Gel Candle Making Step-by-Step
By:
Tatyana Turner
Do you love burning beautiful,
scented candles? And do you know that you can easily make them yourself?
It is exciting and not at all difficult. Here are 12 easy steps to
creating unique candles that you can burn at home, give as gifts, or even
sell.
Materials for gel candle making
You will need:
- gel
- zinc wicks (cotton wicks can’t be used for gel
candles because they absorb too much gel)
- essential oil for fragrance
- liquid color dye
- embeds (optional)
All these materials can be obtained online from candle making suppliers.
It is important to use essential oils and colors specially made for gel
candles; fragrance oils you can buy in a cosmetic shop are not suitable.
Also, you can buy a gel candle making kit. Getting a kit is the best
solution for a beginner, because it will include everything you need to
make your first few candles.
And of course you will need a container. The best container for a gel
candle is glass, so people can see the embeds you put inside the candle,
but any non-flammable container would do. You can use any glass, wine
glass, or even a small wide vase, but your container should be at least 2
inches in diameter. Garage sales and second hand stores are gold mines,
when it comes to candle containers.
For embeds you can use anything non-flammable - colored aquarium gravel,
marbles, glitter, sand, sea shells, pebbles, crystals, polished stones,
artificial jewels or pearls.
Steps to making a gel candle
1. Place a little bit of hot glue in the center of the container bottom.
Stick the wick in it and let the glue set.
2. Cut the gel into small pieces so it melts faster and more evenly. Melt
it in a stainless steel pot over a medium heat.
3. The trickiest part is the temperature - you should get it to exactly
200°F, because overheated gel looses its clarity. For that, you will need
a suitable thermometer.
4. Maintain the temperature at 200°; all the gel should melt and become
smooth, like syrup.
5. Add color dye to the melted gel, a little bit at a time, until you get
the desired color - remember, you can always add more dye to make the
color stronger, but you can’t take dye away. For a candle with embedded
objects, you should use only a little color, so the objects remain visible
6. Add the fragrance - 1/3 teaspoon for each glass of melted gel will give
it a nice scent. For a stronger scent, add a bit more fragrance.
7. Heat the container in the oven or microwave to about 150-160°F. This
will help to reduce the appearance of bubbles
8. If you want to use embeds, dip them in hot gel first and then arrange
them in the container as you like. It is better to keep the objects closer
to the sides of the container - they will be easier to see, this way.
9. Now it is time to pour your gel into the container. Place your
container on a level surface and pour the gel slowly and carefully down
the side. If it is your first time, you will probably get a few bubbles;
to avoid that, the gel should be still very hot.
10. Pull the wick up. Roll it on a pencil to keep it straight.
11. Let the candle cool. Trim the wick and you are done! You have a
beautiful, unique gel candle, made by yourself.
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