{"id":9823,"date":"2020-12-10T20:00:05","date_gmt":"2020-12-10T19:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crea.hobbyland.eu\/make-candles-at-home-types-of-candles-and-waxes\/"},"modified":"2025-08-29T12:25:37","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T10:25:37","slug":"make-candles-at-home-types-of-candles-and-waxes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crea.hobbyland.eu\/en\/make-candles-at-home-types-of-candles-and-waxes\/","title":{"rendered":"Make candles at home Part 1: types of candles and waxes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Making candles at home is a very satisfying activity. It allows you to test your manual skills but at the same time apply your flair and creativity into something solid, visible, fragrant, and… bright. <\/p>\n\n

It is quick to say candles, but there are so many types of candles, we must first understand what kind of candle we are talking about, because each one requires different materials, processing, and therefore also different final effects.<\/p>\n\n

\"Vari<\/figure>\n\n

In this post we look at what kinds of candles we can make at home and what kinds of wax we can use for each type. Then we will see, in another post, the materials we need to make them and how to organize the work space, and finally the various procedures for making our own candles at home.<\/p>\n\n

So today we are talking about:<\/p>\n\n

<\/p>

  1. The types of candles you can make at home<\/a><\/strong>

    The u0022free standingu0022 freestanding candles.<\/a>The tealight candles<\/a>The carved (dipped) candles<\/a>Candles in containers<\/a>Tarts (melting wax)<\/a>The tapered candles (dipping)<\/a>Summary table which wax for which candle<\/a><\/em><\/p> <\/li>

  2. The types of wax for candles<\/a><\/strong>

    Kerosene<\/a>Stearina<\/a>Premixed wax beads<\/a>Soy wax<\/a>Palm Wax<\/a>Beeswax<\/a>Moldable wax<\/a>Wax sheets<\/a>Gel wax<\/a><\/em><\/p> <\/li>

  3. What wax do I choose for making mold candles?<\/a><\/strong>

    <\/p> <\/li>

  4. What wax do I choose for containers and modeling?<\/a><\/strong>

    <\/p> <\/li>

  5. Is there a transparent mold wax?<\/a><\/strong>

    <\/p> <\/li>

  6. What are the ideal temperatures for wax casting?<\/a><\/strong>

    Dipping candles<\/a>Mold candles<\/a><\/em><\/p> <\/li><\/ol><\/div>\n\n

    <\/p>\n\n

    The types of candles you can make at home<\/h2>\n\n

    Do you already know what kind of candles you would like to make? Here are the most common types: <\/p>\n\n

    The freestanding candles.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

    Free standing means, simply, that they stand on their own. So you won’t need any container or support. They are usually made with molds<\/a>, in which you can melt paraffin, premixed wax beads, stearin, beeswax or palm wax (for molds). <\/p>\n\n

    The tealight candles<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

    Among container candles the most popular are the tealights, in small aluminum or plastic containers. You can make them with any kind of wax, especially paraffin, mixture of paraffin and stearin, soy, palm and beeswax. <\/p>\n\n

    The carved candles (dipping)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

    They are particularly decorative candles, and consist of multiple layers of colored wax: carving the surface reveals the various layers, creating a very artistic and striking effect.<\/p>\n\n

    \n
    \"creare
    Candles <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    \"creare
    Candles in containers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    \"creare
    Tealight Candles<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    \"creare
    Immersion taper spark plugs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n

    Candles in containers<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

    You can make candles inside containers<\/a> made of glass, metal, plastic or other materials, with or without cap. You can also use different types of wax<\/a> for these candles: paraffin wax, premixed wax beads, stearin, soy wax, gel wax, beeswax or palm wax (for containers). <\/p>\n\n

    Le tarts (melting wax)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

    Tarts are wax tablets for melting in potpourri or wax burners for melting wax. The most commonly used waxes for making tarts are kerosene wax, soy wax, and natural wax blend. <\/p>\n\n

    The taper (dip) candles<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

    These are long, narrow candles, to make a point, the kind normally used in candelabra. To make them, the wick is dipped several times in melted wax. The most commonly used waxes for these candles are paraffin, premixed wax beads, and beeswax. <\/p>\n\n

