Aromatic candles heighten the ambience of any room in the house. If you are a soft, romantic person, you will enjoy the aroma of scented candles. Treat your guests to a touch of mystique and a sense of calm. And, of course, the glow of almost any candle highlights the elegance of the room.
The subtle aroma of a scented candle will heighten your spirit, even before the candle is lit. So when you come home worse for wear, the glow and aroma of a scented candle tends to unwind you & elevate your level of energy.
Scented candles serve as wonderful gifts for any occasion and every season especially when they are made by your own hands.
1. Select Your Candle Making Fragrance
Fragrance oil is available in most craft shops. You may also shop for it on the web. I suggest that you opt for fragrance oils rather the cheaper alcohol and water based fragrances. Because your wax mix is oil based, your fragrance must also be oil based. Why? As oil & water do not mix, a water based perfume tends not to mix with oil based wax.
2. Choose Your Wax
The basics of making a scented candle are more or less the same as for ordinary wax candles. Begin by choosing your wax type. The current day market offers a versatile range of wax starting with beeswax, palm or soy & moving on to gel or paraffin wax. Decide on the aromatic intensity of your candles before making a wax selection. For instance, 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
Now that we’ve talked about waxes, let’s discuss the method for creating scented candles.
The first step is to melt your wax. I recommend using a double boiler. Which means put the wax in a small pot. Then put that container inside a slightly larger pot containing water. You may now heat the water. Use a thermometer to ensure the wax is not burnt. Maintain the temperature at a constant 170-180 degrees F.
Once your wax has melted, insert a wick in the mold & take the wax away from the heat source. Now add the fragrance oil that you have chosen. A mixture of 1 ounce of fragrance oil to 1 pound of wax will create a fragrance level equal to 6% of candle density. Greater amounts of fragrance oil will cause the candle to burn out quicker.
Next pour the melted wax/fragrance mixture into it’s mold. The only job remaining 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 gain great expertise in all phases of candle making once you start experimenting. By using different fragrances and colors, you will perfect the art of candle making and thoroughly enjoy the process.
It’s a great feeling to award your friends with a homemade scented candle knowing that they will find the fragrant essences both relaxing and invigorating.
