Were you inspired by my previous article to create your own spa-like sanctuary at home? It truly enhances your massage experience to have a convenient, stress-free environment in your house – especially if it’s equipped with the essential items!

If you like doing your own projects, I have another project you might like. As I mentioned in the article, “Who Knew Creating A Home-Spa Could Be So Easy,” candles and essential oils are two key ingredients for building your own oasis. In fact, what’s even better is combining the two and making your own, homemade essential oil candles! Perfect, right?

There are hundreds of blogs and articles on how to make your own candles, but they all have different tips and ingredients. For the sake of staying on topic, this article will explain the easiest way to make the healthiest aromatherapy candles, using essential oils.

Wax

Based on what I’ve read there are several options: paraffin oil, beeswax, palm oil and soy oil. I’ll just go through a brief overview of these options:

Paraffin is the least expensive and easiest to find but is not ideal for therapeutic candles. It’s not natural and is made from crude oil, and when burned, it will often produce ash and smoke.

Beeswax is a great option, because it’s natural, hypoallergenic – it can provide relief from allergies and their symptoms, plus many more health benefits – and it’s not hard to find. It’s slightly more expensive than paraffin oil (still relatively cheap) and doesn’t retain color or scent as well, but I think the pros outweigh the cons, right?

Palm oil is the most expensive and not as easy to find, but it’s also clean, natural and has a lower melting point than beeswax. Soy oil has the same benefits as palm oil but isn’t as expensive.

choosing-candle-wax-homemade

For this article, we’re going to use beeswax, for its obvious superiority and combine it with coconut oil for fragrance, less cooking time and to save on the amount of beeswax you need to use.

Ingredients

  • 8 oz. beeswax
  • 1/3 to 1/2 cup of coconut oil
  • 50+ drops essential oil (suggested combinations are at the end of the article)
  • Thermometer (optional)
  • Candle wick
  • Heat-resistant glass jar (12-ounce)
  • Pencil, chopstick or anything flat to lie on top of the jar)

Steps

  1. Chop your wax into small flakes to aid the melting process. Then, use a double boiler to melt the wax over medium heat until fully melted. Don’t have a double boiler? Boil water in a small to medium sized pot 1/4 full and fit a glass or metal bowl over top. The bottom of the bowl shouldn’t touch the water.
  2. Monitor the wax’s temperature with the thermometer until it reaches about 145 to 147 degrees (or a minute after it’s completely melted) and remove it from the heat. The temperature will continue to rise to about 170 degrees.
  3. Mix in the coconut oil until fully melted. Add in your essential oils, starting with about 50 drops until it reaches the desired amount of fragrance. Stir to blend and then let it cool for a minute or two, or to 160 degrees.
  4. In the meantime, tie one end of the wick onto a pencil or chopstick, and cut it to a length long enough to hang straight and taut and ending just a quarter of an inch above the bottom of the jar when you lay the pencil down across the rim.
  5. Once the wax has cooled to 160 degrees, slowly pour it into the jar, keeping the wick centered. Fill the jar to about one inch below its opening.
  6. Let the wax to dry for one to two days. Once completely dry, cut the wick to ½ inch, and that’s it! So easy.

beautiful-flowered-essential-oil-candleTips

  • Use a bit of the wax and a brush to paste dried herbs or flowers to the sides of the jar before pouring in the melted wax to make your candle more beautiful and fragrant.
  • Here’s a quick guide to essential oil scents and their uses:

Scents to Relieve Anxiety: Bergamot, Cedarwood, Cypress, Frankincense, Hyssop, Lavender, Marjoram, Myrrh, Neroli, Orange, Peach, Rose, Rose Geranium and Violet Leaf.

Scents to help fight colds: Oregano, Peppermint, Eucalyptus, Lavender, Rosemary, Pine.

Scents to refresh and invigorate: Cinnamon, Cardamon, Clove, Lemon, Basil, Peppermint, Sage, Spiced Apple. 

Scents that calm irritability: Rose, Neroli, Chamomile and Rose Geranium. 

Scents that act as an aphrodisiac: Jasmine, Sandalwood, Vanilla and Ylan-ylang.

Did you ever try to add Essential Oils to your Massage?