Homemade Candles

Homemade Candles are illuminating, scented, unique, personal, and intimate.

Creating your candles can be the most rewarding time you spend as a crafter. Having your finished candle in front of you is exciting.

Spending time candle making is time well spent on a craft that not only is beautiful but functional as well.

When the power goes out, where do you head? Quite possibly you go in search of your favorite candle supplies and holders.

The different types of candle making waxes include, but are not limited to:

Beeswax Candles

Beeswax is a natural wax produced in the bee hive of honey bees. It mainly consists of fatty acids and various alcohols. Typically, for a honey bee keeper, 10 pounds of honey yields 1 pound of wax.

Beeswax candles tend to burn cleanly with less smoke or odor, and not a lot of dripping. They seem to be the preferred candle in places such as churches.

Soy Candles

Soy wax for candles comes from soybeans. It tends to have a lower melting point than other types of waxes so therefore you tend to see these homemade candles in containers.

With use of certain additive these waxes can be created into other kinds of candle shapes as well. For instance you can find pillar candles of soy wax.

Soy wax comes in flakes and pellets for melting and forming into your candles.

Beeswax and soy candles are claimed to be the most healthy choice of candles you can purchase.

Gel Candles

Gel candles are made from a mixture of paraffin wax and plastic. They have the look of liquid in a glass. They are among the most easiest and cheap to produce.

Also they are a great home business to start because of various factors.

Gel candles are attractive and generally smell great.

Wax Candles

Wax candles can be lit to generate light and/or heat. Lighting a few candles in a room not only creates atmosphere but also raises the temperature.

Early European candles were made from various forms of natural fat, tallow, and wax. Historically wax candles were the first forms of candles to be mass produced. Today anyone can obtain cheap paraffin wax candles in different sizes and shapes.

Wax candles are still very popular with most people.

A Bit of Candle History:

"The earliest known candles originated in China around 200 BC, and were made from whale fat.

Candles did not appear in Europe until sometime after 400 AD, due largely to the availability of olive oil for burning in lamps. The early European candle was made from various forms of natural fat, tallow, and wax.

In the 18th century, spermaceti, oil produced by the sperm whale, was used to produce a superior candle.

Late in the 18th century, colza oil and rapeseed oil came into use as much cheaper substitutes.

Paraffin was first distilled in 1830, and revolutionized candle-making, as it was an inexpensive material which produced a high-quality, odourless candle that burned reasonably cleanly...." Quote from Candle - Wikipedia

Additional Candle Making Topics

• Homemade Candles
• Beeswax Candles
• Soy Candles

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