Scented Candle Making

Almost every candle maker soon becomes interested in scented candle making. The combination of a beautiful candle, it’s soft light is only enhanced by a gentle aroma. Just as you can chose perfume to complete an outfit and to suit the occasion, you can chose which candle scent you want to use to augment your home.

Although I won’t make too much of it, scented candles could be considered aromatherapy. I know that sounds a little “new-agey”, but there’s no doubt that we respond to scents. Some, like mint, we find invigorating. Others, like lavender, are soothing. Most people associate the smell of cinnamon with home and comfort.

If you want to learn more about aromatherapy, visit Aromatherapy Candle Making.

So adding scent to our candles adds a lot to their effect. And the good news is that making candles isn’t difficult if you pay attention to a few guidelines.

Candle making in general can be a little messy. Adding coloring and scent to a candle adds to the potential mess. One thing to keep in mind is that the essential oils often used to scent candles can be irritating to skin and can even damage furniture finish, especially polished wood (don’t ask me how I know). It’s a good idea to cover you work surface with newspapers and/or a plasticized table cloth.

Essential oils are the traditional way to add scent to candles. Don’t use your favorite perfume or another water or alcohol based scent. They won’t mix well with the wax and the results will be disappointing at best.

Candle making supplies also offer solid scent blocks or flakes. These are wax additives with essential oils incorporated into them. Because they’re solid, they’re easier to handle and many candle makers prefer them over oils. When you’re starting out, I suggest you experiment with both to see which you like.

The amount of scent you add will affect the strength of the scent. You can adjust to your preference, but don’t overdo it for a couple of reasons.

For one thing, too much scent will interfere with the wax composition. As a result the candle may not harden well or burn poorly.

Also, too much scent can be like too much perfume – too much of a good thing. A subtle soft aroma in the background is generally more pleasing than an intrusive scent.

As a rough rule of thumb, keep essential oils to less than an ounce per pound of wax. For solid scents, follow the manufacturer’s instruction. In either case, keep notes so you can evaluate your results and make adjustments in the future.

An important point is to remove the wax from the heat and add the scent just before you pour the wax into the mold or start dipping your candle. If you continue heating the wax, you’ll lose some of the scent.

Learn to make beautiful candles at home. Check out:

Home Candle Making Made Easy

 Making Scented Candles

 Candle Making Fragrance

 Make Your Own Candle Making Fragrance

 Aromatherapy Candle Making

 Aromatherapy Candle Fragrance