Secrets of making candles with your own hands: from wax to gel. Coloring candles How to paint a candle

Individuality in the design of your interior will always be its winning side. Nothing gives home comfort to an apartment like things made by the hands of the owners. And if until now you could not boast of such fruits of needlework, you have a great opportunity to fix it. We suggest you try to make candles with your own hands.

Candles are a wonderful souvenir that, on occasion, can decorate the atmosphere of any family holiday. Candles have long been an attribute of celebration, significant dates, romantic evenings. Yes, just to sit in silence, listen to your favorite music under the trembling of a gentle light - this is sometimes not enough.

For some, a candle is nothing more than a cute piece of decor. And there is nothing wrong with this either, such products serve as a wonderful decoration in the house. But scented candles can become a real psychotherapeutic tool: they will help create the necessary atmosphere for relaxation, take a person into the world of dreams and pleasant memories.

In addition, a candle is a wonderful gift. The warmth of your hands and the flame of a beautiful candle will be the best wish for a loved one. Candles will decorate even the most modest environment, emphasize the color scheme of your apartment, and become evidence of the owner's excellent taste.

Needless to say, mothers who are on parental leave can even earn extra money on such a pleasant activity. And not only mothers - everyone who is fascinated by the process of creating a candle. And those who wish to acquire such man-made beauty, be sure, there will be.

So, we have many reasons to finally start our creative process. But to make a candle, we need to stock up on certain materials and tools.

Materials for making candles

Indeed, how to make candles with your own hands without special materials? In our work we will need:

  • Vessel for melting wax
  • Candle molds
  • Saucepan (for a water bath)
  • Sticks (the first is to fasten the wick, the second is to stir the wax)
  • Decorative elements to decorate the product
  • Wax crayons
  • Household candles or stubs of old candles
  • Paper threads (cotton 100%)

All this will help us create, if not a wax masterpiece, then a beautiful original candle. So let's get started!

Candle wick

Now we have to learn how to make a candle wick with our own hands. We make a gel, paraffin or wax candle, in any case, we will need a wick. In order to make it, we need a natural cotton thread without any impurities. Alternatively, take colored floss as a wick. Looks very cute and unusual.

The thickness and texture of the wick depend primarily on the thickness of that part of the candle that should burn through. For example, there are candles, partly consisting of combustible materials. Only the core burns in them.

For those who are going to cast a candle from wax, you need to take thick threads and twist them not very tightly. Paraffin and gel candles, on the contrary, need a tight weave of threads (otherwise, the wick will smoke when burning).

Wick for wax candles

Wick for gel candles

You need to be attentive to the following detail: if the candle is painted with wax crayons, small chips can clog the wick without dissolving in paraffin or wax. In general, there are a lot of nuances in this matter, be prepared for the fact that you will have to select a wick for a certain type of candle by trial and error.

If you take a very thick wick, excessive melting of the candle is possible, and this is fraught with soot. If you make a very thin wick, it will constantly go out.

There are several design options for the wick: it can be crocheted, braided, twisted with a rope. Before pouring the candle, you can impregnate the thread with wax, or you can do both filling and impregnation at the same time.

If you do not want to waste time making a wick, then use a wick from ready-made household candles.

candle mold

In this matter, your imagination plays a decisive role. You can use any plastic or metal molds that you find cute and appropriate for making candles. Don’t limit yourself to ready-made molds: yogurt packaging, cream jars, baking molds, tins, glasses or mugs that can withstand high temperatures can also play their role. Some even use milk tetrapak as a mold for a future candle.

Candles poured into tea cups

Candles made in egg shells

But for your first experience, it's better not to philosophize slyly: take something simple. For example, a glass of yogurt. Be sure to remove the paper label first, as it may catch fire.

We take our glass and in the middle of its bottom we pierce a hole with a thick needle - we insert a ready-made wick there. On the back of the cup, the wick must be tied with a knot. In this very place of the knot will be the top of our candle, because filling it will be “upside down”: the knot minimizes the flow of paraffin, stearin or wax through the hole we made at the bottom of the glass.

