Q&A for How to Make Homemade Candles

Cotton wicks work great for palm wax candles! You might purchase some online or at a craft store.

Ideally, your wood wick should be secured like any other wick. You do this by dipping the bottom of the wick in a bit of melted wax, then holding that end onto the bottom of your candle mold until the wax solidifies and the wick stands in place. Then pour as usual!

Candlemaking supplies can be found online (at a site like amazon, or craft store sites) or in many craft stores!

You're exactly right! Sometimes the wax condenses when cooled. To fix, simply allow the candle to cool completely, then pour more melted wax into the dip in the center, and allow it to cool again.

Certainly, you can. The wicks have to be 100 percent cotton though, otherwise they won't burn correctly. However, you can get a 100 pack of large wicks for under 10 dollars online. They are longer than you will typically ever need, so you will have plenty to work with and sufficient room to trim after the candle cools. You basically wouldn't save that much money using string if you buy them from the right place.

Measure the container you are pouring the wax into. The wick should be a couple of inches longer than that.

The wax condenses as it cools, but it also sticks to the edge of whatever you're making a candle out of. Once the wax cools completely, top it off with more melted wax. There will still be a bit of a bump, but it shouldn't be as bad.

Just simply use it as you would use fresh wax. Upcycling your old scented candles with some plain wax will make the smell go further.

Yes, that is actually a good idea concidering the fact the crayons are also made of wax, this could help you skip cutting the wax, you'd just buy a bunch of wax crayons. (e.g. Crayola).

Soy wax can be used to create long-burning candles.

You typically want between 6-10% fragrance oil (weight) to the amount of soy wax used. So for example for every 100 grams of soy wax, you use 6-10 grams of fragrance oil. If you use more than 10% fragrance oil, the candle can have trouble setting. You can find the maximum scent load of the wax by checking it's product details either online or on the packaging.

It depends on whether there are air bubbles in the candle or not. If there are, it obviously will burn much faster. Try using soy wax, as it is really cheap online and burns slowly.

You can buy moulds for making pillar candles. They have a small hole in the bottom; the wick is threaded through this after dipping it in the melted wax and sealed with poster tack. The candle is essentially made upside down and once set, you pull the wick to extract your candle.

Yes, any essential oil works. Some recommendations are lavender, mint, and orange.

Any type of wax would work, from crayons, to old candles, to store-bought wax. You can find candle wax at an arts and crafts store.

That dip happens when you pour the wax directly in the center of the candle jar. Try to pour it with the help of spoon, and fill in the dip -- when the wax is a little dried, pour some hot wax in the center of the candle where you can see the dip.

You will likely have trouble doing this without breaking the mason jar. If you want the candle alone without the jar, you should use a heat-resistant foam cup as a mold. Then, you can just cut off the cup and throw it away.

The wick thickness is generally the same. However, if you have a candle that is wider than that ,you can always add more more than one wick. Think of the tri-wick candles. A free container you could use is an old salsa jar -- its the right height and will burn for a long time.

No! This will release toxic fumes from the candle, which nobody wants! Do not use paint, find an oil based food coloring instead.

No, however, it would be easier and quicker, if you don't line it, then it could take 3% longer than it already is, which seems short, but, making a candle takes a long time, and 3% is actually longer than you'd think.

Use melted wax in a large bowl -- the bubbles will still appear, so before you do the second pour, mix and re-melt the wax . And put an eraser under the jar.

You can take some cotton and roll it into long, thin, rope-like strips.

Wicks can be purchased at any craft store.

It would likely be more runny, but should still work.

What makes a glass crack from heat isn't the heat itself, but the sudden change in temperature. You could try heating them up before pouring in the wax, but I don't think it would break a cold glass.

You can purchase kits from The Flaming Candle, Candle Science or the Learning Curve.

You definitely can -- you just need to dry and press the flowers before adding them. If it's for appearance, you can add one or two but if it's for scent, you'll need more.

Yes! It will add extra scent and decor. Just make sure not to let them burn.

Grate/shave the wax before melting using a cheese grater or butter knife. The smaller the pieces, the faster it will melt. To clean the grater afterwards, carefully pour some boiling water over it.

You should glue it to the bottom before you pour in melted wax, otherwise it will float as you have just discovered.