How to make eco-friendly scented candles?

With a little effort you can create a beautifully scented soy candle, an eco-friendly alternative to harmful paraffin. We suggest how to make your own scented candles friendly to the environment and our health.

Candle is one of the most beautiful decorations in the interior. Its soft, warm light gives a cozy character and builds a unique mood. Store shelves are full of different candles – bigger, smaller, white, colored, unscented and scented. The latter conquered the Polish market a few years ago and are still very popular. Some have a very subtle, delicate scent, others smell intensively and it takes just a few moments to fill the whole room.

If we do not want to spend money on ready-made candles, we can easily make them ourselves. Especially if we care about ecological products, without paraffin, which is a petroleum derivative and which should not be inhaled for a long time – it has a bad impact not only on our mood, but above all on the respiratory and circulatory systems.

DIY scented candle – what ingredients are needed?

To make eco-friendly scented candles you need really only five things.

• Soy wax – natural and non-toxic to humans and the environment, burns several times longer than paraffin and is easier to remove, does not cause allergic reactions and does not smoke. You can also opt for beeswax.
• Wick – preferably cotton or wooden. When buying, it is worth paying attention that it is not waxed with paraffin.
• Essential oil – natural and one that we like as well as those close to us. Natural oils have a positive effect on our body, relieve tension, help with aches and pains, and eucalyptus oil effectively repels mosquitoes.
• Kitchen accessories – a pot, bowl and spoon needed to dissolve the wax and glue to attach the wick.
• Jar, cup – a vessel to pour the wax into, preferably glass, which will be resistant to high temperatures. It can be transparent or decorative. A great idea is also to use old containers from used candles.

How to make a soy candle step by step?

If we already have all the necessary ingredients, we can get to work. At the beginning it is necessary to attach (with hot glue, or double-sided tape) the wick to the target container, in which our candle will be. You can stiffen it with a spoon or a pencil, so that it holds straight and nothing moves during the whole process. If the vessel is large, you can place two or three wicks next to each other, like store candles.

Then go on to dissolve the wax in a water bath (do not put it directly into the pot or microwave, then the temperature will be too high), and once it is liquid, add essential oils – one or a composition of several, all according to your choice and personal preference of scents – and mix everything thoroughly. Now all you have to do is pour everything into a vessel with a wick.

What is important, the melting point of soy wax is 50 degrees Celsius (do not unnecessarily overheat it) and in such or even lower should be poured oils – in the ratio of 1:10, ie 10 ml of oil for each 100 g of wax. Leave the resulting mixture to harden completely, then cut the wick, light it and enjoy our ecological scented candle.

You can easily add coffee beans, dried flowers, slices of dried orange or spices like aromatic cinnamon or cloves. A handmade scented candle will not only beautifully decorate our interiors (for example, exposed on a mirror tray or placed in a lantern), but it will also be a great gift for a loved one who will surely appreciate this gesture.