Making your own candles at home can be a fulfilling and exciting experience. Not to mention, it's easier than you think and ultimately cheaper than buying them from your local store. As you get started in making your own aromatic scented candles, however, you should expect to run into a few bumps along the road. Fortunately, many of the most common candle-making mistakes have simple solutions.
Not Using Enough Fragrance in Soy Candles
These days, many people choose to make their candles out of soy rather than paraffin wax because soy is a more natural ingredient. However, what many beginner candle-makers don't realize is that soy doesn't project scents as much or as far as traditional paraffin wax. This means that, if you decide to use soy, you'll need to increase the amount of fragrance that you add as well. Otherwise, you'll end up with a candle that may look pretty but will hardly give off any scent when it's lit.
Failure to Use a Silicon Spray on Molds
Another common problem that beginner candle-makers run into is that of getting their candles to separate from their molds easily and without crumbling any of the wax. Often times, the cause of this problem is simply not allowing the wax to cool enough before trying to remove it. After all, paraffin wax shrinks as it cools, so if you wait until the wax is almost completely cool, it should come out of the mold without any problem.
Using a silicon spray inside molds before pouring your wax can also help to make the removal process much easier.
Using the Wrong Sized Candle Wick
Finally, make sure you're using the proper size wick for the size of the candle you're creating. Too often, beginner candle-makers will use a wick that's too large for the candle and thus unable to carry enough wax through it as it burns. The end result is a wick that begins to get that "cauliflower" appearance on the end after it's been burned. This, in turn, results in excessive smoke when the wick is lit the next time along with a flame that's potentially too large to the point of being dangerous.
As you can see, there are a number of things that can go wrong when you make your own candles at home. However, by avoiding these common mistakes, you'll be on your way to successful candles in no time.
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