How To Create True To Life Scented Candles

Making your own scented candles can be a really fun hobby . Not only that but there is considerable pride to be had from making your own candles, instead of just going along to the shop to buy one. Doing it yourself means you can create a candle in the exact shape, colour and fragrance you wish , with no need to compromise. It is pretty easy to make your own scented candles. For most people this will start by investing in a scented candle kit which contains everything you need to get started. However when all is said and done the aroma is the most crucial part of any scented candle. Some kits contain man-made fragrances. The best course of action is to get natural perfumes similar to those used by luxury candle makers. In specialized outlets you can select essential oils for use in creating your own fragrant candles. There is a wide variety of sweet smelling perfumes such as lavender, sandalwood or cinammon to mention only a few. These oils, which dissolve in paraffin, are to be found in small bottles or droppers. Some of them, for instance citronella, are suitable for warding off mosquitoes or other pesky critters, which is very good for summer dinners outside. Other useful ways of adding natural fragrances to your home made scented candles are by using items such as dried flowers, herbs or dried citrus peel. If you dice these very finely they can be left to infuse in warmwax for about 40 minutes, which is sufficient time to discover that they will have infused the wax with delicate, realistic fragrance. We would then suggest that they are extracted from the wax. If you leave any solid items in the finished candle there is the possibility that they might spark when the candle is alight  or alternatively that they might burn, giving off an unacceptable quantity of soot. As well as the foregoing methods of creating aromas for your homemade candles, which are similar to the methods employed by luxury candle makers like True Grace candles and Yankee candles, there are two other shortcuts you can take, if you do not have time to make your scented candles from scratch:



You could add your chosen essential oil to the molten wax at a dose of about 3-5%. You have to mix well so that the essence is spread uniformly. You can also dip the wick into the softened wax for about 20 minutes. This results in the perfume being emitted more quickly - in fact just as soon as the wick is lit, though the scent is not long lasting.



For the speediest technique of introducing fragrance in your candles all you need to do is light the wick and wait for the top layer of wax to become liquid. Then all that's necessary is to place a few drops of oil around the lighted wick. Although this will give you a very pungent initial aroma  it doesn't last that long because the ouil is not mixed throughout the candle.






The author is owner of The Scented Candle Store which specialises in home fragrances including scented candles by brands such as Yankee candles