How to Make Votive Candles

Votive candles are the type of candles that are designed to be burned in votive candle holders. This article will discuss how to make votive candles using paraffin wax and stearin-enhanced waxes.

What are votive candles?

Votive candles are generally made of wax and use a standard type wick, as opposed to the stranded cotton wicks that natural beeswax candles require.

Votive candles can also be made with stearin if you want them for their color rather than their light output. Stearin is a petroleum byproduct that will give your votive candles a nice light white color without adding any scents or additives to the wax.

Making candles step by step

When making votive candles, here are the steps you should follow:

1) Prepare your container and wick.

Your container should be clean and free of debris. Be sure to check it thoroughly for cracks or any other imperfections in the glass. If there is a chip on the side, no one will want to burn it at home, as it could cause injury if it explodes while lit. Check your wicks for damage, such as kinks or fraying, that could disrupt the burning process.

2) Melt your wax

This article will use stearin-enhanced paraffin wax, which melts at a temperature between 145°F and 190°F. This means that if you have a candy thermometer, you can simply clip it to the side of your pot and wait until it reaches 160 °F.

3) Add your stearin

Once you have reached 160°F with your wax, you can add the desired amount of stearin to enhance its whiteness or simply use pure paraffin wax to get your natural color.

4) Add fragrance oil to the mix

One ounce of scent per pound of wax is the most frequent ratio. To find out how to calculate the right amount of fragrance oil, visit thewaxcandles.com

5) Pour the mixture into the container

The mixture will begin to cool almost immediately after pouring it into the container, so work quickly. For this reason, you should always set up everything you need before starting this project.

This will ensure that there are no interruptions in the process or loss of valuable materials while setting everything up.

6) Allow the candle to dry completely.

If any residue is left on the sides of the container or glass, scrape it off before the candle dries completely. This process should take about 24 hours.

7) Trim wick and light!

Using wick trimmers, cut the wick to 1/5 inch length. Make sure you don’t cut them too small otherwise they won’t burn properly.

How to make votive candles using paraffin wax with stearin as an additive

Stearin improves the firmness of paraffin wax while giving it a higher heat tolerance. You can melt stearin and add it to your paraffin wax for a stronger blend that will be less likely to crack as it cools.

However, if you do not want stearin in your final product, simply melt pure paraffin wax and pour it into the container without adding any additives. If you choose to add stearin, the process is very similar to how we reach our melting point of 160°F with pure paraffin wax.

Votive candles vs. paraffin wax candles

Paraffin wax candles are generally not considered reusable, while votive candles, specifically those made with pure paraffin wax and stearin, can often burn multiple times.

However, although they are reusable if you care for them properly, this may not always be the case, depending on how long it takes for the wick to extinguish after lighting.

If you have problems with wicks going out too soon or if the candle burns at a different rate than usual after several uses, try trimming the wicks more frequently. If you choose to use soy wax instead of paraffin wax for these votive candles, there is no need to add any additives to achieve a nice white color.

Benefits of Votive Candles

Votive candles are very inexpensive to make, which makes them a great craft project. This article will discuss how to make votive candles using paraffin wax with stearin added as the only additive. Using pure wax enhanced with stearin will give you a nice white color without introducing any odor.

This also prevents your final product from tasting, which is ideal for places like bathrooms where people have a lot of different things on their bodies and may not want a scented candle burning all day next to them.

There are a few reasons why you might try making votive candles instead of buying them at the store:

• Making something yourself can be fun.
• You might find that you have a specific scent you want to use, or it might just be cheaper to make your own.
• They also work well in soy wax candles, which we’ll discuss later in a separate article.
• It’s good for the environment by reducing the amount of packaging waste sent to landfill each year.

Conclusion

With a few basic ingredients and a few hours of spare time, you can make votive candles. Making votive candles at home is both affordable and enjoyable. There are, of course, additional benefits, such as the ability to create eco-friendly variants using soy and essential oils for fragrance.

The thrill of creative expression, on the other hand, is more than enough of a cause. People appreciate having a candle in a container such as a glass, hence the votive candle is a very popular product. The biggest issue with container candles is that after the candle is gone, you are left with the glass, which appears to be a waste.

The benefit of votive candles is that you can simply clean out the glass and replace it with another once one has burned out.

If you plan to sell your candles, these same steps apply, but you will require a business license where required by law. Just be careful when trimming the wick so as not to cause any fire hazards. See our site for more articles on candles.