| Easy Steps for Aromatherapy Candle Making
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Aromatherapy candles produce fragrances, which help in meditation, relaxation, stress relief, inspiration, and heightened awareness. These candles are made with natural essential oil extracts unlike scented candles, which have natural and synthetic fragrances, potpourri, etc .
Aromatherapy candles can be made at home easily. A plain unscented candle could be converted to an aromatherapy candle by placing two drops of essential oil near the candle\'s wick and light. As the candle burns, it will diffuse the fragrance of your essential oil throughout the room.
Tips for making Aromatherapy Candles
Here are a few tips that will make candle making simpler:
- Be sure about the kind of candle that you want to make. Do you want to create a relaxing or a romantic mood? Having clarity on this makes it easier to choose the correct essential oils.
- Remember that essential oils have a very strong fragrance so make sure you add oil to the wax, a drop or two at a time. Adding more oil can always enhance fragrance but in case the fragrance is overdone, there is no way to rectify it.
- Initially, you must stick to the recipes as suggested in the books or the websites. However, once you gain more experience in aromatherapy candle making, you may choose to create your own unique formulas.
- It important to coordinate the color of candles with the fragrance used. For a candle containing ginger, lemongrass, grapefruit, or other energizing scents, yellow or orange would be good choice.
What do I require for making Aromatherapy Candles?
- Wax (beeswax, vegetable or soy wax)
- Hot plate and a nonstick pan (do not use this for cooking after you have used it for making candles)
- Wicks
- Colors and scents
- Molds
- Mold release spray (optional)
- Stearic Acid (optional)
- Luster Spray (optional)
Getting Prepared
Before you get started keep all the supplies handy as once you have started, it is not safe to leave the work area. Spread a newspaper or a piece of cloth that you do not require on the work area. Also prepare your mold before you start. Spray the mold with mold release spray so that the candle comes out of the mold easily. Thread your wick through the hole in the bottom of the mold
Making Aromatherapy Candles
The mold that you have purchased will be accompanied with item description on how much wax the mold holds (measured in pounds). Measure out the required amount of wax, melt and pour. In case you are not sure about how much wax should be used, then do not stress, try and make a visual assessment. If the wax is too much then make another candle and if it is too less then you can make a layered candle or re-melt the wax and add more.
Melt the wax by putting it on your melting pot or on a double boiler on the stove or on a hotplate set very low. Color and fragrance should be added as the wax melts but ensure that these are added in small quantities. Add a small piece of candle dye; these are usually in blocks or chips with the consistency of crayons. By scooping out a dollop of wax and placing it on waxed paper, you will be able to see what color your candle will be.
How do I know the candle is ready?
It is really confusing to judge when candle wax is ready to be poured. Experts will tell you that wax should be heated to a certain temperature (usually around 130 degrees) before being poured to make the best candle. If you’re paying attention to the temperature, you’ll never set your wax on fire, which is definitely a good thing. A simpler way is to wait until all the wax is melted, and then wait maybe up to 30 seconds more to make sure there are no solid bits left, stir it well, turn off the heat and pour the wax into a mold.
Fill the mold almost all the way to the top leaving a little bit of wax in the pan. After the candle has cooled for at least a couple of hours, re-melt the extra wax and pour it carefully on top of the candle as there would be a small hollow around the wick.
Allow your candle to cool overnight before trying to remove it from the mold.
Trim the excess wick from the top and put it on a candle plate or in a candle holder and enjoy your aromatherapy candle.
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