Go ahead. Across the glass we need to put any stick - a toothpick, brush or pencil. On it we need to tie the other end of the wick. It should be placed strictly in the center in a vertical, even position. So, you guarantee yourself that the candle will burn evenly and melt.

Candle coloring

You will get really beautiful candles on the condition that you do not forget to paint them. The easiest and most acceptable way is to color candles with simple children's wax crayons.

Do you think it would be wiser to use watercolor or gouache? Indeed, the palette of these colors is richer than the color variety of crayons. But the problem is that both gouache and watercolor are made on a water-soluble basis: these dyes are unsuitable for working with a candle. They do not mix well with wax or paraffin, they can float in them in flakes of an incomprehensible color, and then completely settle to the bottom.

The decoration of candles can and should be carried out only with fat-soluble dyes, and these are our wax crayons.

Often, many craftsmen use lipsticks or shadows in the decoration of candles. If you don't feel sorry for your makeup, please follow their example. But be sure that the scent of lipstick will soar throughout the house, which is far from always pleasant. To many, this smell may seem intrusive.

If you already undertook to make decorative candles with your own hands, it is better to use less aggressive materials. Choosing wax crayons, we dwell on the soft types of this dye. Candles made using mother-of-pearl wax crayons are especially good.

If you come across hard crayons, the procedure for melting them will be difficult. And yes, it's pretty hard to cut them. So, we chose a piece of crayon, with the help of a grater, we cut it off and added this shaving to the wax stubs. Thoroughly mixed the chips and cinders with a stick.

However, there is another coloring option. It is easy to find tableted pigments of different colors in special stores. They can be mixed with each other, dosed. Using such pigments, you will be able to make a truly unusual, bright or delicate candle. Pigments in tablets greatly expand the possibility of obtaining interesting shades.

You should not refuse to use dyes: they give the candle a unique look, create a unique pattern.

Pouring a candle

Now the wick is ready, it's time to fill. We need a regular tin can. It will have to be flattened a little to form a kind of nose. This is necessary in order to facilitate the process of pouring the molten material.

It is better to lubricate the pre-prepared form with a thin layer of dishwashing liquid or simple vegetable oil. Both of them are equally good.

We need to put the fragments of candles into the jar (the candles must be of the same quality). If we are going to make a paraffin or wax candle, you can take a saucepan or a ladle for melting, which are not very pitiful. In any case, this container must be placed in the pan that will be used as a water bath. In principle, you can use whatever you want, except for glassware.

So, we fill the pot with water, boil the water, and then immerse the container with wax or paraffin there. So our material will melt.

When the material and chips are completely melted, you can start pouring the candle.

We fill the bottom of our mold with wax, let it cool. Do not rush to fill the entire mold at once, otherwise a lot of wax or paraffin may leak out through the hole in the bottom. Wax is poured in layers, what has leaked out is re-sent for remelting. When the candle is already completely filled, it must be cooled. The temperature should be at room temperature.

Many people make a mistake at this point: they try to speed up the cooling process by placing a candle in the freezer. In this case, it may spread unevenly.

This is not critical if we fill the candle upside down. If you use another method, then you should leave a little wax in order to fill the depressions next to the wick. And after drying, they will definitely appear.

When the temperature of the candle already becomes equal to the temperature of the room, you need to untie the knot at the bottom of the mold. At this moment, we remove the product itself by gently pulling on the wick.

If this is not possible, the form can be cut. Or put it in the refrigerator for a minute, and then put it under hot water for a few seconds.

After that, we cut off the excess part of the wick, leaving a tip of 1 cm. If ugly seams remain from the form, they can be removed with hot water. But with these manipulations, the candle may become cloudy, its brilliance may fade. Therefore, the optimal solution would be to choose a candle shape that does not contain seams.

Do-it-yourself aroma candles

It is quite possible to make scented candles with your own hands. In particular, this is worth doing for those who are true fans of aromatherapy. In order for you to get just aroma candles, you need to add some essential oils before pouring into wax. The choice of oil depends on your taste: you can add any oils, except that you should not take pink. After all, its smell when burning will be suffocating, heavy.

