Grave Matters
Grave Matters follows families who found in “green” burial a more natural, more economic, and ultimately more meaningful alternative to the tired and toxic send-off offered at the local funeral parlor.
Eschewing chemical embalming and fancy caskets, elaborate and costly funerals, they have embraced a range of natural options, new and old, that are redefining a [...]
Making Aromatherapy Candles
With the holiday season fast approaching, I’m brainstorming ways to do things in a greener way. Last year I bought candles and I wasn’t really happy with them. For starters, they were expensive, used chemical dyes, synthetic perfumes, and the wicks burned out and left half the candle behind. I’ve made candles before and it’s not difficult. I think I’m going to dust off my candle making skills this year.
Candle making is an Old World tradition, but today organic beeswax is hard to come by. To be certified organic, the bees that it is harvested from must only be allowed to feed on certified organic botanicals. Why beeswax and not soy, parafin, or vegetable oil? Soy and vegetable are fine, but I find them kind of sterile with no therapeutic properties. They have no smell. Parafin is from a plant but has petroleum and doesn’t burn clean — it actually dirties the environment. Unbleached beeswax produces negative ions which cleans the air and removes odors as it burns. No other wax does that.
A typical scented candle does not benefit the household as much as beeswax candles. Scented candles have synthetic perfumes that add to indoor pollution. This is why a person can have an allergic reaction to a lavender-scented candle but not have the same reaction to a beeswax candle made with lavender essential oil.
If you like the colors that many candles have nowadays, it’s easy to replicate that look without synthetic dyes. You just need to find a spice with a color you like. You can use tumeric for instance. Add it to the melted wax while it’s still liquified in the double boiler. The spice will sink to the bottom and wax will take on the color of the spice. Pour your candles into the molds and you’ll see the spice has sunk to the bottom of the boiler.
Before making beeswax candles, prepare by getting all of your supplies together and setting up an area to work. To make these candles you will need: beeswax, scissors or a knife, candle wicks, toothpicks, a cake thermometer, a cutting board or other hard surface for cutting. When purchasing the supplies, check to see that the wicks do not contain any lead or other chemicals.
To protect the counter you’ll be working on, cover it in several layers of newspaper or brown paper bags. Wear an apron or old shirt to protect your clothes, and it won’t hurt to spread some newspaper on the floor as well. You’ll be traveling between the stove and your counter.
1. Heat water in a double boiler. The beeswax goes into the top boiler with the thermometer and will melt between 140-150 degrees.
2. If you want your candles to be a particular color, find a herb the color you want. Chili powder will make your candle pink, tumeric will make a sunset-colored candle. Add a scoop of the dried spice to the melted wax in the double boiler. Stir with the thermometer and let the spice settle to the bottom.
3. Prepare your molds — I usually make pillars but you may want votives. Spay the inside of the molds with olive oil cooking spray. Thread your mold from the bottom hole. Leave at least an inch of wick at the bottom and top. Plug the bottom hole with mold sealant. This will keep the hot wax from coming out.
4. If you want to add essential oils, now is the time. A good holiday blend would be 16 drops cedarwood, 12 eucalyptus, and 10 drops sage. Drip the oils into the melting wax and stir.
5. Pour your wax into the molds. Use 2 toothpicks laid on top of the mold with the wick in the middle to hold the wick in place. Don’t walk away because the wicks will move on you even with the toothpicks holding them in place.
6. Once the candle has hardened, you should be able to pop them right out of the mold. Just remember to remove the sealing wax from the bottom first.
If any beeswax gets in your hair, you can remove it by rubbing olive oil into your hair. If you get it on your clothes, cover the spot with a paper towel and iron the spot. Make sure you trim your wicks before lighting them.
Resource: Learn the Power of Aromatherapy
Please let me know what you thought of this post… I’m dying to find out…
- 12 Comments
- Tags: Aromatherapy, beeswax, beeswax candles, candle making, candles, essential oil
ingilizce çeviri (6)
Olesya Novik (4)
Gluten Free Recip... (2)
Lica@Carpet Shamp... (2)
What a wonderful article! I made candles years ago, but I’d forgotten almost everything about it, except the fun of sharing them.
In a time when we need to be less invasive of our global environment, beeswax candles can be the perfect gift for friends and loved ones. And the smell of beeswax candles is HEAVENLY!
Thank you for reminding me of this great GREEN gift. This Christmas, everyone I know is getting home grown pecans (we have 12 mature trees and what looks like a bumper crop). I will be making different flavors in different jars, including jars of cinnamon/sugar, chili pepper/sugar, and boxes of pralines.
Now I will add homemade beeswax aromatherapy candles to the gift boxes and have fabulous gifts for everyone!
Brennan Kingslands last blog post..Education Problems Coast to Coast
ReplySounds like everyone on your gift list is in for a nice treat this year
ReplyIsn’t it ironic Clara, that Google advertises soy candles here? I guess I have similar problems on my sites, too – that’s why I noticed it here
If you try to fight or avoid mainstream, you still receive mainstream ads…
Regards, Misha
ReplyI guess to Google, a candle is a candle is a candle
ReplyFrom what I’ve learned over the years about the things you’re
talking about, what you say is accurate.
However, I had this to say in a recent blog post…
To get started, decide on the size of candles you want to make and how many. There are charts in candle making books and on the internet that can help you determine how many pounds of candle wax you will need to complete your project. You will also need dye to color the candles and fragrances if you wish to add that to your candles.
It’s always good to share and compare opinions when it comes to
us bloggers. The full post is available here…
How to Make Candles
Peace,
Lorry
How to Make Candless last blog post..How to Make Candles – Selling your Candles
ReplyI will have to show this to my partner. She is always buying expensive candles and never wants to use them as they have cost so much. I am sure her and the kids will enjoy making their own at low cost and be able to actually burn them.
ReplyGavin @ Scrap Car Lewisham´s last blog ..Why scrap your car in Lewisham?
I have just started making candles. Your article is very informative and very helpful. What would adding perfume do?
ReplyI find it amazing how something as simple as a candle can alter our moods and create such a relaxing atmosphere. And now you can get greener ones. I also never new how to make candles. Good article.
ReplyI love candles and can’t wait to try this.I’ve been wondering what to do for my hubby’s grandma and my dad’s GF… these are great. I think I can even use old baby food jars that I still have!
ReplyTwitter: gavelect
said-
These are great tips on how to make candles, the greener way. My brother had the candle making bug a couple of years back and he used methods similar to yours. He had never done anything like it before and learned all the tricks from one book he buaght at a sale. It also made him a few bucks but I suppose the notion nust ahve worn off as he lost interest after a while. Good post.
ReplyMaking Aromatherapy Candles…
Natural beeswax candles are easy to make and unlike candles made with synthetic dyes and perfumes, they actually clean the air….
Candlelight Baths…
Bathing is more than cleaning your body. It’s therapy. You bathe to de-stress and rejuvenate. Bathing can become a ritual and an experience. When I feel particularly stressed I splurge on bath products–oils, soaps, candles–and I soak. It nev…