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    You Are Here: Home → DIY

    Homemade Soy Candles

    June 3, 2017 | Updated November 25, 2019 by Ryan 2 Comments

    3 shares

    Learning how to make soy candles is surprisingly easy and make a great gift for friends and family or if you just like candles.

    homemade soy candle in cut wine bottle

    When I got into woodworking a year and a half ago, it brought out my DIY nature that had been lying asleep for almost 30 years. I began looking at different projects that you could make at home that would be easy and fun. Keep in mind I was also trying to come up with gift ideas for our upcoming wedding. While I was on Pinterest, looking at DIY gifts, I came across DIY soy candles.

    Instantly I thought this would be a great gift just for random holidays like Easter or Mother's Day, but also to give at our rehearsal dinner for everyone. After looking at some directions I realized how easy it was to do, and decided to make some soy wax candles for Mother's Day for my mom and Lauren's mom to test out how they worked. Well, judging by the fact that I'm now sharing this today, my homemade soy candle was a hit!

    One thing about soy candle making is in the short-term you will have to spend a little bit of money, but if you love candles and like DIY gifts, in the long-term you will save money as opposed to buying them. Hey, you could even turn it into some extra money and sell them at farmers markets on the weekend! The biggest expense is buying the fragrance oils but you want to buy from a reputable place that has fragrances that actually smell like what they say they will. From my experience The Flaming Candle Company is the best and is what I continue to use to this day.

    The directions below will show you how to make soy candles, but I'm also sharing how to use a glass cutter to make a wine bottle a container for your candle. This is not necessary however. You can just buy something at Michaels if you prefer. So give these soy candles a try.

    Soy Candles Shopping List

    • Bottle of wine with flat bottom (Enjoy the wine!)
    • 1 pound soy wax 464
    • 1 large wick with metal base (size wick depends on diameter of container)
    • 1 oz fragrance oil (I use The Flaming Candle Company)

    Tools

    • 4 pound pouring pot
    • Thermometer
    • Glass bottle cutter
    • Glue gun
    • Clothespin

    How to Make Soy Candles:

    Step 1:
    Buy and drink a bottle of wine with some of your dearest friends!

    Step 2:
    Wash out and use the glass cutter to make a container that you can use for your candle. Keep in mind the directions I'm giving are for the glass cutter I use, but each glass cutter has different directions.

    Step 3:
    Place the glass cutter at the height you want to cut off.

    fitting glass cutter to cut wine bottle

    Step 4:
    Slowly move the cutter around the glass, as it scores the glass. Once you hear a click as the glass has been completely scored all the way around you stop.

    scoring wine bottle to cut

    Step 5:
    Alternate pouring ice cold and boiling water on the wine glass until it breaks. Be careful here. I wear eye protection just in case something chips off.

    pouring hot water to cut wine bottle for candle

    Even though I didn't do it, it's probably wise to have a towel at bottom of sink when glass breaks as it might shatter when it hits sink. Something to keep in mind is it takes quite a bit of practice to be able to get a perfect clean cut every single time. I still sometimes have imperfect cuts, but hey it's homemade!

    wine bottle cut in half

    Step 6:
    Sand the edges with 80, 150, and 220 grit sandpaper to make sure it's smooth and won't cut your fingers. NOTE - You can just skip these steps and buy a glass jar of some type that can hold 16 ounces of wax.

    sanding edge of cut wine bottle

    Step 7:
    Bring a pot of water about 1 inch high to a boil over medium heat.

    Step 8:
    Pour 1 pound of soy wax in pouring pot and place it so it sits in pot of boiling water.

    melting wax for in pouring pot

    Step 9:
    Wait until soy wax is completely melted and reaches a temperature of 185F.

    thermometer checking wax temperature

    Step 10:
    Remove from heat and add in 1 ounce of fragrance oil. (The ratio to stand by for fragrance to wax is 1 ounce fragrance oil to 1 pound of wax) For this candle I used Cool Citrus Basil from Peak Candle Supplies. Stir for two minutes to make sure it gets incorporated.

    pouring fragrance in with melted wax

    Step 11:
    Wait for wax to cool to 130-135F. It should take about 20 minutes.

    Step 12:
    While wax is cooling, glue a wick at the base of the cut wine glass or whatever container you are using. Use a clothespin to make sure the wick is straight and doesn't move.

    close-up of closing pin holding wick

    Step 13:
    Once wax is cooled, slowly pour the wax into the glass.

    pouring wax in glass for soy candles

    Step 14:
    Let cool completely before cutting off leftover wick. You want to leave about ½ inch from top of wax.

    close-up of closing pin holding wick with melted wax in glass for soy candles

    Step 15:
    You want to wait at least 3 days before using the candle as you want the wax to completely cure with the fragrance you are using.

    overhead shot of Homemade Soy Candle

    Step 16:
    You can also add a label of your choosing and then enjoy your new homemade candle!

    close-up of Homemade Soy Candle in cut wine bottle

    Other DIY Projects:

    • Lavender Sugar Scrub
    • Two Glass Wine Caddy
    • Magnetic Beer Bottle Opener
    « Bacon Jam
    DIY Farmhouse Bed »
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    Comments

    1. Sylvia says

      June 03, 2017 at 5:19 pm

      Ryan and Lauren, I have 3 of your soy candles and love them so much. Mine are in jars that I can close when not in use. Each one is a different fragrance. I burned one in my guest bathroom on Memorial Day when I had friends over. I also burned one in the kitchen to diffuse food odors. I'm a lucky Grandma! You two are amazing#

      Reply
      • Ryan says

        June 04, 2017 at 9:13 pm

        Glad you enjoy them!

        Reply

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