It's great if the decor of the aroma candle matches the plant whose oil we use. For example, taking lavender oil as the basis for the aroma, pink or lilac dyes should prevail in the decor of the candle.

Using laurel or mint oil, it is better to decorate a candle with green shades.

Vanilla or cinnamon will go well with warm, beige-brown candle tones.

Not only oils can make your candle scented, regular coffee is a strong and pleasant scent.

In principle, it is not so difficult to achieve the fragrance of a candle. Aromatic oils are added to paraffin, wax or gel. And then the process of making an aromatic candle is no different from creating an ordinary candle.

Experimenters are advised to mix oils: an unusual bouquet of aromas is guaranteed to you. If you are afraid to “fuck up” and synthesize incongruous smells, look at perfume recipes. Follow their directions, just don't add rose oil.

Gel candles

And now let's talk about how to make gel candles with your own hands. In order for us to get gel candles, it is better to use ready-made gel wax. On packages with it, the recipe for creating candles is often written, and you can use it.

For those who are used to doing everything themselves, the following recipe can help:

  • 5 g gelatin
  • 2 g tannin
  • 20 ml water
  • 35 ml glycerin

First we need to dissolve the tannin in the glycerin during the heating process. We continue to heat, adding the remains of glycerin and gelatin to the composition. Add water to the resulting clear solution. Bring the mixture to a boil. Some turbidity of the solution should not frighten you: it will soon disappear. Until the water completely evaporates, you need to boil the solution.

Essential oil can also be added to gel candles, this does not contradict the recipe. A separate, especially pleasant process, decorating gel candles. We freely lay decorative elements at the bottom of any transparent container: beads, beads, pebbles, shells, sequins, coffee beans, dry plant stems or flowers. Then fill everything with gel transparent wax. Such a candle looks simply incredible: transparent, delicate, with a magical pattern inside.

coffee candles

Decorative candles are also easy to make. For example, you can make an original coffee candle. Decor - naturally, coffee beans. The principle of operation is as follows: a small one is inserted into a large form. Between the walls of the two forms, you need to fill in coffee beans, and then fill them with candle mass.

As soon as the mass with coffee beans has frozen, the walls need to be blown with a hot hairdryer. Thanks to this, excess paraffin will drain, coffee beans will be clearly visible.

So the outer layer with coffee beans is ready. We put it back into the mold, fill it with paraffin / wax of a different color from the inside.

Coffee candles can be:

Sea candles can be made in the same way: instead of grains, they will contain pebbles or seashells. As an option - transparent gel candles with small pebbles or coffee beans.

Candle decoration options

How else can you decorate a candle made by yourself? The first way to give your candle originality is to use unusual, unexpected shapes. Sometimes an interesting shape can be more advantageous than even the most skillful decor. A wonderful element of candle decor is various kinds of glass coasters.

In a specialized store you can find special stickers for decoration. Or decoupage is a great way to decorate candles. By the way, it is very fashionable among professional candle makers. Most often, napkins are used as the basis for decoupage. Do not forget about safety: use a special varnish for candles.

For lovers of original decor, the following option is suitable:

Before pouring, lay out shells, pieces of dried fruit, cinnamon, seeds, dried flowers around the edges of the mold. Or let it be coffee beans in an ensemble with rhinestones and beads. But in the latter case, it would be more appropriate to talk about the decor of the finished product: we insert decorative elements into melted paraffin / wax.

An already frozen candle can be pasted over with bamboo or cinnamon sticks. You can add star anise stars or all the same coffee beans to them. It will be a beautiful decoration for aroma candles.

If you are using dried plants (or any other decorative items that can become combustible), the candle wick should be thin so that the candle only melts in the middle.

In principle, if you have the opportunity to apply for material in specialized stores, there you will acquire a lot of useful tools. For example, markers and contours are sold there, they do not burn, and during smoldering the wick melts together with wax / paraffin.

If you don't want to collect old candle stubs, use paraffin beads or candle gel. In specialized stores, you can even find ready-made wicks (with a metal holder). For floating candles, you can purchase specially formulated wax.

Today, the fantasy of a creative person is practically not constrained by anything: the prices for materials for making candles do not bite, the process is exciting and not as long as it might seem. Having once created a beautiful candle with your own hands, you are unlikely to deny yourself the pleasure of experimenting again.

