How to Make Gel Candles - 11 Easy Steps

Do you love burning beautiful, scented candles? And do you know that you can easily make them yourself? It is exciting and not at all difficult. Here are 12 easy steps to creating unique candles that you can burn at home, give as gifts, or even sell.

Materials for gel candle making

You will need:

  • gel
  • zinc wicks (cotton wicks can't be used for gel candles because they absorb too much gel)
  • essential oil for fragrance
  • liquid color dye
  • embeds (optional)
All these materials can be obtained online from candle making suppliers. It is important to use essential oils and colors specially made for gel candles; fragrance oils you can buy in a cosmetic shop are not suitable. Also, you can buy a gel candle making kit. Getting a kit is the best solution for a beginner, because it will include everything you need to make your first few candles.

And of course you will need a container. The best container for a gel candle is glass, so people can see the embeds you put inside the candle, but any non-flammable container would do. You can use any glass, wine glass, or even a small wide vase, but your container should be at least 2 inches in diameter. Garage sales and second hand stores are gold mines, when it comes to candle containers.

For embeds you can use anything non-flammable - colored aquarium gravel, marbles, glitter, sand, sea shells, pebbles, crystals, polished stones, artificial jewels or pearls.

Steps to making a gel candle

  • Place a little bit of hot glue in the center of the container bottom. Stick the wick in it and let the glue set.

  • Cut the gel into small pieces so it melts faster and more evenly. Melt it in a stainless steel pot over a medium heat.

  • The trickiest part is the temperature - you should get it to exactly 200°F, because overheated gel looses its clarity. For that, you will need a suitable thermometer.

  • Maintain the temperature at 200°; all the gel should melt and become smooth, like syrup.

  • Add color dye to the melted gel, a little bit at a time, until you get the desired color - remember, you can always add more dye to make the color stronger, but you can't take dye away. For a candle with embedded objects, you should use only a little color, so the objects remain visible

  • Add the fragrance - 1/3 teaspoon for each glass of melted gel will give it a nice scent. For a stronger scent, add a bit more fragrance.

  • Heat the container in the oven or microwave to about 150-160°F. This will help to reduce the appearance of bubbles

  • If you want to use embeds, dip them in hot gel first and then arrange them in the container as you like. It is better to keep the objects closer to the sides of the container - they will be easier to see, this way.

  • Now it is time to pour your gel into the container. Place your container on a level surface and pour the gel slowly and carefully down the side. If it is your first time, you will probably get a few bubbles; to avoid that, the gel should be still very hot.

  • Pull the wick up. Roll it on a pencil to keep it straight.

  • Let the candle cool. Trim the wick and you are done! You have a beautiful, unique gel candle, made by yourself.

    • Tanya Turner is a candle-making expert and a founder of http://www.BestScentedCandles.info, where you can find information about all types of candles, how to make them and where to get best scented candles

    In The News:

    Google News
    Updated : Sun, 06 Jul 2008 06:55:22 GMT

    McCain Battles a Nemesis, the Teleprompter - New York Times


    New York Times
    McCain Battles a Nemesis, the Teleprompter
    New York Times - 7 hours ago
    Mary Altaffer/AP By MARK LEIBOVICH LAS VEGAS —Senator John McCain was performing relatively smoothly as he unveiled his energy plan.
    McCain Campaign, in Relaunch, Seeks Tighter Message Focus Wall Street Journal
    McCain Campaign on Obama and Iraq FOXNews
    The Associated Press - Washington Post - Los Angeles Times - CNN
    all 737 news articles

    Publ.Date : Sat, 05 Jul 2008 23:31:52 GMT

    Ore. man completes flight of fancy _ in lawn chair - The Associated Press


    The Associated Press
    Ore. man completes flight of fancy _ in lawn chair
    The Associated Press - 1 hour ago
    CAMBRIDGE, Idaho (AP) - Using his trusty BB gun to help him return to Earth, a 48-year-old gas station owner flew a lawn chair rigged with helium-filled balloons more than 200 miles across the Oregon desert Saturday, landing in a field in Idaho.
    Video: Ore. Man Uses Balloons and a Lawn Chair to Fly AssociatedPress
    Believe it or not, he's lounging on air The Oregonian - OregonLive.com
    CNN International - BBC News - KOHD - San Jose Mercury News
    all 1,071 news articles

    Publ.Date : Sun, 06 Jul 2008 05:50:31 GMT

    Argentine Lower House Passes Grain Export-Tax Plan (Update3) - Bloomberg


    Voice of America
    Argentine Lower House Passes Grain Export-Tax Plan (Update3)
    Bloomberg - 8 hours ago
    By Eliana Raszewski July 5 (Bloomberg) -- Argentina's lower house of congress approved the government's plan to increase taxes on exports of grains and oilseeds, risking a resumption of three months of strikes by farmers.
    Export Tax That Angers Farmers Advances in Argentina New York Times
    Argentina lawmakers approve farm export tax hike guardian.co.uk
    RTT News - BBC News - The Associated Press - AFP
    all 144 news articles

    Publ.Date : Sat, 05 Jul 2008 22:41:30 GMT

    Analysis: McCain struggles to regain footing - The Associated Press


    The Associated Press
    Analysis: McCain struggles to regain footing
    The Associated Press - 2 hours ago
    WASHINGTON (AP) - John McCain calls himself an underdog. That may be an understatement. The GOP presidential candidate trails Democrat Barack Obama in polls, organization and money while trying to succeed a deeply unpopular fellow Republican in a year ...
    Rural voters lean to the GOP St. Joseph News-Press
    Neither Obama nor McCain meets Energy Party standard The State
    New York Times - Online Athens - Washington Post - Newsweek
    all 465 news articles

