DIY Soy & Beeswax Candles

I’ve been playing around a lot with candles lately. I’ve made numerous hand poured candles with soy wax as well as beeswax, so I figured why not combine the two? I love how simple and easy the soy wax candles are to make – especially since I’ve hear paraffin can be a nightmare – as well as the long burn time of all beeswax candles.

However, because the beeswax is such a hard wax – soy wax melts at 102 degrees F which incidentally makes them perfect for making homemade massage candles and wax melts – while beeswax melts at a much higher temperature of 144 – 147 degrees F, my beeswax candles would burn down with a hole in the center. So I combined the two waxes and used a larger wick to get the perfect, long last candle that burns much more evenly.

As these candles cool much more slowly than straight up beeswax candles, you’ll want to pour these right when they start to look a bit slushy. That way they won’t crack on the top as they cool. If you have trouble and your candle does crack, no worries. It’s only an aesthetic issue and the candle will still burn beautifully. Following is my favorite recipe for a holiday pumpkin scented candle although you can use any candle fragrance you like. It will yield one 6 oz. candle though feel free to double it for multiple candles. You’ll use a little more wax by weight than the tin size as the beeswax is heavier than soy.

Handmade Holiday Pumpkin Soy & Beeswax Candles

Ingredients:

3.5 oz. white beeswax pastilles
3.5 oz. natural 100% soy wax
.35 oz. Pumpkin Pie Spice fragrance oil
.35 Crafter’s Choice Perfect Pumpkin fragrance oil

Supplies:

digital kitchen scale
glass Pyrex measuring cup
butter knife or stirring utensil
one 6 oz. deep round tin with lid
one large wooden wick
microwave or double boiler
candy thermometer (optional)

Instructions:

Start by weighing out the wax in the pyrex measuring cup using the digital scale. Next, melt your wax either in the microwave or in a double boiler on the stove. Once melted, set aside to cool to about 185 degrees F, then weigh out the fragrance oils and stir into the wax. Set aside to cool further.

Now prepare your candle tin by cutting the wood wick so it fits inside the tin and place inside the metal base. Dip the bottom of the wick base slightly into the wax, then place in the center of the tin.

Once the wax starts to take on a slightly slushy or foggy appearance and is no longer completely clear, slowly pour the wax into the tin around the wick and then allow to cool completely at room temperature. For best results, wait at least 24 hours before burning and don’t forget to trim your wick to 1/4″ before every burn.

You can also label your candles. My son made several soy candles for gifts this year – that’s him pictured above working on his homemade Christmas gifts – and he used my full page blank sticker labels to draw his own labels with permanent markers.

He then cut out his labels/gift tags and applied them to the lids of each tin and tied a ribbon around the outside of the tins. (This is where all those ribbons and pretty bits from handmade packages you’ve received come in handy!) He made his candles one at a time and scented each one differently using a Peppermint Stick fragrance oil, a Vanilla Buttercream fragrance oil, and one of my very favorites a Red Velvet Cake fragrance oil.

I’m actually planning on making more candles as handmade gifts of my own as well as wax melts and will be using a Frosted Pinecones fragrance oil I just purchased. I am admittedly a little head over heels for this at the moment. It’s a mix of pine and spruce with a touch of spice and is the perfect compromise if you have a guy in your life who isn’t big on more feminine scents.

I’m also planning to make a DIY Soy Wax Candle Making Kit for my niece for Christmas this year. Last year I put together a DIY Lip Balm Kit for her and she really enjoyed it so I thought the candles would be fun for her. I’ll be include one pound of soy wax, four 4 oz. tins, four medium wooden wicks and 1 oz. of Jammin’ Rock Candy fragrance oil which is just perfect as a kids’ scent.

For more DIY homemade Christmas gift ideas, be sure to visit post from earlier this week, DIY Homemade Stocking Stuffer Gifts, as well as my Holiday themed gift boards on Pinterest. Will you be making any special handmade gifts for the holidays this year?