Adding Scent and Color When Making Candles

You have total control over how your candles look and smell. You have a myriad of choices for adding your own colors and scents to produce a candle which is individually yours. Craft shops and candle making suppliers stock scents and dyes made specifically for home-made candles from many different materials, but be sure you know what is flammable when adding things to wax.

Adding scents

Only add scent to the hot wax after it has been taken away from the heat source. Check for flammability of the scent at a low temperature before adding any essential oils to prevent a dangerous situation. Many of the cheaply made candles you find in discount stores will not use scent added to all the wax, instead topping off the candle at the end with scent added after the bulk of the candle has cooled. If you want a really good quality of scent, add the oils to all the wax you are using when the wax has completely melted.

The choice for scent is yours, but some natural scents are stronger than others. Vanilla essence, makes for a strong vanilla scent and is typically the most commonly used fragrance in home candle making. Combinations of other scents can be used to create specialty scents– popular ‘recipes’ include ‘holiday’ fragrances - pine scent with cinnamon added, or ‘rose cream’ - rose essential oil with vanilla added. You will only need a small amount of scent- around half a teaspoon will produce a good clear scent.

Where will you be placing your candle? Do you wish a zingy scent for the kitchen? Citrus scents such as orange or lemon are best for this. For an aromatherapy experience, use lavender and geranium, or lilac. For a bedroom candle, use rose oil for sensuality, or eucalyptus for soothing a cold - but remember to never leave a candle burning if you are in danger of falling asleep - this could lead to a serious risk of house fire.

Adding Color

You can purchase dye chips at your craft store or candle making supplier. Add a little at a time because you can always add more later but take into consideration that wax changes color as it cools and hardens. Test a small amount of wax on a non-flammable surface to ensure you are getting the shade that you want.

You can also add color using liquid dyes, which are simpler and can be dropped into the molten wax with an eye-dropper. Add these once you’ve poured the candle, and try experimenting with different dyes and cooling times– they can give a wonderful rainbow effect. When adding scent and color, have fun matching the fragrance with the appropriate colors.

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