Essential Oils For Candles: What You NEED To Know!
Let’s take a look at how to make your own scented candles with essential oils.
They are super easy to make from home and you can get really creative by mixing different essential oils to make new fragrances.
These DIY scented candles make great gifts to friends and family. Or you can keep them all for yourself!
Why use essential oils?
If you are like me, you love to use essential oils.
Just diffuse a few drops and the entire room will instantly smell amazing.
But beside just smelling great, essential oils can also have some therapeutic effects.
Beneficial effects of essential oils include easing stress, relieving headaches, and improving your sleep.
Some common essential oils and their effects include:
- Cinnamon: relieves stress and ease pain
- Citronella: repels insects and relieves fatigue
- Eucalyptus: helps to remedy colds and coughs
- Jasmin: relieves stress and helps with inflammation
- Lavender: used for relaxation and to treat insomnia
- Lemon: increases your energy and reduces anxiety
- Peppermint: used for headaches and stomach issues
Of course there are many other essential oils to choose from
And the most fun part about making scented candles with essential oils is that you can always try new fragrances.
Essential oils VS fragrance oils in candles
People often confuse essential oils and fragrance oil.
Yes, they can both be used for scenting candles.
But no, they are not the same.
Essential oils are made from plants or flowers such as lavender, peppermint, or rosemary.
Fragrance oils contain aromatic compounds that are made in the lab.
These aromatic compound are sometimes designed to mimic the natural smells such as lavender.
However, fragrance oils can be made to smell like almost anything, for example “chocolate chip cookie” or “pumpkin spice”.
Additionally, fragrance oils are often much cheaper and smell stronger than essential oils.
However, most fragrance oils don’t have the same therapeutic effects as essentials oils. And some people might even experience allergic reactions or other side effects due to fragrance oils.
That’s why I prefer to play it safe and make my candles exclusively with essential oils.
How to make scented candles with essential oils
Let’s take a look at how to use essential oils to make candles that smell amazing.
You will need:
- Glass containers/mason jars
- Candle wicks
- Candle wax
- Essential oils
Instructions:
- Melt the wax: Use a pan or bowl to completely melt your wax. Depending on the type of wax you are using, the melting points might differ.
- Add the essential oils: Turn off the heat and add the essential oils. Adding more oil will result in a stronger scent. Keep in mind that the scent will be weaker once the candle cools down.
- Attach your candle wick to the container: You can attach the candle wick to the bottom of the container or mason jar by using a little of the molten wax or with a glue gun. Make sure that the containers are completely clean before attaching the wick.
- Center the wick: To make sure the wick will stay in the center of the candle, you can wrap the wick around some sticks or use chopsticks.
- Pour the wax: While pouring the wax, make sure the candle wick stays in place.
- Cut the wick: Once the candle has cooled down to room temperature, you can remove the sticks that were keeping the wick in place and cut the wick to the appropriate length.
- Decorate your candle: This step is optional. But if you want to gift your candle you can decorate it with some flower pedals or glitter.
How to choose essential oils for candle making
The quality of essential oils can differ a lot from brand to brand.
Ideally you want to go with essential oils that don’t contain any additives.
However, the FDA doesn’t regulate essential oils. So terms such as “100% pure” and “therapeutic grade” are mostly marketing and shouldn’t be taking at face value.
Therefore, it’s normally best to go with one of the reputable brands that don’t use additives and source plants from farms that don’t use pesticides.
One clear indicator of quality is the essential oil bottle.
Some plastics can dissolve in oil and lead to contamination. So make sure that the essential oils come in dark glass bottles.
Also keep in mind that not all essential oils are well suited for candle making.
Oils that are made by pressing or solvent extraction (such as rose petal or sandalwood) quickly degrade at high temperatures.
Oil that are made through steam distillation can handle heat much better.
The oils that are produced through steam distillation are the best suited for candle making because they can handle high temperatures much better.
Top candle fragrances
When making scented candles at home, most of the fun comes from trying and discovering new fragrances.
But a little bit of inspiration never hurts.
So here are a few of the best-selling candle fragrances at the moment:
- Apple & pumpkin
- Cashmere & jasmine
- Water lily & pear
- Lavender & thyme
- Amber & rose & sheer musk
- Amber & patchouli
Of course, the season always influences what is popular.
Cinnamon and pumpkin do great in cold seasons, while floral fragrances do better in the warm months.
Where to buy essential oils
You can buy essential oils online from a variety of different websites.
To start your search for your favorite essential oils, you can start at one of these:
FAQ
Is it safe to use essential oils in candles?
Essential oils are safe to use in candle making. However, keep in mind that all essential oils have a flash point at which they can self-ignite. Make sure that the temperature of the molten wax is below that of the essential oil’s flash point before mixing the two.
How many drops of essential oil should I put in a candle?
For a medium-sized candle, you will need to add 20 to 40 drops of undiluted essential oils depending on which oil you use and how strong you want the scent to be.
How do you make homemade candles smell stronger?
Adding more essential oil to the wax doesn’t always result in a stronger smell.
If there is little to no smell, the essential oil might be very sensitive to high heat. Using a type of wax with a lower melting point can help.
Moreover, some scents are inherently weaker than others. Lavender, peppermint, lemon and eucalyptus essential oils typically have a strong scent.
What candle wax holds the most fragrance?
In general, paraffin wax can hold the most fragrance and has a stronger scent throw. However, when using essential oils, you probably want to use beeswax due to the lower melting point.
