If you’ve been making candles for a little while, you’ve probably stumbled upon silicone candle molds. I absolutely love making candles with these, so today I thought I’d show you how to use silicone candle molds like a pro.
They’re great fun, very easy to use and there’s a huge range to choose from. Christmas, Easter, and Halloween; name the occasion and they’ll be a mold to cover it.
Something to keep in mind if you are thinking of adding color and fragrance to your candles. As with many molds, scents and dyes will eventually seep into the silicon. This will pollute it and causes it to degrade.
Having said that, you should be able to produce half a dozen or so candles before they begin to deteriorate. You can pick them up rather cheaply on Amazon if you don’t mind waiting for shipping.
What I love the most about silicon mold candles is how creative and amazing they are for such little effort. They’re pretty much the same as any other molds, with a few more steps. Nevertheless, the beautiful patterns and shapes you can make with only a couple more steps are definitely worth it!
Buying Silicon Candle Molds
- Always ask for the size of the finished candle as this can differ dramatically from the size of the mold. I’ve fallen into that trap on many occasions. You’ve been waiting for 2 or 3 weeks for your amazing mold to arrive and it makes a candle only 2 inches high! Very disappointing!
- Some silicon molds, usually the more expensive and better quality ones, have a slit down the side of the mold for easy removal. Don’t worry if the one you are using doesn’t. You can easily do this yourself with a sharp craft knife or razor blade and your mold will still be usable afterward. See step 9 on how to do this.
- Some candlemakers recommend using a candle release spray to help remove the finished candle from the mold. Although this can be beneficial, this doesn’t have a 100% success rate and can affect the shelf life of your mold. Always check with the seller before using.
How To Use Silicone Candle Molds Like A Pro
Ingredients
Equipment
- Craft Knife
Instructions
- Thread the needle with the wick. Making sure you have enough for the candle plus extra to wrap around the wick holder. Thread the needle and wick through the hole in the mold.If your mold doesn’t have a hole for the wick you will need to create one. Find the center of the mold and pierce a hole with the wick needle.
- Pull the needle completely through the mold dragging the wick into place with it. You can thread from the outside or inside, whichever you feel more confident in doing.You may need to use a wick sealant or white tac, which should keep any of the wax from seeping out. I have found that the sealant doesn’t stick all that well to the silicon, but do the best you can.
- Find a suitable container to suspend the mold in. I usually find a glass or a couple of books good for this. If your mold has slits running down the sides for easy removal, place a couple of elastic bands around it so that it fits back together nice and snug.Once your mold is stable, straighten and fix the wick in place by wrapping it around Wick holder or as in my case a piece of bamboo. You may need to secure it with some sticky tape.
- Place your wax into a double boiler, if you don’t have a double boiler put a pan half-filled with water to boil on the stove.You will need to estimate the amount of wax depending on the size of your mold, but if in doubt go with more rather than less. Once the wax is boiling, turn down the heat so it is only simmering and place a metal or heatproof glass bowl on the rim of the pan so that the base is only just touching the water.If you wanted to, you can actually do start by doing then, and then wick your candle while your wax melts. But if you’ve never melted wax before, keep your eye on it so it doesn’t get too hot.
- When your wax has melted and totally transparent, remove it from the heat, add your color. If you compare the amount of dye I have added here to the picture below, you can see that a small bit of dye can go a long way. Try to be conservative with your dye. You can always add more but you can never take back what you’ve already added.
- Then, add your fragrance. You can use either an essential oil or a fragrance oil. I prefer to use a fragrance oil in my candles, as essential oils are more expensive and better used in skincare products. I’m using a lovely jasmine fragrance oil for my candle today, I use around 5% of the weight of my wax
- To reduce any air bubbles forming pour your wax slowly into the mold, then set aside until solid. As your wax hardens you may notice it begin to sink. Don’t worry if this happens as it’s completely normal.
- An hour or two after pouring the wax (this would depend on the size of the mold and the amount of wax used. Re-melt any leftover wax and top up any sinkholes that have formed in the candle.
- Once the wax has cooled and hardened it’s time to remove it from the wax. If your mold already has slits running down the sides of the mold you should be able to easily remove the candle.If not you will have to carefully make the cuts yourself with a sharp craft knife or razor blade. You will need to cut about halfway up the mold and all the way through to the candle until it can be eased out. I do about 3 or 4 cuts around the mold.