    Publ.Date : Sun, 06 Jul 2008 04:40:55 GMT

    Hippie Arrests Draw ACLU’s Attention - New York Times


    ABC News
    Hippie Arrests Draw ACLU’s Attention
    New York Times - 6 hours ago
    By AP CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - The American Civil Liberties Union said on Saturday that it would investigate the actions of federal officers who had arrested five members of the Rainbow Family in western Wyoming during the group’s annual gathering.
    ACLU plans to investigate Rainbow Family treatment The Associated Press
    ACLU to investigate Rainbow Family treatment LocalNews8.com
    WKOW-TV.com - Billings Gazette - cbs4denver.com - Austin American-Statesman
    all 306 news articles

    Publ.Date : Sun, 06 Jul 2008 00:40:38 GMT

    Obama "puzzled" by Iraq comment frenzy - Reuters


    Washington Post
    Obama "puzzled" by Iraq comment frenzy
    Reuters - 1 hour ago
    By John Whitesides, Political Correspondent ST. LOUIS (Reuters) - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said on Saturday his plan to end the Iraq war was unchanged and he was puzzled by the sharp reaction to his statement this week that he ...
    Obama struggles to thread needle on Iraq AFP
    Obama Refines the Blame on Iraq Miscue New York Times
    International Herald Tribune - Voice of America - Washington Times - New York Daily News
    all 1,620 news articles

    Publ.Date : Sun, 06 Jul 2008 05:08:23 GMT

    Smallest planet shrinks in size - BBC News


    Canada.com
    Smallest planet shrinks in size
    BBC News - Jul 4, 2008
    The smallest planet in the Solar System has become even smaller, studies by the Messenger spacecraft have shown. Data from a flyby of Mercury in January 2008 show the planet has contracted by more than one mile (1.5km) in diameter over its history.
    First Results From Messenger's Mercury Flyby Slashdot
    Mercury is shrinking, NASA craft finds; a cool clue: 'lobate scarps' Los Angeles Times
    eFluxMedia - Baltimore Sun - Examiner.com - ChattahBox
    all 155 news articles

    Publ.Date : Fri, 04 Jul 2008 11:45:26 GMT

    Make Money Online
    Add RSS Feeds to My Website


    PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts, Websites, and more...

    Adsense websites

    Use Order and Text to Give Life to Your Scrapbook

    There are no specific rules stating that all photographs or... Read More

    Five Ways To Find New Markets for Your Dog and Cat Art

    As you create your dog and cat art, you will... Read More

    Rubber Stamping: From Maya Indians to Scrapbooking

    Who would have thought that your scrapbooking and card making... Read More

    Making Beaded Jewelry Is Easy to Do

    Making beaded jewelry is an inexpensive and fun hobby that... Read More

    You Are A Diamond So Scrapbook About Yourself

    As a devoted scrapper, you probably gain satisfaction from scrapbooking... Read More

    Woodworking: Protection When Working With Wood - Ignoring Could Potentially Harm Your Health Or Kill

    Woodworking: Basic Safety TipsWoodworking can be a dangerous undertaking if... Read More

    Making a Chunk Candle

    Making chunk candles is an and fun activity for all... Read More

    Wholesale Scrapbooking: Should You Start A Direct Sales Scrapbooking Business Just The Discount?

    Have you ever thought about signing on with a scrapbooking... Read More

    How to Make Your Own Soap Favors for Weddings and Baby Showers

    Want to make soap as a gift for your party... Read More

    Plastic, Zinc, Brass, Embossing and Marking Stencils

    Marking StencilsStencil is a cut-out form for an alphabets, numbers,... Read More

    Creating A Family Tradition-Jigsaw Puzzles

    Do you find it difficult to spend time together as... Read More

    Sharing Journals

    Creating a journal or diary that combines scrapbooking and journaling,... Read More

    Scary Halloween Crafts

    Looking for some great Halloween crafts for your Halloween party,... Read More

    Gold Jewelry Hallmarking Secrets Revealed

    We should be familiar with the BASIC hallmarks mentioned on... Read More

    Marking Tools and Laser Marking Machines for Marking on Metals

    Marking tools are used for marking metals and non-metal surfaces.... Read More

    More Than A Memory- A Legacy

    Everyone has that box of pictures either in a close... Read More

    Organize 1000?s Of Photos Easily

    The easiest way is to start right from the beginning,... Read More

    Scrapbooking Childrens Favorite Stories

    Countless memories are built during the formative childhood days. If... Read More

    Embroidery Basting Frames Use for Stabilizing Designs

    Using a basting frame around designs can do a great... Read More

    Antique Delft and Very Collectible Tiles and Ceramics: Beginners Start Here

    So you fancy starting a collection but you're not sure... Read More

    Mixed Media Collage - Make The Pieces of Your Life Sing!

    According to the dictionary, collage art is an artistic composition... Read More

    My Greatest Stamp Find

    I have been involved with stamps nearly my entire life.... Read More

    A Playtime Project: The Memory Quilt

    A friend recently suggested a use for my daughter's first... Read More

    Essentials of Genealogy - Getting Started with Your FamilyTree

    Since genealogy is my hobby, my profession, and my passion,... Read More

    How To Make Your Own Gift Baskets

    Haven't you always wanted to give someone a beautiful gift... Read More