How to Make a Votive Candle

Making a Votive Candle

Votives are fun and easy candles for beginners. In addition, they are relatively inexpensive to make. Votives have been long enjoyed by many as a way to light up the home, and give the air a light fragrance. They are burned in special votive candle holders that can be purchased at any department store, and also most dollar stores.

What You Will Need:

- Your choice of Pillar/Votive wax

- Votive molds

- Pretabbed wicks of the correct size

- Thermometer

- Double boiler with pouring pot

- Fragrance oil or candle dye (optional)

- A wooden skewer or wick pin (to guide wick when inserting)

- Something to protect your work surface (newspaper works well)

- Paper towels in case of a mess

Getting Started:

Measure all of your wax and additives if you are using any, and set aside. Start heating your double boiler until the water in the outside pot is close to boiling. When it gets close, add your wax and let it melt slowly, always keeping an eye on it. never leave melting wax unattended. If you need more detailed instructions on melting wax, please refer to our wax melting tutorial.

Once your melted wax has reached the desired temperature, remove from heat and add color. Some candle makers like to add their fragrance at the same time as color, but I prefer to wait until it cools a bit so the scent doesn't weaken by being heated too long. It is just personal preference. You can try either way, and stick with the way that works for you.

If you prefer to add you fragrance at a cooler temperature, you can do so. For paraffin wax users, you may think about adding fragrance at approximately 150*F and then pouring your votive. For soy users, you may want to let your wax cool a bit more before pouring, so the end result is a bit smoother in appearance. When soy is poured hot, it can have a bit of a frosted appearance when it cools. If you like that look, you can pour hotter. I like to add fragrance and pour soy votives at 125*F. Again, you can experiment and you will find what works best to you. You may also check with your wax supplier and they will tell you a recommended pouring temperature. All wax is a little different.

Pouring Your Votive

Once your wax has cooled to your desired pouring temperature, pour slowly but steadily to avoid unsightly lines until it reaches the top of your votive mold. Try to get as close to the top as you can without accidentally overpouring. After pouring your votives, make sure to leave a bit of leftover wax for the second pour and set aside.

Note: At this point, we have not yet inserted wicks into the votive.

A few minutes after pouring your wax, the candle has had a chance to cool slightly, making this an ideal time to insert our wick. The reason for waiting is to ensure that the wax at the very bottom of the votive has cooled enough to hold the wick after we insert it. Take your wick in one hand, and your wooden skewer in the other, and slowly dip the wick into the votive, keeping it as close to the center as possible. A wick that is not centered properly will cause the candle to burn unevenly. When lowering the wick into the hot wax, use your skewer to guide it down the center of the votive and when your wick tab reaches the bottom of the mold, use the skewer to press it into the partially cooled wax at the bottom to make it stick. Remove the skewer, and allow the votive to cool.

Hint: As your votive cools, you may notice that the cooling wax will pull the wick to one side. If this happens, gently tug it back to the center, taking care not to unstick it from the bottom.

After your votive has completely cooled, you will notice that it has a sink hole in the middle. This is because wax contracts as it cools, and you now have to fill in the space to make the top even and smooth looking. Take your leftover wax and reheat until it is a few degrees hotter than the temperature of your last pour.

When your wax has reached the desired temperature, slowly and carefully repour to fill in the sink holes caused by cooling. Pour the hot wax to the same level as your first pour. If you pour over or under this level, it can cause lines in your candle from uneven cooling. If you do over or underpour, it is not a big deal, as the candle can still be burned just fine. However, the end result will not be as attractive.

After pouring the second time, allow your candle to cool completely. After a few hours, you can trim the wick to 1/4 inch, light, and enjoy