- The mold is still usable after being cut, just place a couple of rubber bands around it so that it fits back together nice and snug and you are good to go.
- I like to leave a candle 24 hours after I've removed it from the mold. This just makes sure the wax is completely settled.
Silicon Candle Molds With Beeswax
As beeswax is a beautiful natural wax I don’t like to use synthetic fragrance oils to scent my candles. Generally, essential oils are a fair bit more expensive than fragrance oils but you don’t need to break the bank here.
Beeswax is quite expensive, so we tend not to make very large candles out of it, which means you won’t need to add as much oil for a nice scent. Shop around and use the ones that are reasonably priced. Beeswax actually has its own honey-like aroma, so maybe you won’t need to add a fragrance at all.
I’ve added sweet orange essential oil mixed with the natural mild scent of honey carried by the beeswax, it makes the room smell lovely. Lavender essential oil also works well in beeswax and has the added bonus of relaxation and meditation for a truly wonderful experience.
You could also omit the fragrance completely, therefore allowing the natural fragrance of the wax to take center stage.
This beeswax candle has been made in exactly the same way as the pillar wax rose above with a tsp of essential oil for every 200g (7oz) of wax. So I don’t end up repeating myself too much, I’ll be showing you how I made this mainly through pictures. If anything seems vague, just have another read through my in-depth guide above and it should clear everything up.
Step1 Wick your mold using a wicking needle as we discussed above.
Step3 Stabilize your mold and use a pencil, wicking needle or piece of bamboo to hold the wick in place.
Step3 Add any color and fragrance oil (note that I am not using a dye for this candle).
Step4 Pour your wax, remembering to pour slowly to reduce bubbles.
Step5 Remove your candle from the mold using the technique I discussed above.
I hope you’ve found my post on how to use silicon candle molds informative. I also hope you enjoy making them as much as I did. Let me know in the comments section below how you got on. I’ll do my best to answer any of your questions, so go ahead and post them in the comments section below!
Hii thank u for your useful answers to other participants .. i have a really big issue still cannot find the solution..
Im using a pillar soy wax with right melting point and pouring point.. but always get the same result which is the candle always broke even before i unmold it .. i heat and clean the mold before using it .. i tried many different ways but still get the same result .. and some times i remove the candle from the mold its look perfect and after one day it broke .. please if u have any idea
Hi Einas,
Just checking, but are you dealing with your candle cavities and sinkholes the way we teach people to? Sometimes giant holes can form in the center of candles as they solidify. This requires you to poke holes on the top surface of the candle in order to top them up with some wax we hold back during the initial first pour. You can also try tapping the side of the mold while the wax is still liquid to try and get rid of any smaller air bubbles.
Another cause that jumps to mind is that they’re cooling too quickly. When candle wax cools, it contracts and takes up less space. If cooling happens too quickly, your candle can become brittle and break (even while still in the mold). Try wrapping the mold in a little aluminum foil.
Other than that, I’m a little stumped. So I would also check the quality of your wax. Google the manufacturer and check what others are saying about the quality of their pillar blends. You could also check how much fragrance oil you’re using. Occasionally I’ve found a higher scent throw can be associated with an overally brittle candle.
Beautiful, thank you! I am having the problem of loving a mold that is way too large for soap- but its perfect for a candle. Do you have a video showing how you make the hole? Or if you have a video that has the back of the candle open? Like it was for a soap or epoxy mold. I think I will need to put something over the back to make it flat. Thanks you.
Hi there, I have the naked female torso mould, however the mould will not remove itself from the candle, It seems it won’t go past the boob area, the bottom part was easy, I don’t really want to cut the mould as it is very delicate, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated thankyou😁
Hi Leyla,
That sounds like an absolutely gorgeous candle mold, I understand why you wouldn’t want to cut it. If I were you, and haven’t already, I’d get myself a can of candle release spray. It’s kind of like that non stick spray for baking pans. This might actually do the trick for you. Otherwise, I would just work so so carefully to try and get it out. I’ve had molds like this in the past that I just don’t use anymore because they’re a pain.
