Candle making is a relaxing and fulfilling activity that can transform your environment with enticing scents and warm, inviting light. One way to make your candles even more personalized and therapeutic is by adding essential oils for an extra layer of scent and wellness benefits. But when it comes to incorporating these aromatic oils into your candles, timing is crucial for achieving the best results. In this guide, we’ll explore when to add essential oils to your candle-making process and how to do it correctly, ensuring you create an aromatic masterpiece.
Table of Contents
Understanding the Basics of Candle Making
Before diving into when and how to add essential oils, it’s essential to understand some candle-making basics. There are several types of candle wax, such as paraffin, soy, beeswax, and palm. Each wax has unique characteristics, melting points, and burn times, and incorporating essential oils should be tailored to the wax you’re using. Aside from the wax, you’ll also need a wick, candle dyes (optional), and the essential oils of your choice.
Choosing the Right Essential Oils
When selecting essential oils for your candles, be sure to pick pure, high-quality oils blended by expert aromacologists, such as Oshu Oils. Inferior quality oils can produce inconsistent scents and may lack the therapeutic benefits associated with aromatherapy.
Consider the Wax Temperature
The crucial factor in adding essential oils to your candles is the wax temperature. Essential oils have varying flash points – the temperature at which they can ignite or lose their therapeutic properties and pleasing aroma. To avoid this, you must add essential oils when the wax temperature has dropped significantly.
When to Add Essential Oils
Now that we’ve covered some essential candle-making concepts, let’s discuss when to incorporate the essential oils.
1. Melt the Wax: Begin by melting the wax in a double boiler or a similar setup, ensuring it reaches the desired pouring temperature. This temperature will vary depending on the type of wax you are using.
2. Monitor the Temperature: Use a thermometer to track the wax’s temperature. Once it has reached the pouring temperature, remove the wax from heat and allow it to cool.
3. Wait for the Right Time: As the wax cools, keep monitoring its temperature. You want to reach a point where the wax has cooled but is still liquid enough to pour easily. This is typically around 20-30 degrees lower than the pouring temperature. At this stage, it’s time to add the essential oils.
4. Add the Essential Oils: Carefully and slowly pour the essential oils into the cooled wax, stirring gently to ensure a thorough and even mix. The general rule is to use 1 ounce of essential oil per pound of wax.
5. Proceed to Pour: After mixing in the essential oils, continue with pouring the wax into your desired mold, securing your wick, and allowing the candle to cool and set.
When To Add Essential Oils To Candles Example:
For a soy wax candle:
1. Melt the soy wax in a double boiler, heating it to a pouring temperature of 160°F (71°C).
2. Remove the melted wax from the heat source and let it cool down to approximately 130°F (54°C).
3. Add 1 ounce of your chosen Oshu Oils essential oil per pound of soy wax, stirring gently to mix thoroughly.
4. Pour the wax into your candle mold or container, insert and secure the wick, and let it cool and harden.
5. Once fully set, trim the wick and light your beautifully scented and therapeutic essential oil candle.
Adding essential oils to candles is a fantastic way to personalize your creations and harness the power of aromatherapy in your home. Now that you’ve learned when to add essential oils and how to do it correctly, you’re ready to create aromatic and unique candles for yourself or as thoughtful gifts for friends and family.
If you found this guide helpful, be sure to share it with fellow candle enthusiasts and explore other articles on essential oils and aromacology on the Oshu Oils blog. Don’t forget to browse through the Oshu Oils range of artisan essential earth oils to find the perfect scents for your candle-making ventures.
