Easy DIY Soy Candles with Essential Oils

I have had candle making on my craft bucket list for years, so I’m really excited to show you how to make easy DIY soy candles with essential oils!  Making soy candles is such a fun craft!  There is a science to candle making that I don’t want to downplay.  Everything, from the temperature of the wax to the temperature of the room, can impact the success of a poured candle.  But making soy candles was a lot like my melt and pour glycerin DIY soap rocks in terms of difficulty.  I had to pay attention to temperatures, but even my first few tries resulted in successful candles.  So I think these easy DIY poured soy candles will be fun for you to make!  The surface of mine aren’t as smooth as commercial candles, they burn really nicely!  I’ve actually burned/used most of these candles before posting this tutorial (just to be sure!!) and they all worked really well: they burned nicely, the upcycled vessels didn’t shatter, and overall I’m just really happy with the quality of my DIY poured soy candles!

DIY Soy Candle Supplies:

• Soy wax flakes (I bought the exact flakes linked, in a 10 lb bag)
• Wicks (I bought these ones, which are now unavailable but these look good too)
• Hot glue gun (or wick stickers)
• Double boiler or candle making pitcher (I used an old Pyrex measuring cup in a pot of boiling water)
• Candy or candle thermometer (I used a meat thermometer)
• Stir stick (an old wooden spoon or paint stir stick will do the trick)
• Essential oils
• Vessels (safe for candle making/heat)
• Food Scale
• Oven mitts
• Newspapers (to cover surfaces for easier clean up)

How to Make Your Own Soy Candles at Home:

1. Used a hot glue gun  or wax sticker to affix a wick in the center of each candle vessel.
2. Measure out the wax flakes (I used a food scale).
3. Set up your double boiler.
4. Keep the water simmering and melt the wax, stirring occasionally.
5. Heat the wax flakes to 185°F (approx. 30 minutes).
6. Once the wax reaches 185°, let it cool to about 135°F.
7. Add the essential oil at 135°F.
8. Some candle making guides say to warm up the vessel beforehand, but I skipped that step…
9. Once the wax cools to about 125°F, pour the wax into the vessels.
10. Secure the wick, so it stays upright after the wax has been poured.
11. Let the candles sit overnight, undisturbed, until they harden completely.
12. Once the soy has hardened, trim the wicks to 1/4″.

Can You Put Essential Oils in Candles?

Yes, you can put essential oils in candles, with some caveats!  Essential oils are a lovely and natural way to add fragrance to DIY candles.  But they are very concentrated so it’s important to consider the risks of adding essential oils to candles.  The first thing to consider is that not every type of essential oil can be used in candles.  As one safety concern, essential oils with too low a flash point can become a fire hazard.  So opt for an essential oil with a high flash point when adding essential oils to homemade candles.  Research before selecting essential oils for candle making and also consider that too much of an essential oil can also increase combustion risk.  Some essential oils can also be toxic to burn – or cause allergic reaction, etc.  And there is an added risk with some cheaper essential oils.  Do your own research before adding essential oils to candles!  Done safely, essential oils add a lovely aroma to homemade soy candles.

How Much Essential Oil to Add to Soy Candle Wax:

It’s generally advised to add half an ounce of essential oil per pound of wax.  Following this formula, none of my candles were over scented at all – they were all very mild and smelled nice.  And I say this as a person sensitive to fragrances.  Some essential oils are stronger than others, so you might need to experiment a little.  Please be careful because adding too much essential oil to a homemade candle can cause a safety risk.  You can also purchase specialty candle fragrances, which will have clear instructions as to how much fragrance to add.  Those fragrances are typically less concentrated so don’t apply those instructions to essential oils.

How to Measure Wax Flakes for Making Candle:

The first step is to measure out the wax.  According to Candle Science, you can divide the volume of your container in ounces by 16 to figure out how many ounces of wax flakes you need to use for one container.  It shrinks quite a bit once melted down and, because I was making a whole bunch of them, I just ended up melting as much as I could in my Pyrex cup.  Then, once it melted a bit and there was more room, I would add more flakes and keep melting.

How to Make DIY Poured Soy Candles – Detailed Steps:

Used a hot glue gun  or wax sticker to affix wick in the center of each candle vessel.  Measure out the wax flakes (I used a food scale) you will need.

Set up your double boiler (I used a Pyrex measure cup in another pot – which I filled with a few inches of boiling water).  Keep the water simmering and melt the wax, stirring occasionally.  The wax flakes must be heated to 185°F (that took about 30 minutes in my experience).  Once it reaches temp, let the wax flakes cool to about 135°F.  Once the wax has cooled to this temperature, you can add the essential oil – it will evaporate if you add it when the wax is hotter.

Some candle making guides say to warm up the vessel beforehand, but I skipped that step.  Once the wax cools to about 125°F, pour the wax into the vessels.  The wax will be hot – use oven mitts to hold the double boiler, if required, or if you needed to move the candles.  Secure the wicks, so they stay upright after the wax has been poured.  I tried using tape but that wasn’t super effective.  You can buy candle wick holder for this, but the old school wooden clothespins work too.

Let your handmade soy candles sit overnight, undisturbed, until they harden.  These DIY soy candles will start to harden VERY quickly, so try not to move them around.  Once the soy has hardened completely, trim the wicks to 1/4″.

Are Upcycled Containers Safe for Homemade Candles?

I am going to share a safety concern: not every container can withstand the HEAT produced by candles.  I’ve even seen actual store bought candles burst online.  Glass candles can shatter!  So please be very safe choosing containers for making candles.  Technically, they should all be able to withstand heat.  I have burned almost all of the candles I made here and did not have an issue with any.  I do find vintage glass was just made better.  But using something NOT intended for candles is risky!  What I did is risky! 

Safer Upcycled Candle Vessels:

If you want ideas for safer upcycled candle vessel, think about things meant to withstand HEAT.  Here are some examples of safer container for DIY soy candles but no suggestion will be 100% safe:

• Canning jars
• Ramekins (designed for the oven)
• Oven safe dishes 
• Fireproof glass
• Pyrex glass (designed for heat)

Safety Concerns with DIY Soy Candles:

If you’re going to make upcycled candles, please do not leave them unattended or leave them at eye level of children/pets in case they do shatter or break.  Don’t forget the 3-hour candle rule: it’s generally not considered safe to burn a candle for longer than 3 hours.  Having said my disclaimer about upcycled candle vessels, I’ll show you the vessels I chose for making homemade soy candles…   I thrifted this set of vintage glasses and always hoped to find a fourth, but no such luck:

This grey sugar bowl – with an iridescent glaze and tomato red trim – was actually something I scooped up free at the landfill.  I had to save it because it was too beautiful to get trashed.

This beautiful gold dish was another thrift store score – I had been looking for more of these for years, hoping to make a set, but I never found another one.  I’m happy I could give it a new lease on life as a candle!  (Now I’ll probably find a set of three at the thrifts…)

This set of four glasses just would not sell in my vintage Etsy shop and it was heart-breaking to see them languish on my shelf.  I love how the white candle wax really helps the design stand out now.

This pink milk glass goblet was picked up at a yard sale.

I have used this glass dish all over the house: as a mini planter, as a catch all and now, as a candle.

The matching creamer to this Sadler sugar bowl was broken, so I thought it was a perfect excuse to use it as a candle.

P.S. Don’t Forget to Pin for Later!