Art of Making Scented Candles – 4 Tips for Creating Captivating Wax Masterpieces
Scented candles increase the ambience of any room in your home. If you are a soft, romantic person, you will enjoy the aroma of scented candles. You and your guests will be intoxicated with a sense of well being. Also, the light of almost any candle enhances the elegance of a room.
The subtle aroma of a scented candle will heighten your spirit, even before the candle is lit. When you arrive home tired and worn out from the day, the aroma & warm glow of a scented candle tends to loosen your tightness & lift your energy level.
Scented candles are great gifts for every season and all occasions; especially when they are hand crafted by yours truely.
1. Choose Your Candle Fragrance
Fragrance oil is available in most craft shops. Also, you may buy it online. I would suggest that you opt for fragrance oils rather than going for inexpensive alcohol or water based fragrances. Since your wax mix will be oil based, your fragrance should also be oil based. Why? Oil and water do not mix so a water based perfume will not mix properly with the oil based wax.
2. Pick Your Wax
The basics of scented candle making are more or less the same as for ordinary wax candles. Begin by choosing your wax type. Available in the market is a versatile range of wax starting with the naturals, beeswax, palm & soy, and progressing to paraffin or gel wax. It is important that you decide on the fragrance intensity for your candles before picking the kind of wax. For example, in case of gel candles, gel wax with less density holds less fragrance compared to gel wax with higher density.
3. The Process of Making Scented Candles
Let’s cover the method for making aromatic candles.
The first job is to melt the wax. For this purpose, a double boiler can be used. That means place the wax in a small pot and, in turn, put that container into a slightly larger pot containing water. Next step – heat the water. Use a thermometer so as not to burn the wax. The temperature should be maintained at 170-180 degrees Fahrenheit.
Once the wax has melted, put a wick in the mold and remove your wax from the source of heat. Next add your fragrance oil. A mixture of 1 ounce of fragrance oil to 1 pound of wax will create a fragrance level equal to 6% of candle density. Appreciate that larger portions of fragrance oil means the candle to burn out sooner.
Next pour the melted wax/fragrance mixture into it’s mold. The only job left is to let it cool before removing your candle from it’s mold.
Congratulations! You’re finished!
4. Experiment as You Move Along
You will develop expertise in all aspects of the candle craft when you start experimenting. By using different fragrances and colors, you will perfect the candle making technique and thoroughly enjoy the process.
It’s a great feeling to award your friends with a scented homemade candle knowing that they will find the fragrant essences both relaxing and invigorating.
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