DIY Scented Candles on the Cheap!

Before you drop a small fortune on scented candles, try this easy DIY instead!

 

A candle is a simple thing, but there is something about lighting a candle…. the flicker, the scent… It makes a home feel even cozier. I admit I have a love affair with candles. But I am not in love with spending an arm and a leg on products at a store that don’t last very long. There had to be a way to get all of the comfort from a candle without breaking the bank!

That’s when I decided to DIY my own candles and so can you! This tutorial is your answer to having candles that you can personalize with your favorite scents and color, without having to break the bank. These candles are perfect for decorating your own home, and they make great gifts too! And did I mention they are pretty darn easy to make?!? Cause they are! Seriously, even our 5 and 11 year old sons help make these and if they can do it, so can you!

 

SUPPLIES:

  • 1 lb of soy wax (can be bought as a brick or in flake form)
  • Wicks
  • Wick holder (you can DIY these too!)
  • Wax colorant; chips, bars or in liquid form (optional)
  • Scent oil of your choice (optional)
  • Jar for candle (thicker glass works better)
  • Double boiler (you can totally use miscellaneous pots and bowls to pull this off!)
  • Thermometer

We picked our supplies up at a craft store using coupons. You know all the craft stores have coupons, so use them! The wicks, color chips, and scent were just a few dollars each. The wax was round $6 but with my 40% of coupon, I walked out with it for just over $3. I might have also convinced my hubby to sign up for the craft store coupon emails too, so we saved even more by splitting up the supplies and heading into two different check out lines. Some may call me cheap, I see it as frugal. Considering we made three candles for less then $10, and name brand candles sell for $20+ a piece in the size we made…. we saved over $50 making our own!

While I used craft glue to secure the wicks to the bottom of the jars, hubby busted out the drill and made holes slightly larger then the wick through some Popsicle sticks. These sticks were our DIY wick holders and they worked great!

While hubby and I were busy getting the jars ready, the oldest country kid used an old cheese grater to grate up the block of soy wax. You can buy the wax in flake form, but it is cheaper in a block and we had a kid who could do manual labor. That’s why we had kids, right?!? We placed the metal bowl of soy wax shavings on top of our pressure canner without the lid to create a double bowler situation.

Once the wax reached 180 degrees Fahrenheit, we added in the color chips and the sugared vanilla scented oil. We then quickly removed the wax from the heat. The typical fragrance ratio is 1 ounce of prepackaged scent oil to 1 pound of wax. If you are using essential oils, using 10 drops per 16 ounces of wax will give you a moderately scented candle. Us more or less depending on how strong you want the scent to be. Also, if you add the scented oil and leave the wax over the heat, you risk the scent evaporating away, so add the scent last and remove it from heat right away.

Once you remove the wax from the heat source, you want to let it cool down just a bit. This is an important step so that the center of your candle doesnโ€™t crack or sag while cooling. When the wax is around 125 degrees, carefully pour it into the container(s) of your choosing. Let the candle solidify for a few hours and then trim the wick down to a 1/4 inch.

That’s it! That’s really all it takes to make a beautiful scented candle! You can make these for your own personal use, or they make great gifts with just a little embelsment such as twine and ribbon. The possibilities are endless when it comes to making your own candles with so many colors and scents to choose from, not to mention glass containers to put them in. Just check out your local hobby store. Now excusse me while I go sniff my candles……

 

13 thoughts on “DIY Scented Candles on the Cheap!

  1. That's one thing I haven't tried yet! I've been wanting to, just haven't yet. Yours look very pretty!

  2. So neat!! ๐Ÿ™‚

    I would love for you to share this with my Facebook Group for recipes, crafts, tips, and tricks: https://www.facebook.com/groups/pluckyrecipescraftstips/

    Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!

  3. This is so nice.I need a candle for a weekly challenge that I am soon doing.I hope I'll be able to make it in time.Thank you.

  4. Anyone remember back in the 70s when we poured the wax in the milk boxes over crushed ice. We used melted crayons to color the wax. Lol dang I'm old!

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