Homemade Soy Candles, 3 Ways

Sometimes when I sit down to figure out exactly where those sneaky extra dollars from my “spending fund” are running off to, our house is there to lend a hint.

That new mug in the cupboard (when we already have more than our cabinets can hold), that summer dress I thrifted last week hanging in the closet (but it was only $3!), and, in just about every nook and cranny, a candle of some kind (how many does one room need, really?) Yes, candles are one of my guiltiest pleasures, and one I should have an entirely separate splurge fund category for. I get it from my mom, I think. We had a good laugh at ourselves while shopping just last week about our inability to pass by anything at a store that might contain a fragrance without taking the time to drop everything and give it a good sniff before moving on.

I’ve always wanted to try my hand at making my own candles, but the process has always seemed so overwhelming. I’ve read loads of tips for using the right wax, heating it to just the right temperature, using these wicks but never those wicks, and letting them sit for this long or that long before lighting.

While I will admit that my first few goes were definitely not fit for sharing here, I did finally get the hang of making a pretty solid candle for a fraction of the price it costs to buy a fancy one on a regular basis. I’ll take it!

I wanted to try a few different scents, and while I was doing my research, I was sipping on a morning coffee with a dash of almond milk. From that cup, my inspiration was born, and I decided to attempt crafting candles that smelled of my favorite warm drinks: coffee, chai, and hot cocoa.

While I’m in love with how all of these turned out, I’ll admit that I was a bit surprised that the hot cocoa version is my absolute favorite of the three!

Homemade Soy Candles, 3 Ways

What You’ll Need

For All Candles

• Containers (old jars, mugs, small bowls, anything will do!)
• Soy candle wax
• Wicks (I used a waxed style and a wood style, and personally preferred the waxed – also, from experience: make sure you get the right size wicks for the container you’re using!)
• Candle-making thermometer
• Double broiler (or large pan and glass bowl)
• Wooden spoon (or skewer or chopstick, for stirring wax)
• Wax paper, newspaper, or old towels (for easy cleanup)

For Coffee Candle

• Coffee beans (I had a small handful of whole beans and 2 tbsp. ground)
• Vanilla or almond extract, or other fragrance oil of choice

For Chai Candle

• One packet chai tea (or make your own chai mix)
• Vanilla or almond extract, or other fragrance oil of choice
• Cinnamon

For Hot Cocoa Candle

• Melted coconut oil
• Cocoa powder
• Cinnamon
• Vanilla extract

Directions

For All Candles

A few notes that apply to whatever candle you decide to make:

1. The rule of thumb I used for measuring out the wax needed was to fill the container being used twice over with the solid wax flakes. Once melted and poured back into the container, this should fill it to the top (you may have just a tad leftover.)
2. Look at the directions on your wax to determine what temperature it needs to reach before transferring to the container.
3. When setting the wicks into the containers, use a chip clip or hair clip to hold the wood wicks in place. With the waxed wicks, I looped the excess wick around a pen to keep it centered.
4. Since each of these candles contain a powder of some kind, it’s important to work quickly and continue stirring as you pour when it comes time to transfer the wax into the container, so all of the powder doesn’t settle to the bottom (though a good majority of it still will.)
5. Cleanup will be much easier if you put down some wax paper (or newspaper, old towels) under your containers before pouring the wax into them. Lesson learned, Aly!
6. Wait a full 24 hours before lighting your homemade candle for best results, and trim the wicks down to the appropriate height before doing so.

For Coffee Candle

1. Melt wax in double broiler or in glass bowl to required temperature.
2. Dip wick base into melted wax and place in container.
3. Depending on size of candle, stir in 1-2 tbsp. ground coffee into melted wax.
4. Add in 1-2 teaspoons additional fragrance if desired (I used almond extract.)
5. Continue stirring as you carefully pour the melted wax into container. I poured about half of the wax in, let it firm up, topped with a few whole coffee beans, then poured the remaining wax in, and let that firm up before topping with more whole beans. This was a rather long wait, but worth it!

For Chai Candle

1. Melt wax in double broiler or in glass bowl to required temperature.
2. Dip wick base into melted wax and place in container.
3. Depending on size of candle, stir in 1-2 packets of chai tea into the melted wax.
4. Add in 1-2 teaspoons additional fragrance if desired (I used vanilla extract.)
5. Continue stirring as you carefully pour the melted wax into container.
6. After all but top of candle has firmed up, sprinkle with a bit of cinnamon if desired.

For Hot Cocoa Candle

This candle is adapted from here.

1. Make the scent oil for this candle first by mixing together 1 tbsp. melted coconut oil, 1 tbsp. cocoa powder, and 1/4 tsp. cinnamon.
2. Melt wax in double broiler or in glass bowl to required temperature.
3. Dip wick base into melted wax and place in container.
4. Once wax has melted, pour in a few drops of vanilla extract and stir.
5. Add scent oil into melted wax and stir well.
6. Carefully pour wax into container.

Mmm…. I’m so glad I gave these a go! Lighting one on a slow morning or a lazy afternoon and cozying up with a good book makes me feel like I’m in a cafe, whether I’ve brewed a hot drink or not.

Have you tried making your own candles? I’d love any advice you may have!

xo, Aly