Tutorial: Beautiful botanical candles made from soy wax and essential oils

Our most popular workshop is our candle making workshop - candles are super simple to make, and you can definitely do it at home, so here's an abbreviated version!

 

 

You will need:

Wicks

Soy wax flakes

Candle container

Lolly sticks

Masking tape

Clean saucepan (used only for candle making!)

Essential oils of your choice

Glue dots

Dried flowers

 

 

Melt your wax flakes gently in a saucepan, stirring as you go. Once all of the flakes have melted, take off the heat! The wax is ready to pour when it is about 40C - it will change colour from looking like an oil to a bit more milky in consistency.

 

 

Whilst waiting for the wax to cool, take your candle container* and using a glue dot, pop your wick in the centre of the container. Use lolly sticks taped at one end as a wick support to hold your wick in place. (*We've reused old candle containers for this tutorial, but you can use anything as long as it can withstand the heat! Glass is sometimes a bit iffy, so check beforehand)

 

 

When your wax is ready, carefully pour into the container from the saucepan, leaving about 1cm from the top of the container. At this point add your essential oils - a general rule of thumb for a lightly scented candle is 10 drops of essential oil per 100ml of container - add more for a stronger smell, but stir as you go!

If you want to add flowers, wait until the wax is slightly set, and place them gently where you would like them.

 

 

Wait 24 hours, remove the wick supports and trim the wick to 0.5cm.

Your beautiful new candles are ready to be burnt!