How to Make Scented Soy Candles - The Ultimate Beginner's Guide

This guide includes comprehensive candle making instructions written for beginners.

Following this guide step by step will enable you to make your own scented soy candles at home.

This guide is split into 4 sections:

If you want to skip the detail and get straight to making candles, purchase one of our Candle Making Kits which have all the supplies in pre-measured quantities as well as a step by step guide!

Feel free to jump straight to part 3 of this guide and view our 'How to' video.

For those that would like to learn as much as possible about candle making before embarking on making your first candle, read on!

If you have experience making candles, you can check out our range of in-depth guides.

PART 1: Supplies ingredients and equipment needed

The Equipment & Items You Will Need:

It's important to have the right equipment from the start. This will ensure you achieve the best results and are working in a safe work space.

Having the correct equipment for the job also makes your life a lot easier!

Below is a list of equipment needed. You may have some of these already at home, otherwise most are available to purchase from our store:

- Wick Stickums
- Warning Labels
- Wick Holders
- Thermometer
- Pouring Jug
- Glass or Metal Jug/Saucepan
- Scales
- Access to Stove Top
- Newspaper/Wipeable Table Cloth

Supplies and Ingredients:

Once you have the above equipment checked off your list, you'll need a few ingredients too.

- Container
- Soy Wax
- Wicks
- Fragrance
- Dye (Optional)

Remember, you can get all the pre-measured ingredients needed to make a batch of candles in one of our candle making kits.

PART 2: CALCULATING HOW MUCH OF EACH SUPPLY YOU WILL NEED:

Ordering all the supplies can feel a little overwhelming. But don't worry! To make the process as simple as possible, we've listed below all the formula's and calculations that will help you on the way.

1. Select a Container

To calculate how much of each supply you will need, you first need to select the type of container (or mould) you wish to use and the number of candles you wish to make.

If you don’t yet have containers, you can browse and purchase some from our range of candle making containers.

Your selected container/mould will dictate the amount of other ingredients needed to make the candle.

2. Select the Right Wick

To choose a wick simply select a wick size from the chart below that matches the diameter of your container.

( Wicks can be the trickiest part of candle making due to every candle maker being different, we suggest you start off purchasing wicks in small quantities until you know you have the perfect match for your candles).

For more information on selecting the right wick or if you want to know how to double wick for larger containers read our wick selection guide.

3. Calculate How Much Soy Wax You'll Need

Your selected container will also dictate the amount of wax required to make your candle.

To calculate how much soy wax you will need, follow the formula below.

Volume (ml) of container x number of containers x 0.77 = soy wax (g)

*Example* 60ml container x 18 x 0.77 = 832g

This should account for the lower density of the wax as well as leaving a gap for the top of the candle for the wick to stand.

It is best to round up your soy wax order to avoid under-estimating the wax required, so in the example above we would recommend using 1KG of wax.

Remember that if your candle container has a lid, you’ll need to leave a 0.5cm gap between the surface of your wax and the lid. This is for the wick (if you fill your wax all the way to the top, there won’t be any room for the wick to stand!).

For an extensive guide on calculating soy wax and a detailed explanation behind this formula read our soy wax calculation guide.

4. Calculate How Much Fragrance Oil You'll Need

Now you have your wicks selected and the amount of soy wax needed, it’s time to calculate how much fragrance oil you will use.

The amount of fragrance oil needed can vary depending on how strong the scent is.

It is recommended that you add between 6-10% fragrance oil (g) to soy wax used.

To calculate the amount of fragrance oil needed follow the formula below.

Soy wax (g) x 0.10 = fragrance oil (ml)

*Example* 918g Soy wax x 0.10 = 92mls Fragrance Oil

For more details on working with fragrance oil read through our detailed fragrance oil guide.

5. Calculate How Much Dye You'll Need (Optional)

If you want to add some colour to your candle, you’ll also need to calculate the amount of dye required.

For larger orders, we suggest using liquid dye or dye flakes and follow this guide to colouring candles.

As a rule of thumb, order one block for every 3 kgs of wax. You can then grate off as much as you need until you reach your desired shade.

Part 3: Making a scented soy candle

Stick a wick inside each container using a wick stickum. This secures the wick to the base of the container.

Use the wick holders to hold the wicks in place, keeping them straight and centered in the container.

Tip: If you are working with more than one fragrance, write the name of the fragrance you have used on the wick holder or on a piece of paper. This will prevent any confusion determining the scent once the candles have set.

Step 3: Measure & Melt the Wax

Next you will need to measure out the desired wax needed for your candles.

Pour the wax into a measuring jug and weigh the amount required on your set of scales.

