Homemade Soy Candles for less than $2

You've heard my rant about paraffin candles before (in case you haven't here's the link).  Here's a little re-fresher on the reasons we burn soy candles instead of paraffin ones:

SOY

• Soy wax is made from soybeans and vegetables, both renewable resources.
• Soy wax burns much cleaner and purer as it is all natural, non-toxic, and non-hazardous.
• This wax is biodegradable leading to reduced landfills.
• Soy wax residue can be washed away with warm water and soap.

PARAFFIN

• Derived from petroleum, a limited resource
• The burning of paraffin wax contributes to indoor air contamination by emitting petro-chemicals causing soot deposits and carcinogenic particulate matter.
• This wax contains petroleum by-products and additives that inhibit biodegradability.
• Paraffin wax residue is quite troublesome, often impossible, to remove.
• Purchasing paraffin products not only supports our dependence on this crude oil but also supports an industry riddled with environmental faux pas'.

So for those reasons we try really hard to only burn soy candles inside our home. We do run into a problem when looking for pillar candles, soy wax is a soft wax so it won't work in pillar form. Sometimes you can find soy/paraffin blended candles in pillar shape but they're usually considerably more expensive. Which brings me to today's post.

I started making my own soy candles . . . Soy candles are really expensive! Like insanely expensive, like $10 a candle or more for a teeny tiny candle!  So I found a tutorial on pinterest boasting Soy Survival Candles. It seemed easy enough so I ordered the materials off Amazon and got cracking errr . . . melting.

I know a lot of things on Pinterest look easy and really aren't, but this was SO EASY!

1.     First you order your wax, I ordered off Amazon 10 lbs of wax for $12 plus $10 shipping.  I also bought the wicks from Amazon. I checked Michaels first and even with a 50% off coupon it is way cheaper to buy wax from Amazon. I did buy my double boiler from Michaels with a 50% off coupon and paid just less than $10 for it!

 2.     Next you dump a few handfuls of wax into your double boiler (a double boiler could be another pot or a metal bowl, or even a heat safe glass bowl) I chose this one because it has a spout so I would be able to easily pour it into the jars.

3.     Heat your wax up until it's all melted . . . it will now resemble a jug of pee, seriously!

4.     Add a few drops of essential oils if you want scented candles, or don't add any if you want unscented candles. I make unscented ones and then add a few drops of scented oil later when it's burning on the coffee table!

5.     Place wicks into jars. You can affix them on to the bottom with wax or you can just hook them on a pencil like I did, that pencil kept them centered while the wax cooled.

6.     Pour Wax into glass mason jars.

My mom found these old mason jars for me at a yard sale for 25 cents each. I LOVE them, especially the glass tops!

 7.     Cool you jars of pee, aaaaahhhh I mean WAX.

8.     Once your wax sets it takes about 4 hours or so. Cut the wicks down to size about 1 inch long, screw on lid and you're golden (hehe, last pee joke I swear!).

The whole process took about 45 minutes.

I only used 4 lbs of the 10lbs I bought, and it made 6 HUGE candles that should burn approx 70+ hours each.

 It also made two smaller candles. And I still have 6 lbs left!  I think I might dry some lavender and put it in the next batch!! :)

It was really easy, really affordable and actually kind of fun to make!
I think they would make amazing Christmas gifts, or hostess gifts!! But this first batch is mine all mine!
I love a little homesteading project to start off the week . . . maybe I should change our blog name to "Mini Homesteader" . . .  okay, maybe not! ;)