With the long weekend ahead of us, it’s been hard to think about the lack of things to do while we’re all stuck at home. I’ve clearly gone down the DIY rabbit hole! My birthday celebrations were honestly no different!
Pre-pandemic, we always did a birthday activity and I wanted to continue that tradition. I’ve always wanted to make my own candles and I chose this as the activity this year. It was really fun to ‘look forward’ to my a pre-dinner birthday activity. It really made it feel like I wasn’t just at home…again.
We were able to get everything we needed in terms of supplies fairly quickly and easily online. You can get both a full kit or you can get the pieces separately. I knew I wanted to DIY my own scented candles in these super cute cement planters I found at Dollarama for only $1.25. I also wanted to use wooden wicks and the kits that are pre-made did not come with these so I opted to get everything in pieces.
I got some paint brushed and used acrylic paints we already had in order for each of us to design our own vessels for our candles. We then chose our scent combination just using essential oil ‘recipes’ for candles on Pinterest. We then added wooden wicks and poured the mixture into the vessels. They dried overnight and looked like hand-poured we got at a small boutique – especially with the wooden wick.
Check out the video below on how to make them and detailed instructions and products linked!
What you will need to make your own candles:
- Heat-resistant pouring pitcher (I used a heavy-bottomed beer mug from the dollar store)
- An old saucepan
- Jars or candles (Just make sure the inside bottom is flat!)
- Cooking thermometer
- Soy wax flakes (we got 2 lbs. which filled all 6 of our jars)
- Wooden candle wicks
- Essential oils
- Paint if you are customizing your jars
Instructions for making your own candles:
- Melt the soy wax flakes in your pitcher over a double-boiler setup with the saucepan. Heat to 185° F
- When the melted wax is at 185° F, add of your essential oils of choice and remove from heat
- Pour a small amount to the bottom and let it cool down a little and place your wick inside in the centre of your jar. Secure in place with anything – a pencil, spoon or even the another wick just to make sure it doesn’t move around when you go in to pour the rest of the wax
- When the wax has cooled to 135°F, pour it into the prepared jars slowly and carefully
- Let the jars cool overnight. Before you light your candles, trim the wicks to 1/4 inch.
I love how these turned out! Would you give these a try? If you do – be sure to share your creations!
Tasneem Dasoo 