Lighting a candle signals my brain and body that it's time to relax. But a lot of store-bought candles come packed with chemicals that do the opposite to your nervous system. So I decided to make them myself from soy wax and natural scents.
First, I reuse my old candles with this simple trick:
1. Boil water
2. Pour into almost-gone candle
3. Let it set until all the wax floats to the top
4. Keep the wax, throw out the water, scrape out any residue with an old butter knife
5. Repeat if not all the wax floated to the top
**I've also heard of people using the "warming" setting on the stovetop to melt excess wax and then just dump it out, but I prefer the boiling water because it really cleans out the candle jar.
Now that you have your candle jar, you're going to make the new candle using these ingredients:
1. Soy wax flakes like these .
2. Wicks like these that are 6 or 8 inches (you would rather cut them shorter than not have tall enough wicks)
3. Skewers
4. Natural fragrance of choice like these .
5. A double boiler you don't mind getting wax-y like this. I got mine at Goodwill.
Directions:
1. Start boiling the water in your pot, and when it boils, place the double boiler-part (full to the brim of soy wax flakes) in the pot and wait for it to melt.
2. While you're waiting, I make several candles at a time, so first, I set up all the candle jars with their wicks, by hanging the wicks atop the jar with a skewer. I usually place the jars on a paper grocery bag or old table cloth to catch any wax.
3. Once the wax is melted, pour into each jar evenly.
4. Add a few drops of scent to each individual jar (it produces a more potent scent then adding it to the big pot of melting wax). I also like setting an intention for each candle (love, wealth, luck, etc) and even dropping in a crystal!
5. Wait for the candles to harden completely before cutting the wicks.
6. If your candle gets a little "dip" around the wick, melt more wax to top it off so it's level
7. Enjoy!
Find more of my tricks at www.amandabjones.org.
