How to Make Soy Candles

Learn how to make soy candles scented with fragrance or essential oils in this easy tutorial. Plus get tips for the easiest way to add dried flowers for an extra special touch!

I love making scented candles with natural ingredients. The two types of wax I typically use to make my own candles are beeswax and soy wax.

While I adore making beeswax candles, working with soy wax flakes is a bit easier if you’re new to candle making. This type of wax melts quickly and is a fraction of the cost. Plus it’s a more earth-friendly choice than paraffin wax, which is another type of wax commonly used to make candles.

My easy tutorial is a great starting point for making beautiful soy wax candles. You’ll never go back to store-bought soy candles after the first time you make them yourself! Happy crafting!

Supplies and Tools

• 1 pound of soy wax flakes
• 1 ounce of fragrance oil or 15 mL of essential oil
• Dried flowers
• Candle wicks
• Wick stickers or hot glue gun
• Candle jars
• Candle pouring pitcher
• Large pot of water
• Stir stick or spoon
• Scissors
• Rubbing alcohol
• Paper towels
• Candy thermometer
• Clothespins

By the Numbers: How to Make Soy Candles

Follow these simple step by step instructions to learn how to make beautiful soy candles at home with or without dried flowers.

Step 1: Clean Jars.

The first thing you want to do is to spray some rubbing alcohol into your jars and wipe them clean and dry with a paper towel. This step will help prevent your candle wax from separating from the side of the jar.

Step 2: Glue Wicks Into Jars.

After the jars are completely dry, use a hot glue gun, glue dot or wick stickers to adhere a candle wick to the bottom of the jar or jars you’ll be filling. Use a clothespin, wick bar or another wick-centering device to make sure the wick stays centered in the jar.

Please note: Some tutorials recommend using a small amount of wax to adhere the wicks to the bottom of the containers. I have found that it doesn’t always work properly and sometimes the wick base will float to the top of the jar once you pour the jar full of wax, undoing all of your hard work, so I personally don’t recommend that method.

Step 3: Melt Soy Wax.

Add one pound of soy wax flakes to a candle pouring pitcher and place the pitcher into a large pan of water. Heat over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the wax is melted and clear.

The melt point of soy wax is 120°F, but you’ll want to continue heating until the wax reaches a temperature of 185°F so that the fragrance oils can bind with the melted wax.

Step 4: Add Fragrance Oil.

Once the temperature of the wax reaches 185°F, immediately add one ounce of fragrance oil for every pound of soy wax and stir until well combined.

If you want to use essential oils instead, you’ll need to add them at a lower temperature of 135°F so the heat doesn’t destroy the scent. Essential oils are much more temperamental than fragrance oils when scenting a natural soy candle.

Once you add your chosen scent, turn off the heat and allow the temperature to lower to 135°F before pouring the wax into containers.

Step 5: Add Flowers to Jars.

While you’re waiting for the wax to cool to 135°F, add dried flowers to each jar. They’ll float to the top of the container after you pour the melted soy wax into them. Add them now, not after pouring the hot wax, for the fewest air bubbles after the candles cool.

Step 6: Pour Melted Soy Wax Into Jars.

Once the wax has cooled to 135°F, immediately pour the melted soy wax into the jars, leaving a small space at the top of the jar.

Step 7: Allow Wax to Cool.

Once you’re done filling the jars, do not move the jars. You can use tweezers to reposition the dried flowers, but keep the jars in one place.

Step 8: Trim Wicks.

Once cool and hardened, trim the candle wick size down to about ¼”.

Step 9: Burn Your Homemade Soy Candles.

The first time you burn your candles, it’s important the entire top layer of wax melts (this is a called a melt pool) or you could end up with a sink hole in the middle of the candles. If the top isn’t perfectly smooth, that’s okay – it will even out after the first time you burn it!

Tips for Making Soy Candles

Answers to all of your questions about making soy container candles scented with fragrance oils or essential oils.

How many jars per pound of wax?

You should get two 8-ounce jars, four 4-ounce jars or eight 2-ounce jars from 1 pound of soy candle wax. I used 8-ounce jars to make my candles, so I actually used two pounds of soy wax to make four 8-ounce ounce candles and had enough leftover wax to make one small 2-ounce candle as well.

Best place to buy candle fragrance oils?

I like to use the fragrance oils from Nature’s Oils. They’re high quality and they have some really great scents! I used Monkey Farts and Blue Cotton Candy to scent these candles.

Best place to buy essential oils?

My favorite place to buy essential oils for candle making is Rocky Mountain Oils. The scents last a long time and the oils are super pure. Read my full Rocky Mountain Essential Oils Review to learn why I reach for them first.

Is it okay to reuse old jars?

Absolutely! I love using recycled jars to make homemade candles. Just make sure you clean them really well with rubbing alcohol before using them to remove any residue or residual smell.

How to clean a candle pouring pot?

Surprisingly, the easiest way to clean any remaining wax out of your pouring pot when you’re done making candles is to wipe it out with a paper towel while it’s still hot and the wax is still melted. You can place the pitcher in a pan of hot water to re-melt the wax if it hardens before you’re done wiping it out.

If you melt too much wax and it’s not enough to pour another candle, you can use the last remnants of wax to make really pretty fire starters that also make a great gift.

Where to buy soy wax?

I buy my wax for soy candle making from Your Oil Tools. I trust the quality of their products and they have a great selection of supplies if you like making things like candles and DIY beauty products with essential oils. You can also buy soy wax flakes on Amazon.

How to make a bigger batch?

How big of a batch of you can make at once will depend on the size of your candle pouring pitcher. I personally prefer to melt one pound of wax at a time so I can make more than one scent. Soy wax melts so quickly that it doesn’t take much time to make different scents.

If you have a large enough pitcher to melt more wax, go for it! You’ll just need to calculate the amount of fragrance oil or essential you need to add to each batch to get good scent throw.

In general, a good rule of thumb is to add 1 ounce of fragrance oil per pound of soy wax, which is about a 6% concentration. When I use essential oils, I typically add one 15 mL bottle of high quality essential oils per pound of wax. If you add much more than this, the soy wax won’t be able to hold the fragrance.

How to color soy candles?

The best way to color soy candles is with dye blocks or flakes. I don’t recommend using things you’d use to color beauty products like mica, soap colorant or food coloring.

Other types of candle containers?

While my favorite container is a simple glass jar with lid, you can use any heat-safe container to make your own candles. Some other ideas are metal tins, small bowls or teacups. I’ve even made candles in orange peels before! Just don’t use something like plastic that isn’t heat safe.

Ways to use soy wax?

If you buy a big bag of soy wax flakes and want more ways to use it up, here are some other tutorials you may enjoy:

• Wax Melts for Wax Warmers
• Lavender Bath Melts
• Soy Lotion Bars

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