I began making soy candles 4 years ago thinking it would be a fun, easy hobby that would also be a great way to make gifts. I thought what could be so hard; you melt some wax, stick a wick in it and dump in some dye and fragrance! Making soy candles turned out to be extremely fun and extremely challenging at the same time.

You can't just melt the wax and pour it in. The wax must be gently heated to the appropriate temperature, which isn't always the one suggested by the manufacturer. While heating, the wax should be gently stirred so hot spots do not occur. Once the wax has reached this magical temperature, that takes much trial and error to determine, you can add your dye and then fragrance and stir, stir, stir. You must stir in the fragrance to fully incorporate it into the wax. The wax needs to be hot enough for the fragrance to blend in properly, but not too hot that the fragrance burns off.

Now it is time to wait!! While waiting, you can set your wick. So how does one attach a wick you ask? Great question, with no right answer. Ask 10 candle makers and they will use 10 different things to attach their wicks. I have tried wick stickers, glue dots, beeswax and hot glue. None of these worked for me. All of the wicks lifted towards the end of the burn cycle. I tried many industrial adhesives and settled on one that works great. It took two years to be completely happy with my wick adhesive.

Since we are on the topic of wicking I will briefly discuss it. Choosing the right wick is the second biggest challenge I have faced as a candle maker. Every wax is different as are the fragrances and dyes you put in that wax. Each combination has an optimum wick! It is up to you to determine this. You can get guidance on where to start based on your container size and wax type, but ultimately your candles will be different then someone else's and what works for them may not work for you. There are many different wick types: flat braid, braided, cotton, cotton-blend, cored, non-cored, zinc cored, paper filament and hemp. Lead wicks have not been in this country for many years, so don't buy the hype that somehow you may be getting a lead wicked candle. I like CD wicks and CDN wicks which are flat braided cotton, woven with a paper filament. This isn't a plug, I just really like those wicks and they work with most waxes. If the proper wick is not chosen, your candle will not burn correctly. If it is under-wicked, the wick may drown out or the scent throw will be bad or may not even exist. If it is over-wicked, the candle will burn fast, the wick will smoke and/or mushroom, and your fragrance may burn off from too much heat.

Ok! Back to actually making the candle. You have attached your perfect wick and are ready to pour your wax. So what is the right time/temperature to pour? Again, this is trial and error. The right pouring temperature/technique will help eliminate common candle problems which include frosting, rough tops, glass adhesion, craters and cracking. I will tell you what I have found works, kind of, ok sometimes when the ambient temperature and humidity is at an acceptable level, i.e. not too hot, not too cold. I let my wax cool until it is almost solid, then I heat it back up until it just melts but is on the edge of solidifying. I stir the wax during this process. I then slowly pour into pre warmed containers and place in an oven to cool. This usually gives me great candles, well for about a month, and then some start to get frosting rings around the edge. Only certain fragrances do it. If I could keep the temperature of my house constant and at 68-72 degrees then all would be well, but that isn't the world I live in.

"One day my candles will be perfect!!!" I just keep telling myself that! Such is the life of a pure soy candle maker!