    A table to get a good understanding of the types of wax we can use to make various types of candles at home<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n
    Wax type<\/strong><\/th>Self-supporting candles<\/strong><\/th>Candles in containers<\/strong><\/th>Dipping candles<\/strong><\/th>Tarts<\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
    Kerosene<\/td>\u2705<\/td>\u2705<\/td>\u2705<\/td>\u2705<\/td><\/tr>
    Hard paraffin<\/td>\u2705<\/td>\u2705<\/td>\u2705<\/td>\u2705<\/td><\/tr>
    Premixed wax beads<\/td>\u2705<\/td>\u2705<\/td>\u2705<\/td>\u2705<\/td><\/tr>
    Ecosoya PB<\/td>\u2705<\/td><\/td><\/td>\u2705<\/td><\/tr>
    Ecosoya CB135<\/td><\/td>\u2705<\/td><\/td>\u2705<\/td><\/tr>
    Palm wax for molds<\/td>\u2705<\/td><\/td><\/td><\/td><\/tr>
    Palm wax for containers<\/td><\/td>\u2705<\/td><\/td>\u2705<\/td><\/tr>
    Pure stearin<\/td>\u2705<\/td>\u2705<\/td><\/td><\/td><\/tr>
    Beeswax<\/td>\u2705<\/td>\u2705<\/td>\u2705<\/td><\/td><\/tr>
    Blend of natural waxes<\/td><\/td>\u2705<\/td><\/td>\u2705<\/td><\/tr>
    Gel wax<\/td><\/td>\u2705<\/td><\/td><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div><\/figure>\n\n

    The types of wax for candles <\/h2>\n\n
    \"perle<\/figure>\n\n

    There are many types of waxes on the market, and we have a nice selection of<\/a> them, too. Each has specific characteristics that make it more suitable for one type of candle than others. Let’s look at the most commonly used waxes and their characteristics. <\/p>\n\n

    Kerosene<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

    Paraffin is the most widely used wax for making candles at home, low in cost<\/strong> and high in yield<\/strong>: it is good for almost any type of candle. You can find it in two versions: standard<\/a> (melting temperature 52-54\u00b0C) or hard<\/a> (melting temperature 56-58\u00b0C).For container candles<\/strong>, we recommend standard paraffin, while for freestanding candles<\/strong> you’re better off using hard paraffin. You can add additives<\/strong> to the paraffin, such as stearin<\/a> or vybar<\/a>, which improve its burning, opacity, and extraction from the molds. <\/p>\n\n

    Stearina<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

    Stearin<\/a> is a white flaky substance that is obtained from palm oil. You can use it as an additive<\/strong> in paraffin<\/strong> (usually at a percentage of 10%) to make it burn better and make it easier to extract from the mold<\/strong>. If you use higher percentages of stearin, the paraffin will become whiter and more opaque but will be more difficult to extract from the molds. <\/p>\n\n

    You can also use stearin in pure form to make candles with a “crystallized” appearance; however, extraction from the mold will be more difficult than for other waxes. Once the stearin has been poured and cooled, you can immerse the mold in hot water<\/strong> (70\u00b0C) for a few seconds while holding the mouth of the mold upward. The stearin layer in contact with the mold will melt slightly and you can pull the candle out by pulling the wick. This operation, with all other waxes, would ruin the surface of the candle, but not with pure stearin, because it is much harder than other waxes. <\/p>\n\n

    Premixed wax beads<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

    Wax beads are a ready-made mixture<\/a><\/strong> of paraffin and stearin, and are perfect if you want a ready-to-use blend-you’ll only need to add fragrance<\/a> and dyes<\/a>. You can also use them to make freestanding, container, dip and tart candles at home. <\/p>\n\n

    Soy wax<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

    Soy wax is a 100% natural wax<\/strong> made from hydrogenated soybean oil. You can use it to make container candles(Ecosoya CB-135)<\/a> or freestanding candles(Ecosoya Pillar Blend<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n

    Soy wax has substantial differences from paraffin wax:<\/p>\n\n