If you still need to calculate how much soy wax is needed then follow the steps above in part 2 of our guide.

Melt the wax using the double boiling method.

Do this by setting a saucepan half full with water and place it on the stove to heat.

Let the wax completely melt and continue to heat it to about 80 - 85 degrees Celsius.

Once it has reached this temperature, take the wax off the heat by removing your container of wax from the saucepan of water.

Don’t forget to turn off the heat on your stove.

Step 4: Add The Fragrance Oil and Dye

Add the Dye (Optional)

By this point you should have already calculated the amount of dye you will need to mix into your wax.

With your wax still at around 80-85 degrees Celsius, add in your liquid dye, flakes or blocks (whichever type of dye you are using). Stir the dye into the wax, ensuring the colour is mixed evenly.

If you haven't done this yet, you can calculate how much dye you will need by using our candle dye guide.

Tip: If you are working with dye blocks then use a cheese grater to shave some of the dye block into the melted wax. To test the colour simply dip a cold spoon into the mixture, as the wax sets on the spoon you can observe the colour and add more dye accordingly.

Add the Fragrance Oil

When the wax is 80-85 degrees Celsius, add the fragrance oil and stir for two minutes to ensure it is thoroughly mixed through the wax.

If you need help understanding how much fragrance oil to use, see part 2 of our guide.

It's important to note that some lighter fragrances will have a lower flash point than 80 degrees Celsius.

This means that some of the fragrance oil could evaporate while the wax is cooling.

To avoid this, follow the rules below.

If the flash point is equal or greater to 80 degrees Celsius: Combine the fragrance oil when the wax is 80 degrees Celsius.

If the flash point is below 80 degrees Celsius but higher than 55 degrees Celsius: Combine the fragrance oil when the wax is at the flash point temperature of that fragrance.

If the flash point is below 55 degrees: Combine the fragrance oil when the wax when is 55 degrees (but no lower).

You can find the flash point on the product description page of each fragrance.

Step 5: Pour the Wax

Once the wax has reached around 55 degrees Celsius, pour into each container.

To achieve the best results we recommend experimenting with different pour temperatures.

For more information on the optimal pour temperature by brand of wax, check out our soy wax information page .

You will find the lowest pouring temperature in the product description of the wax sold on our website.

Step 6: Cool and Set Your Candles

For best results leave the candles to set at room temperature undisturbed for 24 hours until they solidify.

For even cooling, ensure your candles are kept at a reasonable distance to allow air circulation between them.

We have created a PDF version of our candle making guide for easy reference when making the candles.

Part 4: Common candle problems

My candles are cracking and dipping

You may have poured the candle too hot, or the temperature of the room was too cold.

For an in-depth explanation on why this occurs as well as prevention read our troubleshooting guide .

If this happens to you don’t panic, use a hair dryer to gently melt the top of the candles allowing them to set smooth.

THE SCENT THROW ISN’T STRONG ENOUGH

It is important to note that proper scent throw occurs when the candle has been burning for 2-3 hours and the entire top of the candle is melted.

If the candle has been burning for 2-3 hours and the scent still appears to be weak then adjustments may be needed in the candle making process.

First check how much fragrance oil you added to the melted wax. If it was less than 10% then add more until the fragrance load is 10% of the soy wax used.

Some waxes can take up to 12% fragrance load, however this is not recommended as too much fragrance oil causes the candle to sweat or curdle.

Secondly, check the flash point of the fragrance oil used.

If you combined the fragrance oil at a temperature above its flash point, it may have evaporated out of the candle before it had a chance to set.

If this is the case then ensure that you are combining the fragrance oil at its flash point temperature.

If the flash point is below 55 degrees Celsius then combine at no less than 55 degrees Celsius.

The candle is tunneling

If you find the candle is tunneling then try increasing the wick one size above what you are using.

If the candle container is large enough you may also consider double wicking.

More information about wicks sizes and double wicking can be found in our wick selection guide.

It is also important to note that extinguishing a candle before it has a chance to melt to the sides of the container can cause tunneling despite using the correct wick.

If you found this guide helpful please share to fellow candle makers and friends on Facebook or Pinterest.

You can purchase all the candle supplies mentioned in this guide directly from our website.

Disclaimer: We have taken every effort to ensure that this guide is as accurate as possible. However Crafty Candle Supplies cannot guarantee or take responsibility for any errors or omissions in this information. Crafty Candle Supplies intends for this information to be used as a guide only and accepts no responsibility for actions or outcomes that are a consequence of using the information above. Please take every safe precaution in the making of candles, or experimentation of the candle making process.

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