Making Scented Candles at Home

venturist | Mar 31, 2010 |

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I have wonderful memories of when my mom and sister and I would spend a day making scented candles back in the late 1960's and early 70's. We used a very simple method in which the molds for the candles were milk cartons and we used crayons to color the wax. The only things we needed to buy at the local craft store were the wicks, the scent, and the paraffin wax. I recall us heating up the wax on the stove, dropping in crayons when the wax had melted enough, and stirring until the crayon was completely dissolved.

We would have many candles being made simultaneously, and we would make them with different layers of color, by pouring a different color of wax on top of a layer of wax that was drying but still soft. We made some layers slanted by tilting the mold at various angles, and we varied the thickness of the layers. My sister and I especially looked forward to when the candles were fully dry and we could tear off the molds and see how our handiwork had turned out.

The candles that we made back then often looked great or at least interesting, but they also often did not burn very well, mostly because the molds were too wide. This would make the burning wax form a puddle around the wick, with the rest of the wax remaining unmelted. We had to throw away a lot of candles that had not used most of the wax, but that didn't matter much to us kids because the important thing was that they looked cool. For those who have an interest in making scented candles with their kids, here is some advice on how to do it safely and make candles that both look good and work well.

For safety, the main thing to remember is that melting wax bursts into flame at a relatively low temperature. So you should heat the wax at a low heat with the help of a thermometer, and always have a fire extinguisher available. If a fire does start, be sure to put it out with the extinguisher rather than by pouring water on it. For a candle that burns properly, use skinny things for molds, such as a quart rather than a half gallon milk carton, a Styrofoam coffee cup, or a toilet paper roll. Also, make sure to trim the wick when needed, and use a thick one. Making scented candles is a lot of fun, and homemade candles are perfect gifts!