For Yourself, as a Gift or for Your Candle Business, Making Candles is Easy and Fun.

From ancient times until about a hundred years ago making candles was an accepted part of daily life. The history of candlemaking is filled with women and children laboring to light the family home. It was an unpleasant task that had to be done.

Thank goodness today we don’t NEED candles to light our homes. We are free to simply enjoy them! Now, candle making is a joy instead of a chore.

The different types of candle making wax.

Tallow… Made from rendered animal fat. No longer used for making candles except for historical re-enactments. I did this once and you can take my word for it rendering fat is a NASTY process. Avoid it if you can!

Beeswax… Made by bees to store their honey in. Beeswax can be purchased for making candles in both yellow and white forms. It usually comes in pellets for easier melting. Beeswax tends to be sticky so if you’re using a mold I suggest a rubber one.

Paraffin… A petroleum by-product. Paraffin was developed in the 1800’s and is still widely used in making candles today.

Bayberry wax… Colonial women made this by boiling bayberries MANY of the tiny berries that grow on bayberry plants.

Soy wax… Made from hydrogenated soybean oil. Soy wax was invented in the early 1990’s. It is fast becoming the wax of choice for candle making because it is cleaner burning, non toxic, longer lasting, environmentally friendly and easy to clean up. If you’re making candles with soy wax you can safely put your dirty equipment into the dishwasher!

The basic candle types are…

tapers… Made by dipping the wick repeatedly into hot wax and pulling it out to cool. Candle making for kids is usualy done this way. Most of you will remember making this type of candle out of melted crayons in grade school!

Pillar… A simple molded candle. Can be fat or thin, short or tall. Don’t forget to place pillar candles on a heat resistant surface when you burn them. A plate will do.

Molded… Made by pouring wax into a mold and removing when cool. Can be most any shape. When I was a kid I bought a candle sculpted to look like a horses head for my Mom. I’m sure you’ve all been in at least one store with signs reading “Yes it’s Wax! Please Don’t Scratch!”

Once you dive into candle making you’ll want to experiment with them all. But for the beginner I suggest making candles in a container for your first attempt. Nothing is easier or more versatile.

If you want to give making candles a try I suggest making soy candles because working with soy wax is quite easy. Supplies are easy to find and you can even get a soy candle making kit. And frankly, it’s safer and better for you too. (For more on what soy candles are and their benefits clink the link to the left.)

Soy wax candle making is very economical too.

So why not give it a try? And after a long day of Soy Candle Making don’t forget to Burn and Enjoy them!

Need soy candle making supplies? Click Here.