Homemade Gel Candles

by Angela
(Hampshire)

Homemade Gel Candle

Candles make great gifts, but they can be a little impersonal. When I want to make something special for my family or friends, I like to make my own homemade gel candles.

Making gel candles yourself is actually an easy process, and it's a lot of fun, too. I love choosing a color and fragrance that I know my friends will love.

Ingredients:

-gel wax
-gel-compatible color, and essential oils or fragrance
-wicks (zinc core are better)
-gel-compatible embeds (optional)

You can get your wax and other supplies from almost any craft supply store. I've never had any trouble finding what I've wanted.

Prep your candle holders. Add a dab of hot glue to one end of the wick and stick it at the bottom of each container. This will hold your wick in place when you pour your wax.

The best containers for your gel candles are glass, so people can see the embeds you place inside.

If you want to put any embeds in your homemade gel candles, position these in the candle holder, too. If it's important to you that they stay in a particular place, hot glue them where you want them.

Heat your wax in a steel pot or a double broiler. If you have a thermometer, get the temp as close as possible to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. If you don't, make sure you watch the wax so it doesn't burn.

Add in any color and fragrance slowly, one drop at a time, until the wax has the color and scent that you're looking for. Make sure you don't add too much, as a little of this can go a long way!

Pour the wax into your candle holders. If you want bubbles, pour it at a higher temperature. If you don't want them, let your wax cool and they should go away.

At this point, you can trim your wick and you're done. Once the candle cools, you'll have some great, personalized, homemade gel candles for the people you care about.

Photo courtesy of Morten Liebach's Gel Candle on Flickr