DIY Soy Candles for Holiday Gifts

Yes! A candle tutorial! Including what to Absolutely not do....I bet you can't wait to hear about it. 

Between a combination of jewelry, lip balm, and candles ... I think I almost have all of the gifts ready for my lady friends and family. Almost! 

Starting off with the lip balm (and having it come out so well) definitely gave me the false sense of "I CAN DO ANYTHING!!!*insert evil laughter*"

Let's just say someone didn't do their homework. Womppp womppp.

So here's what happened.

I took a few mason jars out of the garage (left over from my wedding decorations) and gave them a good wash. I don't have a working scale at the moment, so I thought I would be smart and fill the jars with the soy wax flakes to figure out how much wax I would need. This actually works pretty well. Basically, I filled a mason jar 2.5 times for 1 candle.

I filled my wax melting pot (that I got off amazon for super cheap) with the wax and turned the stove top to low. After about 10-20 minutes of continuous stirring, the wax was completely melted. I added the fragrance oil (about 1  ounce/per pound) to the mixture and stirred. This is where I made the mistake......

Almost immediately after I added the fragrance oil and stirred, I poured the wax into the jar. 

The next morning, I woke up to discover that my candle had a large catacomb(minus the skulls)at the top of it. Not understanding how this could have happened, I immediately looked to my right to see my suspicious cat staring back at me. No, it wasn't the cat....it was my mistake after all..but that didn't keep me from giving my cat the stink eye for the rest of the day. 

So, I searched and searched online to find out why oh why my candle had caved in and looked like someone had jabbed it with a butcher knife 100 times over. 

Here's what I found out:

After adding the fragrance oil, you are supposed to turn off the stove top, and stir (I stirred for about 1-2 minutes). Once the fragrance oil is well mixed in, and you have helped cool the wax, THEN you pour it into the jar. Who knew! Apparently Soy wax contracts as it cools. The lip balm also contracts, but it cools so quickly that you have to pour it almost immediately after you remove it from the stove top. So, in my attempt to be clever, I missed out on some vital chemistry with candle making. I learned my lesson, and I haven't had a "caved in" candle since..in fact, the tops of the candles have been perfectly smooth... I like to think that it's because of the dancing to Frank Sinatra I did while making the last batch.

I believe my cat has almost forgiven me for the accusation, and I will be sure to pick up an extra cat toy for his stocking.

The scoop on wooden wicks:

I got these really neat wicks that crackle when you burn them. They give off a light scent of wood that I really like. Here's where I got them.



Here's a few more pictures.

I had lots of fun making these, even with the cave-in issue.

Cheers,


Rachel

Christmas Gift Idea : Homemade Lip Balm Research

It's that time of the year again and I'm very excited. In fact, I already have the christmas tree up and the stockings! After pondering for many days, I determined that due to my obsession with Etsy and Pinterest, that I would be making handmade gifts this year. 

Something that I have yet to write about is my etsy store that I started up in July. So far I have just done a few projects making zipper pouches and making wire wrapped jewelry...not many sales, but I am having a lot of fun doing it, and I think that that is all that matters. So of course for presents, I will be making pouches with personalized (probably monogrammed) jewelry inside...and homemade lip balm and soy candles. I've been researching some different techniques for making the homemade lip balm and decided on the following ingredients.


Rachel's Homemade Lip Balm:

Beeswax
Jojoba Oil
Shea Butter
Vanilla, Lavender Vanilla, Butter Toffee, Chai Tea (for flavor-must be edible(non-alcohol based, non-water based)
Vitamin E (to prolong the age of the balm)
Empty Balm Containers

There are many different options for lip balm ingredients, and the main thing to remember is that you always need a wax, an oil, and a butter. I did find it a bit confusing, but some sites refer to oils as "flavor oils" but they are not actually flavored, they are just scented. So if you are planning on making some lip balm, I would just keep this in mind. Also, the extracts that I have collected for this project are food grade. You can't use most essential oils unless they specifically say that they are edible. I would be very careful when shopping around for scents and flavors, especially if you are planning on selling the end product. Oh and if you do want to sell it, there are a few things you need to do legally to protect yourself and the consumers.

I also did some research on methods of preserving. If you want to prolong the life of the balm for 1 to 2 years, you need to find a nice anti-oxidant. Jojoba oil is naturally good at repelling oxidation. Grapefruit oil and Grape seed oil also have similar properties but may not be FDA approved. I would definitely do your research and shop around for the right ingredients.

So, I actually found that Amazon had a large amount of the items that I needed and they had them for a fair price, but I also found that Bramble Berry had everything I needed and they had helpful tips and tricks also. They were very affordable. 

So this week I will be experimenting with the right amount of each ingredient. I've read several posts from various sites stating that melting beeswax and shea butter can be difficult and the results can be "grainy". I plan on posting my discoveries (and hopefully good results) this week!

Cheers,


Rachel