How to Make Homemade Scented Candles – Pumpkin Spice and Eucalyptus

Those who know me know that I am obsessed with candles. I have a candle in practically every room of the house and scents for all seasons. I love candles because they bring relaxation and create a warm and calm space. I find that rainy days are perfect for burning candles for warmth and comfort, and the best way to conclude a deep home cleaning session is by lighting a candle.

While giving my home a good thorough cleaning last month, I opened the basement closet (where I keep my collection of candles) to find that many of my candles have little life left and, more shockingly, I have no seasonal candles. For someone who is crazy about all things fall and loves having cozy candles around the house during the Christmas season, this was surprising and a bit scary. It’s not like me to not have scented candles. But it was a good thing that I noticed this now and not later.

Instead of running to a Yankee Candle outlet store or clearing a shelf at Bath & Body Works, I decided to take a different route and take try my hand at making scented candles myself. I had heard before that candle making is relatively easy and low cost. Since I had no idea where to start, I went straight to my comfort zone: Amazon. On there I found this Candle Making Kit perfect for beginners and curious crafters. It includes the essentials: Natural soy wax, candle pouring pot, stirring spoon, candle wicks, wick stickers, and 3 candle wick holders. The kit does not come with candle jars, so I purchased a 12 pack of 8 oz candle jars on Amazon, along with an essential oil fragrance set and a pack of various candle dye colors. I probably could have gotten candle jars for cheaper at a craft store or Walmart, but I decided to purchase them on Amazon along with the kit out of convenience. Also, I found myself displeased with the first essential oil fragrance set I purchased due to the small sizes and lack of fragrance. I found Our Own Candle Company Store on Amazon, which offers larger (2 ounces) and stronger fragrances. I am already a big fan of their candles, too.

Since fall is right around the corner, I decided to make pumpkin spice-scented candles first and once those were a success, I tried eucalyptus-scented candles. Eucalyptus is truly a beautiful home fragrance and eucalyptus-scented candles make for a great holiday gift for anyone.

It took me a few tries to calculate the exact amount of wax, fragrance, and dye needed, but once I figured it out, making candles became a breeze and is a lot of fun. Since the first few tries were unsuccessful, I was low on soy wax, plus I wanted to make candles to give to friends and family, so I purchased a 10 lb bag of soy wax and a larger pouring pot that can hold four pounds of wax. Of course, I took to my Cricut to create an image for the candles and wrapped the top of them with twine for appearance purposes.

How to Make Homemade Scented Candles

Are you ready to make homemade scented candles? If so, let’s get started.

Materials:

1. Candle-making soy wax (A pound of wax should make you two 10 ounce candles)
2. Candle wicks
3. Double-sided stickers
4. Candle wick holders (aim for a pack of 3-5)
5. Candle making pouring pitcher
6. Large pot to place the pitcher in
7. Candle wax stirrer
8. Candle jars
9. Protective area cloth (I used an old towel)
10. Fragrance oil of your choice
11. Candle dye of your choice
12. Decor (optional) like glitter, twine, stickers.

Steps:

1. Place protective area cloth over counter or table
2. Clean and dry the candle jars and lids and line them on the protective cloth
3. Stick a double-sided sticker on the bottom of a candle wick
4. Attach the wick to the bottom of a jar
5. Put the other end of the wick through the opening of the candle wick holder and make sure it’s centered
6. Fill a large pot with water and let boil
7. Add candle wax to pouring pitcher
8. Sit the pitcher in the pot to let the wax melt
9. Use the stirrer to stir the wax (The wax may look clumped up but it will melt)
10. Once melted, add color dye (about 7-8 drops of color per pound of wax) Also, keep in mind that the wax will appear brighter once dry.
11. Add fragrance of your choice (about 1 oz per pound of wax)
12. Stir so the color dye and fragrance are mixed in
13. Carefully pour the wax into the candle jars
14. Let candles sit for four hours

And voila! You have yourself homemade scented candles. You can customize the jars to your liking. I added a permanent vinyl design using the Cricut and twine.

Have you made homemade scented candles before? If so, what tips do you have? Share in the comments!