Make Scented Candles
Making Scented Candles is a good idea!
Whether lit or unlit, the scent emanating from scented candles seems to bring a special ambiance to a room. And when the candle is lit, not only does its candle light make you feel more romantic but its fragrance filling the room can be soothing and relaxing. It just seems that the elegance of the room just grows when a scented candle is glowing.
What Types Of Fragrance To Use .
Because the basic chemical composition of waxes is closer to being oil based, it is wiser to use oil-based fragrance better known as fragrance oil. Why?
The other types of fragrances are water-based or alcohol-based perfumes, and everyone knows that water or alcohol does not mix well with oil.
As a result the poured hot wax will rise to the top and your fragrances, especially the water-based perfumes, will end up at the bottom of the candle. Not a good idea!
So to get a better mixture throughout the whole candle, use fragrance oil which is available at most craft stores or online.
Making Scented candles
1. Choose your wax:
At the beginning of the process, you follow the same formula used for making unscented candles. HOWEVER . . . before you begin, you must decide what type of wax you want to use.
You can choose to use natural waxes such as soy, palm, or beeswax. Or you may decide to use a paraffin wax, a basic type of wax used by many candle makers. On the other hand you may choose gel wax for your project.
Both the natural waxes and the paraffin wax can be easily scented. However, if you are using gel wax, you must choose which of the three available densities is required for the amount of perfume you want in your candle. The more scent you want the denser the gel wax must be.
Also you do not use an oil-based perfume for this type of candle since gel is not of the same chemical composition as the other waxes. Please check with your supplier.
2. The Candle Making Procedure:
The first step is to melt your wax so that it can be poured into your candle mold(s). As explained in the book Easy Candle Making, you must use a double boiler especially if you are using gel wax. That means you place a smaller pot into a bigger pot with a little water in it. The wax goes in the smaller pot and gets heated by the water boiling in the bigger pot.
Be careful not to put the temperature of the stovetop heat too high because wax can burn just as easily as cooking oil. Use a thermometer and heat your wax to about 170 degrees. (Be sure you check with your supplier or read your directions.)
Certain waxes should be heated to 160 degrees while others can go to 180 degrees, but NO HIGHER.
While your wax is melting you can add the wick to the mold . . . as long as you keep an eye on your melting wax at the same time. Remain in the same room!
Once your wax is melted, you can remove it from its heat source and add your fragrance: the type of fragrance will depend on which type of wax you are using. Rule of thumb is one ounce of fragrance oil to one pound of wax ( if you are not using gel wax).
Be sure to go easy on the fragrance. Adding more fragrance does not mean you’ll get a better scent emanating from your candle. This is not always the case.
In addition, adding more fragrance than necessary can end up giving you problems. For example, your candle may not burn as well because of the higher concentration of liquid. The end result is that you get a pool of water around the wick or pools of liquid in the candle.
Obviously you can experiment with it, keep notes as you try different amounts of fragrance to your candle, and end up with your very own preferred recipe.
The wonderful thing about scented candles is that people can smell the fragrance when they walk into a room whether the candle is lit or not. These homemade scented candles can make wonderful gifts . . . appreciated even more because they are made by you.
Note: If you go to Make Scented Candles Prt 2, you can watch two videos In which Neopagan from My Wiccan Path shows you how to create a scented soy candle.
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