And for inspiration, we invite you to watch a wonderful video master class on creating carved candles

Categories

There are many options to make your candle unique. One of them is giving the candle color.

When I first started making candles, there wasn't much on hand as a candle mass dye. And most importantly, there was little that was competent at hand. Still, mixing paraffin and dyes is all kinds of chemical reactions, and you need to be careful with this.

Still, I wanted color. I started with gouache.

Bad, very bad. Fortunately, I have not preserved a single candle painted in this way. The fact is that it is almost impossible to paint the candle mass with gouache: small particles of gouache settle to the bottom of the kindling, and even if you shake the paint a little while pouring wax, it still settles. It turns out a very pale shade, and from this muddy and untidy.

I tortured the fragments of candles for a long time, fusing them over and over again, until they turned into something ugly and dirty. I just decided to stop pouring paraffin for a while. Until I find a good alternative to bad coloring.

Once I was just visited by nostalgia (I still wanted to pour, albeit without normal dyes). And I "maybe" poured EARTH FROM A FLOWER TUB into the melted wax!!! It looked, of course, funny, a white candle, at the bottom of which something dark shines through. It seems at first glance there are no shortcomings. Especially when the candle is not burning :)

Very soon, the fire reached the "earth" layer, and it began to smell of fertilizers. The melted wax began to hiss, and this is not very good for you and me. Because you never know what could have spit with a mixture of hot paraffin and earth. Here, in the next photo you can clearly see how the wax hissed due to the super dye. Don't do it.

Part two, optimistic.

And now, hurray, I didn’t look anywhere, but just remembered that I have wax crayons. Once I painted the walls of my room on Tulskaya. Since the crayons are wax, it means that by adding small pieces, you can color the candle mass.

Such crayons can be found anywhere: in children's stores, in a bookstore, in an office supply store. Such things are produced by different companies, Crayola, for example. Boxes cost a maximum of 150 rubles. But I’ll tell you right away: look for it cheaper, because it’s there. If anything, I can buy you for 70 of your rubles and hand it over in Moscow. In general, in Zelenograd you can find so many rare and cheaper things :) Come here, come visit :)

  • To color your candle mass, you only need a few mm of crayon thickness.
  • Some do not color the melted paraffin completely, but already existing white candles are dipped in a colored melt of wax / paraffin. The choice is yours! It's just a matter of convenience!
  • In addition to single-color candles, you can also make multi-colored ones! Just pour the color into the mold not completely, wait until the first layer cools down a bit, and fill in another layer. You need to wait so that the hot paraffin does not melt and stir the colors.

Candles are a great decorating item, thanks to the large selection of all kinds of sizes and shapes. Is it possible to paint candles with acrylic paints? Of course you can! On the surface of the candle, both artistic painting and spraying, as well as the “point to point” technique, look good. It all depends on the intention of the artist.

Most often, these candles are used as decorative interior decorations. But this does not mean at all that you should deny yourself the pleasure of lighting a beautiful candle, for example, on a festive table. Today we will tell and show how candles painted with acrylic or contours behave when burned.

We take two candles for our experiment. One is completely painted with "Decolor" Chervonny Gold, and the second - with elements of dot painting using contours and golden "Glitter".

We light our candles.

After a while, changes begin to occur. A fully dyed gold candle begins to melt under the acrylic paint and the top begins to sag slightly.

Candle with dot painting. When the flame reaches the contours, it sets them a little on fire because the design comes too close to the wick. However, no unpleasant odor appears. When the paraffin under the "points" becomes liquid, they simply settle into it.

This concludes the experiment with dot painting on a candle. No more changes, fires and spectacular effects. Dots of contours and swirls of glitter float in melted paraffin, shimmering and rolling in it.

The golden candle burns differently. Acrylic with a dense solid film keeps on melted paraffin, holding it inside, preventing it from flowing along the edges of the candle.

As a result, after a long burning time (about six hours), the candle wick simply sank in so much liquid paraffin and went out. If it were an artistic painting from separate strokes of paints of different colors, then the acrylic film would not be so solid, and would allow the paraffin to drain.

