strong, let it rest for at least 24 hours before using it to properly set the essential oils.
9. After this endless waiting time, trim the wooden wick to about 5 mm from the surface of the candle. You can use the tools you have on hand. No need for a fancy wick trimmer. A pair of scissors, nail clippers, or wire-cutter-type pliers will do the job just fine!
Use
Small tips for maintaining the flame (of your candle, uhuh).
Rule 1: Always let it burn long enough until the wax pool reaches the edges of the container. This corresponds to approximately 1 hour per 2.5 cm of diameter. Otherwise, a wax tunnel will form and your candle will dig down. Not only will it burn much faster, but the flame might eventually suffocate. We don't want that.
Rule 2: Always maintain your wick after a little session. How? By letting the wax cool completely and trimming the wick to about 5 mm from the surface. Our method? We take the cooled candle, turn it upside down (so that the bits of burnt wick don't end up on the wax), pinch the wooden wick between the thumb and index finger, and simply remove what remains between our fingers. Voila! Let’s call this the "wick-pinch" method. We just invented the name.
Rule 3: Obviously, you never leave a burning candle unattended, right!
That's it!
Essential oils, flashpoints… Let’s demystify!
Putting essential oils in a homemade candle? Yes, it’s possible, but you must remain aware that they are heat-sensitive materials. Ideally, you can opt for essential oils that have flashpoints higher than the melting point of our wax, so they can better withstand the impact of the heat. That being said, using essential oils in a candle is more for the scent and the pleasure they provide than for their aromatherapy properties. If you are looking to benefit from the properties of essential oils, we invite you to turn to diffusion instead!
What is the flashpoint?
The flashpoint is the lowest temperature at which the combustible gas emanating from a liquid can ignite upon contact with a naked flame or spark. In other words, it is the combustibility index of a liquid in contact with an ignition source.
It should not be confused with the ignition point (auto-ignition temperature), which represents the lowest temperature at which a substance can ignite without an external source of ignition (flame or spark).
Many websites suggest, during production, not to add essential oils to liquefied wax if its temperature is higher than the flashpoint of the essential oil, for fear that it might self-combust. We want to reassure you: the auto-ignition temperatures of essential oils, when listed, are very high. No chance of reaching them with simple melted soy wax. For example, the flashpoint of Ho wood is 75°C, and its auto-ignition temperature is 235°C.
“Yes, but when the candle is burning, there is a flame. Can the essential oils in the wax ignite?”
You have to keep in mind that the flashpoint applies to pure, undiluted essential oils. In a candle, essential oils are diluted and dispersed in the wax. This data therefore no longer applies directly.
Obviously, never add essential oil directly into the melted wax while your candle is burning, say, if you find your candle isn't smelling strong enough...! That would be a real problem, because it would be extremely concentrated! Too bad, you’ll adjust your recipe for the next batch. Your current candle stays as it is.
Photo: Jacinthe MorinOur opinion and experience? There is a LOT of contradictory information on the web regarding the famous flash points, and few solid references… For our part, we believe that with an essential oil concentration of 5 to 10%, it poses no danger. We have done numerous tests; we have used a torch directed directly into the melted wax containing essential oils (regardless of their flash point), and we have never had a problem. This is also the opinion of Robert Tisserand, a leading authority in the world of essential oils.
It must be kept in mind that it remains a CANDLE. It is fire. The object itself poses a fire risk, with or without essential oils. But it is not the addition of a small amount of diluted essential oils that will increase the risks.
There is a second reason why it is relevant to be interested in the flash point of essential oils: scent longevity.
And generally, we can agree that it is better not to denature essential oil molecules if you want to benefit from their scent and properties. That is why, in our method, we wait a little while before adding the essential oils, until the wax temperature drops a bit.
In the case of our wax, the melting point is 51.67°C (125°F). The temperature of the melted wax when using our candle? Around 60°C. We therefore prefer essential oils with a flash point above 60°C to ensure we do not denature the aromas of these precious ingredients.
That being said, we invite you to do your own tests! Some essential oils will have a lasting scent despite a flash point below this temperature. It goes to show that it is not an exact science!
STILL, making soy wax candles is quite safe, let's remember, because:
- the melting point of our wax is super low;
- the essential oils are added during the manufacturing process to melted wax (NO flame is involved during this step);
- since essential oil molecules are fat-soluble, they dilute uniformly into the wax, which means that even when burning a candle scented with essential oils, the candle flame should not come into contact with pure essential oil.
When in doubt, we choose essential oils with a flash point higher than 60°C because 1) we want to avoid the possibility of combustion and 2) we want to avoid denaturing the molecules of our precious essential oils.
Essential oils to favor
We have prepared a small non-exhaustive list of essential oils that have higher flash points and that can be favored for making your own homemade candles.
"Is it a big deal if I use an essential oil with a lower flash point?"
No, it is not a big deal. In fact, we use essential oils that are off this list in our own candles, including our wonderful Winter Candle, and we promise, they smell heavenly! What might happen is that the scent is sometimes less durable in certain cases.
Here are some essential oils with high flash points:
| Essential oils | Flash points |
| Star anise | 90 |
| Exotic basil | 75 |
| Cinnamon (leaf) | 90 |
| Clary sage | 75 |
| Clove | 93 |
| Corn mint | 87 |
| Rose geranium | 64 |
| Ho wood | 75 |
| True lavender | 71 |
| Ceylon citronella | 81 |
| Palmarosa | 93 |
| Patchouli | 116 |
| Peppermint | 75 |
| Petitgrain bigarade | 75 |
| Tea tree | 60 |
| Ylang-ylang | 87 |
You now have everything in hand to bring ambiance to your home, warmth to your heart, hygge to your bedroom,lagom to your bathroom, LOVE IN THE AIR.
Happy chandeling! (We just invented that one, too.)
Troubleshooting
"The wick of my candles doesn't stay lit or the flame is very small. Why?"
Wooden wicks are a bit more "fickle," but once you learn to get to know them and use them properly, you'll never want to go back, we promise!
About 80% of the time, the size of the wick is the problem. And it's not that it's too short! No, no!
It's the opposite. Often it's that it's too long!
Yes! Because it is not the wood that keeps the wick lit… it is thanks to the wax that rises! That is what fuels the flame: if the wick is too long, the wax will have more difficulty rising (by capillary action) to the top. So it is super important to trim the wick well before the first use (0.5 cm) but also to maintain it between sessions by removing the charred parts.
Second thing: during the first session (and all the others too, but even more so the first), it is super important to let it burn long enough for the melted wax to reach the edge. If you don't do that, it will create a tunnel and a small "depression" near the wick. This is not optimal for the flame in the long run, because the oxygen level will not be optimal.
This last point therefore also implies selecting the right wick width for the container. A wick that is too thin in a wide container will not allow the wax to burn to the edge during a session.
Don't be discouraged if it doesn't work on the first try or the second! That's part of the fun of DIY. Candle making is both simple and complex. There are lots of factors that can affect the effectiveness of the wick (the type of wax, the container, the width of the wick, the alignment of the stars, haha).
"I'm having trouble lighting the wooden wick. What should I do?"
To light these beautiful crackling wooden wicks, the ideal is to use a BBQ lighter. It takes a little longer to light than a cotton wick. A small match is not enough!
Do you have other questions? Would you like to see the manufacturing process in person before getting started? That works out well! We offer a candle making workshop at our shop!
