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How to Make Gel Candles - 11 Easy Steps
Do you love burning beautiful, scented candles? And do you
know that you can easily make them yourself? It is exciting and
not at all difficult. Here are 12 easy steps to creating unique
candles that you can burn at home, give as gifts, or even
sell.
Materials for gel candle making
You will need:
- gel
- zinc wicks (cotton wicks can't be used for gel candles
because they absorb too much gel)
- essential oil for fragrance
- liquid color dye
- embeds (optional)
All these materials can be obtained online from candle
making suppliers. It is important to use essential oils and
colors specially made for gel candles; fragrance oils you can buy
in a cosmetic shop are not suitable. Also, you can buy a gel
candle making kit. Getting a kit is the best solution for a
beginner, because it will include everything you need to make
your first few candles.
And of course you will need a container. The best container
for a gel candle is glass, so people can see the embeds you put
inside the candle, but any non-flammable container would do. You
can use any glass, wine glass, or even a small wide vase, but
your container should be at least 2 inches in diameter. Garage
sales and second hand stores are gold mines, when it comes to
candle containers.
For embeds you can use anything non-flammable - colored
aquarium gravel, marbles, glitter, sand, sea shells, pebbles,
crystals, polished stones, artificial jewels or pearls.
Steps to making a gel candle
- Place a little bit of hot glue in the center of the
container bottom. Stick the wick in it and let the glue
set.
- Cut the gel into small pieces so it melts faster and more
evenly. Melt it in a stainless steel pot over a medium
heat.
- The trickiest part is the temperature - you should get it
to exactly 200°F, because overheated gel looses its
clarity. For that, you will need a suitable thermometer.
- Maintain the temperature at 200°; all the gel should
melt and become smooth, like syrup.
- Add color dye to the melted gel, a little bit at a time,
until you get the desired color - remember, you can always add
more dye to make the color stronger, but you can't take dye
away. For a candle with embedded objects, you should use only a
little color, so the objects remain visible
- Add the fragrance - 1/3 teaspoon for each glass of melted
gel will give it a nice scent. For a stronger scent, add a bit
more fragrance.
- Heat the container in the oven or microwave to about
150-160°F. This will help to reduce the appearance of
bubbles
- If you want to use embeds, dip them in hot gel first and
then arrange them in the container as you like. It is better to
keep the objects closer to the sides of the container - they
will be easier to see, this way.
- Now it is time to pour your gel into the container. Place
your container on a level surface and pour the gel slowly and
carefully down the side. If it is your first time, you will
probably get a few bubbles; to avoid that, the gel should be
still very hot.
- Pull the wick up. Roll it on a pencil to keep it
straight.
- Let the candle cool. Trim the wick and you are done! You
have a beautiful, unique gel candle, made by yourself.
Tanya Turner is a candle-making expert and a founder of
http://www.BestScentedCandles.info,
where you can find information about all types of candles, how to
make them and where to get best
scented candles
 MORE RESOURCES updated Thu. April / 18 / 2024
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