It is also possible to allow the paraffin to drain by carefully cutting the ink film with scissors while burning to the actual height.

So, we found out that burning candles painted with acrylic paints and contours is quite safe: the paints do not ignite, do not smoke, do not emit an unpleasant odor. So with pleasure decorate candles with acrylic, give them as gifts and safely use them for their intended purpose.

Next week we'll take a look at what happens when you use decoupage candles.

The ideal material for coloring wax and paraffin is wax crayons. They already contain the necessary fat-soluble dyes. To work, you will need 2 more pans or a special device for a water bath. Pots should be such that the smaller one can be hooked onto the edges of the larger one with handles. Grate wax crayons of the desired color on a fine grater. Put wax or paraffin into a smaller saucepan, and pour water into a large one and bring to a boil. Melt the wax, add the crumbled crayon to the resulting mass and mix thoroughly. Hold the wax or paraffin in a water bath until the color is uniform. Dye clots may remain, which are best removed.

Coloring with dyes for wax

In hardware stores, you can sometimes find aniline wax paints. They are also suitable for coloring paraffin. Such paints are available in the form of tablets or powders. The staining method is not much different from the previous one. The tablet must be thoroughly crushed, wax or paraffin - melt in a water bath. Pour in the dye, stir, hold the mass in a molten state until an even shade is obtained. In the same way, paraffin is dyed using colored candle scrap, so do not throw away the cinders of multi-colored candles, they can still come in handy. True, the color will turn out a little lighter than the original.

Coloring with natural materials

Many plants contain natural dyes suitable for dyeing wax. For example, marigolds give a rich yellow color, with the help of tansy you can color the wax in various shades of green, the peel will give your paraffin a delicate golden hue. For 1 kg of paraffin or wax, you need about 4 cups of tansy or marigold leaves. Leaves or flowers do not need to be crushed. It is enough to place them in a bag made of cotton or woolen fabric (that is, one that does not contain artificial fibers that can melt when the temperature rises). You need to add a little stearin to the paraffin, nothing can be added to the wax. Melt the paraffin or wax in a water bath. Immerse a bag of flowers or leaves in the mass and observe the process, stirring the wax occasionally. Keep in mind that melted wax is somewhat brighter than a solidified finished product from it.

Finished product coloring

You can also paint a product cast from wax or paraffin. In this case, it is better to use wax crayons. Crush the crayon to make a powder, melt in a water bath. Add a little wax or paraffin (depending on the material of the product), mix. Dip the finished product into the paint and quickly remove it.

Handmade is gaining more and more popularity. Extravagant jewelry, paintings, toys, decorative elements, gifts - this is only a small part of what enthusiastic craftsmen and amateurs create with their own hands. Today we will talk about how to make a candle at home.

This process does not require special skills and equipment. After reviewing our recommendations and detailed master classes, even beginners can start this exciting process.

CREATING A CANDLE: WHERE TO START

DIY candles are much easier to make than you might think. And the main advantage of such an activity is that the necessary materials are easily accessible. If you look carefully, you will find them even in your home.

MATERIALS FOR HOMEMADE CANDLE

Wax, stearin or paraffin are best suited for work. Moreover, it is better for beginners to start acquaintance with the latter, it is the least whimsical to use. You can purchase paraffin wax from the store or use the leftovers of old white candles.

WICK

As a wick, it is best to use natural threads, ideally thick cotton threads. Do not try to use synthetics: such a wick will quickly burn out and leave an unpleasant odor behind. To test the thread for naturalness, simply set fire to its tip. If it melts, forming a solid ball at the end, you have synthetics in front of you.

If you have conceived an unusual candle and are thinking how to make an original wick for it, then use colored floss threads. This is a great and natural material.

Remember an important rule: the thicker the candle, the thicker the wick should be.

It's easy to make your own. To do this, prepare a solution: dissolve 1 tablespoon of salt and 2 tablespoons of boric acid in a glass of water. Soak cotton thread or floss in it for 12 hours. Then dry them and twist a tourniquet out of them or braid a pigtail.