This is all providing you’re using excellent quality pillar blend candle wax. If you’re trying to use a soy based pillar blend, I’ve found they are still softer than paraffin, so maybe try to switch them out. This will make a less natural candle; it’s a trade off I guess.
Alternatively, you could use this mold for melt and pour soaps, which are generally easier to get out of the mold. They’ll look fantastic in the bathroom!
Hi beautiful
I’ve done something so wrong and I thought I followed each step
I use a big needle to thread my wick through bottom of my silicon mold, but when taking the set wax out of the molds, the silicon is holding onto the wick that tight it completely pulled the wick back through the candle
Hi Nicole,
Please could you confirm what wax you are using? If you are using a soy wax, discontinue using this for your pillar candle as it is much too soft. Try using a pillar soy blend or paraffin wax.
My Silicone mold still smell like the fragrance I used in the last candle. Is there a way to get the smell out? Or do I need to worry about it? I have soaked them in hot soapy water and individually suds them.
Hi Aniese,
This is totally normal and nothing to worry about. As long as you continue to wash your molds with hot soapy water between candles, there shouldn’t be any transfer for fragrance. I’ve never noticed fragrance oil transferring to a fresh batch of candles, even if I can still smell it in the molds before getting started.
Hi,
I’m using silicon moulds with pillar soy wax. I am pouring around 65 degrees Celsius. I am getting sinkholes and when I top them up it looks quite ugly. Is there a way to stop the sinkholes. They only happen on some of my moulds.
Hi Amanda,
Unfortunately not. It’s just the way the wax behaves when it transfers from liquid to a solid. What I would try to do, is to be more careful when you do your second and third sinkhole pours, and to make the holes you poke a little wider. Also, only pour enough so that the holes are filled. Try not to add too much length to the shaft of your candle. Otherwise you’ll find when the wax hardens, it can be evident on the sides and at the base that you’ve re-poured.
Do you add stearic acid to candles to make them firmer?
Hi Diann,
We haven’t added stearic acid before, but sometimes the wax we use already contains it.
Hi, i love how you reply in detail to every question asked. My issue is driving me crazy and don’t know what else to do : my finished product looks porous. Using nice silicone molds from different vendors, cleaned them after, tried paraffin block and also beads, tried mixing both, tried pouring slow, still same results. I would greatly appreciate your help and any tips you can provide me with. Thanks in advance !!!
Hi there, It sounds like you’re doing everything right so I’m not really sure why this is happening. The only thing I can think of is perhaps try changing the wax.
Hi!!! Thank you for replying so promptly ; i tried changing the wax, different types and forms as described above, still getting the same porous finished result.
I appreciate your response.
Hi,
Are you making sure that your molds are completely dry before use? They need to be left for 24 hours in between use.
Are your candles cooling too quickly? Perhaps wrap your mold loosely in aluminium foil to keep it warm.
Are you fixing sink hole problems?
Hi I see that you don’t use this little metal thingy- anchor I believe this is called, the thing that is in the end of the wick. I was wondering how important it is for safety or something? I will just add that I do molds,not glass candles
Hi Barbara,
Yeah, I only really use one of those in a container candle, as it helps keep the wick central. In molds, I find they’re a little redundant, so I say just carry on as you are without it. Sometimes I use a little candle sealant so the wick is more stable and none of the wax leaks out, but that’s it. Happy candle-making!
Hi ,
What is better for the silicone molds , paraffin wax or soy wax?
With paraffin wax can i use mica Powder?
What is the melt and pour temperature for it
Thank you so much
Hi Maha,
If we’re talking ordinary paraffin and soy, then you’ll want to go for paraffin. It’s much stiffer, will get a better finish, and won’t fall apart. Soy is a much softer wax.
Having said that, you can get blended soy waxes, which are suitable for use in a pillar. Look for a soy wax that’s referred to as a ‘pillar blend’.
Thanks for your time,
Yeah I noticed thar soy wax is softer, did not use the paraffin before, but I will soon.
Do you think mica powder will be ok with paraffin wax?
You’re more than welcome,
Unfortunately not. Mica is not at all good in candles. It just settles at the bottom as your candle hardens. You’ll want to use block or flake candle dye. You can find it on amazon. Paraffin takes to these types of dye very well, so you won’t need to use that much.