| A great many of my friends have been asking me to | | | | though beginners might find it easier to stick to one |
| share the secret of making a scented candle at | | | | fragrance initially. |
| home, though I tell them repeatedly that it is no | | | | What a beginner definitely should not do is pack the |
| great secret. Any web site or online manual can | | | | candle with as much fragrance as possible. Most |
| teach you the basics of making scented candles at | | | | ordinary scented candles contain about 0.5 oz of |
| home, and once you have mastered those, the rest | | | | essential oil, though if you want to intensify the |
| is up to your imagination and creativity. Both these | | | | fragrance, you may increase it to one whole ounce. |
| qualities, I have found, increase with experience, and | | | | However, any more and the scent that your candle |
| never mind what they say about inborn creativity | | | | gives will be unbearable, probably making you sick! |
| and genius. | | | | A lot of people confess to being intrigued by the |
| However, since it does appear that plenty of people | | | | scents that I use for my candles. 'I just can't place it, |
| want to know just what it is that causes my candles | | | | but it smells so good,' is something that I hear all the |
| to smell so good, I will begin by saying that the | | | | time. Shall I tell you why? Well, I tend to experiment |
| process of making a candle with the aroma of your | | | | with the most unlikely combinations, most often |
| choice is a simple one. As I have said before, the | | | | based purely on instinct, and end up with a fragrance |
| increasing demand for scented candles has caused a | | | | that is marvelous yet unidentifiable! For instance, the |
| lot of enterprising folks to come up with books, | | | | first time I used rose and cinnamon together, I was |
| magazines and web sites dedicated to the art of | | | | convinced I was headed for disaster. As it turned |
| candle making. | | | | out, it became my most popular aroma! Similarly, I |
| To begin with, you need the right equipment, though | | | | combined clove and iris to produce another |
| that may seem obvious. I always stress this point | | | | well-appreciated fragrance. The point is, dear reader, |
| because, despite its simplicity, candle making is easy | | | | it is largely up to you what fragrance you produce. |
| only when you follow instructions correctly. | | | | Finally, though I stuck to wax candles for a long time, |
| Otherwise, you will find that it can be darned tricky | | | | I do believe that soy candles hold the scent much |
| as well! | | | | better than wax, and they also burn longer. The |
| So, depending on whether you are making a wax or | | | | process of melting the soy wax is similar to that of |
| gel candle, you will need enough of it, plus the | | | | ordinary wax, though you will probably need a double |
| 'cooking equipment', or the equipment needed to | | | | boiler. You add the color and scent as usual, and pour |
| melt the wax and mould it. And obviously, you will | | | | it into the mold of your choice. As you probably |
| need the essential oils that will give you the aroma of | | | | know, a staggering variety of molds are available in |
| your choice. In my experience, I have always found | | | | the market today. Once your candle is complete, do |
| it best to combine at least a couple of aromas, | | | | send me a sample! |