If this process seems tedious to you, carefully remove the wick from the finished household candle and use it.

CANDLE MOLD

First of all decide on the configuration of the desired candle, and then try to find a hollow object of the same shape. You may find it useful:

Cardboard packages from milk and juices;
. plastic cups from yogurts and desserts;
. egg shell;
. silicone molds for baking;
. glass goblets, wine glasses, glasses and glasses;
. children's pastries;
. figured forms for ice cream;
. tin and glass coffee jars;
. empty cans.

The only requirement is that the mold material must withstand heating up to 100°C.

Another interesting option is to pour candles into beautiful transparent glasses. They will not be available, but they will look very stylish and unusual.

Sometimes scented candles are made in tangerine or orange peel. The fruit is pre-cut in half and the pulp is carefully removed. You can also use large shells or coconut shells.

DYES

A white candle is elegant but boring. Naturally, the question arises of how to color the paraffin in order to get bright interior decorations.

For lovers of candle making, it is best and cheapest to take wax crayons for children's creativity. Would you like to receive a special candle? Look for mother-of-pearl crayons - your creation will be unique.

Do not try to use water-soluble gouache or watercolor - you are in for a fiasco. The dye will inevitably settle to the bottom or fall out in flakes. The finished product will look very unpresentable.

WARE FOR MELTING PARAFFIN

In order to melt the paraffin, you will need a small saucepan for a steam bath and an iron bowl. Experienced craftsmen recommend heating paraffin in a steam bath, considering other methods, including a microwave oven, to be fire hazardous.

We recommend that you first also use this method, proven over the years: place a bowl of paraffin in a container of boiling water. If the candle is planned to be colored, add the chalk immediately and mix the melted mass several times to obtain a uniform color.

FRAGRANTS AND DECOR

Any materials at hand are suitable for decorating candles. First, decide on the topic of your work. Pebbles and shells will effectively complement the candles in a marine style. For the New Year theme, use beads, small cones, small decorative balls, ribbons and bows. Decorate candles for Valentine's Day with hearts, sequins, bows, dried flowers, coffee beans, etc.

It is best to scent homemade candles with essential oils, which can be purchased at the nearest pharmacy. Another option is to find vanilla cinnamon in your kitchen. It is worth adding flavors to melted paraffin at the very end, after staining.

STEP-BY-STEP WORKSHOPS

We bring to your attention a selection of available master classes that will help beginners learn the basic techniques and techniques of work. If you already know how to create candles with your own hands, you can draw interesting ideas from them for implementation in your work.

We invite you to create heart-shaped candles that will be an unforgettable gift for your soulmate for Valentine's Day or a birthday.

Watch a detailed video of creating a fragrant coffee candle and you will see that everything is even simpler than it seems at first glance.

RAINBOW CANDLES

Do you want to add bright colors to your home? Handmade interior rainbow candles will help you with this.

To make them you will need the following ingredients:
. paraffin;
. stearin;
. wick;
. cylindrical shape;
. dyes corresponding to the colors of the rainbow.

You will get more detailed information from the detailed video tutorial. For beginners, it shows all the stages of preparing a candle mass and creating a gradient transition of colors.

MULTI-COLORED CANDLES IN LAYERS

Spectacular multi-colored candles in a transparent glass will be the highlight of your interior. How to make them, see our master class, illustrated with step-by-step photos.

materials

Before you make colored candles with your own hands, prepare:

Clear wax;
wax pencils;
disposable paper cups;
glass cups;
wicks;
ice cream sticks;
aroma oils;
microwave oven;
grater.

Step 1. Grate ordinary transparent wax and fill paper cups with the resulting material. You only need to fill them with this material by a quarter.

Step 2 Microwave the cup for 45 seconds. Get it out. Stir the wax with a wooden stick. It should melt completely, if this does not happen, send the glass to the oven for another 30 seconds.

Step 3. Dip a wick into an empty glass cup. You can attach its other end to an ice cream stick and put it on top of the cup. This will make it easier for you to keep working. Pour some wax into a glass and wait for it to set. Thus, the wick should be fixed in the center of the cup.

Step 4 Remove the paper wrapper from the wax crayons. Grate them and add the desired color of crayons to separate cups with wax. For a third of a glass of wax, add shavings of one pencil to get a sufficiently saturated color.

Step 5. Send a glass of colored wax to the microwave for 2.5 minutes. Take it out and while stirring, add a few drops of the chosen aromatic oil. You don't have to, but with oil, your candles will give off a pleasant aroma.

Step 6. While holding the wick, pour the first layer of colored wax into the cup. To get an interesting pattern, tilt the cup at an angle and hold it in that position until the wax sets.

Step 7. Melt cups with wax of a different color in the same way and also, but at the opposite angle, pour them one by one into a glass cup. Each time, fix the container in different positions until the wax sets.

Step 8. Having formed a multi-colored candle, let the wax cool completely.

Bright and unusual candles are ready. You can use them for their intended purpose or give them to friends as souvenirs.


SOURCE: http://www.rukikryki.ru/

Another interesting idea is a square multi-colored candle. Wax pencils are also used for its coloring. If you are a beginner, be sure to check out the clear video tutorial, with its help you can easily make such a cool craft for a gift to friends and family.

OPENWORK CANDLES

Decorative candles can be of the most diverse design, because talented craftsmen never tire of impressing with their imagination and creative experiments. In support of these words, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the method of making an unusual openwork candle.

For work you will need:
. paraffin;
. optional coloring and flavoring;
. wick and holder for it;
. cylindrical shape;
. small ice cubes.

Melt the paraffin in a water bath. If the candle is supposed to be colored, color the candle mass, if you wish, you can also scent it.

Set the wick in the mold so that it reaches the bottom of the mold. Do not forget to fix it on top of an impromptu holder. Pour in crushed ice, not reaching a couple of centimeters from the edges.

Pour the melted candle mass into the mold. Leave the workpiece until the paraffin has completely cooled. In this case, naturally, the ice will melt, and cavities will form inside the candle.

Carefully drain the water and remove the product by pulling on the wick.

Be careful, this beauty is quite fragile and requires careful handling. Such an unusual openwork candle will be a wonderful present for your family and friends. If you use paraffin from old candles for work, get this beauty for free.

You will receive visual instructions for action from detailed videos of creating openwork candles. After viewing them, you can independently make such beauty at home.

Video #1:

Video #2:

Option number 3: And if you are thinking about what to give your friends for the New Year, then surprise them with a handmade red openwork candle. It will be an unforgettable gift and will bring into the house a sense of celebration along with the Christmas mood. See the work of the master and be inspired by your own masterpieces.

MASSAGE CANDLES

The main ingredient for creating a massage candle is soy wax. By adding useful components to it, you can get a product with healing properties. It no longer acts as a decor, but as a home cosmetic product that makes the skin soft and well-groomed.

Healing properties of essential oils:

Lemon essential oil will help rejuvenate the skin and cleanse the pores.
. Orange oil has an anti-cellulite effect.
. Rose oil stimulates the regeneration of skin cells and promotes skin elasticity.
. Rosemary oil can clear the skin of age spots and make it smooth.
. Patchouli oil is great for moisturizing.
. Lavender oil will delight you with its healing effect.

Solid vegetable oils are also added to massage candles. For example, cocoa butter is used to moisturize and tone the skin. And with its regular use, cosmetologists promise you smooth and delicate skin.

Exotic shea butter can save dry skin from peeling. Coconut oil, rich in natural antioxidants, can smooth the skin.

The general algorithm for creating a massage candle:

1. melt the wax with hard oils in a water bath;
2. let the mass cool down a little and add liquid oils;
3. cool the mass a little more and add essential oils, extracts and vitamins;
4. pour the resulting candle mass into the mold, after inserting the wick into it;
5. wait for the candle to harden completely and remove it from the mold;
6. The hardened candle is ready for use.

We offer you the most common recipes for effective massage candles.

Recipe #1

Soy wax - 85%;
. avocado and shea butter (aka shea butter) - 5% each;
. patchouli essential oil - 2.8%;
. essential oil of ylang-ylang - 2%;
. vitamin E - 0.2% (a few drops).
Light the finished candle and let it melt a little. Put it out. Put some warm wax on your hand and you can arrange a rejuvenating massage session. Do not be afraid to burn yourself - the melting point of such a candle is much lower than that of paraffin.

Recipe number 2 "Massage candle with a calming effect"

Soy wax - 80g;
. shea butter - 40g;
. almond oil - 40g;
. cocoa butter - 20g;
. essential oils of sage and lavender - 2 g each.
A massage session of such candles is best arranged before going to bed. The calming effect of essential oils will help you relax and fall asleep soundly.

Recipe number 3 "Massage candle with anti-cellulite effect"

Beeswax - 100g;
. cocoa butter - 60g;
. ground chili pepper - 5-10g;
. essential oils of orange and grapefruit - 3 g each.
Make sure you are not allergic to any of the ingredients in the suppository. After the massage, you may feel a burning or tingling sensation, which is associated with the presence of chili in the composition.

Regular massage will help get rid of the hated “orange peel”, make the skin soft and supple.

WE DECORATE CANDLES USING DECOUPAGE TECHNIQUE

If you do not have a dye, but you want to create something bright and memorable, do not be discouraged. The simplest candle made from cinder can be turned into a work of art. To do this, you need to have a little patience and decorate the product to your liking.

CANDLE DECORATED WITH DRIED FLOWERS

Dried leaves, stems and flowers will help you create an exclusive candle, which will be almost impossible to repeat. The use of natural materials is limited only by the local flora and your imagination. That's when the ability to collect a herbarium will come in handy in full.


*photo by Lyudmila Klimova

For work you will need:
. any dried flowers;
. 2 candles - for decoration and ordinary;
. tea spoon;
. tweezers;
. nail scissors;
. paraffin for final coverage.

From the dried flowers you have available, compose the composition that you want to bring to life.

Heat a teaspoon over an ordinary burning candle (with the inside over the fire, because the spoon will blacken a little, and in order not to stain the candle, then we will carry out all the manipulations with the other side of the spoon).

Attach a dry flower to the candle to be decorated and gently iron its petals with the outside of the spoon so that they melt to the paraffin and do not stick out. Thick stems may need to be ironed several times while heating the spoon.

Excess stems that extend beyond the candle, carefully cut with scissors.

Glue the rest of the elements in the same way, choosing the desired location for them. Make sure that the edges of the leaves and petals do not stick out.

It remains to fix the result. Melt the paraffin in a water bath, pour it into a container into which you can completely dip the decorated candle.

Holding the candle by the wick, dip it into the melted paraffin, set it on a flat surface and let it cool. If the petals were not smoothed well and protruding tips remained visible, repeat this procedure again.

Such an elegant candle will conquer any heart and will not be left without attention. Complete it with a beautiful candlestick and it will become a unique decoration of your home.

DECOUPAGE OF CANDLES WITH PAPER TILES

The desire to decorate a candle could come instantly, but there are no dried flowers at hand. In this case, you can do with paper napkins. With their help, you can easily decorate a candle for any holiday.

Choose a napkin with the pattern you want. Cut out the desired elements from the napkin. Carefully remove the two bottom layers of paper from the resulting blanks. Further, the principle of operation is similar to decorating with dried flowers.

Attach the prepared element to the candle and iron it with a hot spoon. Sand the cooled surface with the rough side of a regular kitchen sponge. It is not necessary to immerse the candle in melted paraffin with this method.

Your masterpiece is ready. Make a beautiful arrangement of candles in the New Year's style, fir branches and colored balls. It will bring good mood and holiday atmosphere to your home.

PHOTO-DESIGN IDEAS

Want even more ideas for inspiration. Browse our selection of decorative candles. You are sure to find one that you want to repeat immediately.














We were able to convince you that it is possible to create unique masterpieces even from improvised materials? That is why candle making has become a favorite pastime for many beginners and not only masters.

Original form templates:

Now you know what candles are made of and how, you can get to work. Do not try to use the photo you like as a template and an unconditional ideal. Get inspired by ready-made works to create your own unique candles. A little diligence and perseverance - and already your masterpieces will be the standard to follow.