In this lesson we’ll make a botanical candle.
What you’ll need:
1) Paraffin. We need it to create a 3D flower effect in the glass. You can use plant-based waxes like soy or coconut instead, but they won’t produce the same semi-translucent look that paraffin can.
As for where to buy it: I recommend ordering paraffin from Asia. Where to order it — on AliExpress. This is the most affordable option for students all over the world. Choose based on reviews; there you’ll see other people’s results and can evaluate the clarity.
2) Dried flowers. You can dry them yourself or buy ready-made sets. On Avito, for example, they sell sets where several types of flowers in one color palette are grouped together.
3) Plant-based wax.
4) Wick, wick holder, and centering tool. We need to choose a wick that melts only the plant-based wax inside the paraffin.
5) Fragrance (optional).
6) And a mold for the botanical candle. What can you use instead? You can replace it with two plastic tubes of different diameters: one larger, the other smaller. The difference in diameter should be at least 1 cm and at most 1.5 cm. Why exactly this range: if it’s too thin, the cup will break; if it’s too thick, you’ll have to use a lot of dried flowers. In addition, you’ll need to make a very tight-fitting lid; otherwise the paraffin will leak out. This is actually a very complex process, so it’s easier to simply purchase a mold designed for this. You can easily find one on various marketplaces — Ozon, WB, Amazon, AliExpress. You can also try making a paraffin cup using molds for plaster and concrete; the main thing is that the walls are thick and the mold is soft and elastic, otherwise the cup will crack when you remove it. I tried it — even the freezer didn’t help, since the walls were about half a centimeter. But as a trial option to see whether this is for you or not, it’s quite suitable.
Making instructions. Watch the archive version -
Open BOTANICAL CANDLE — MAKING
Once the dried flowers are in place, we can pour the paraffin. If we want a frosted effect, pour it cooled to 60–65 °C; if you want it as clear as possible, pour at a high temperature, that is, about 90 °C. Leave the mold slightly unfilled and check for bubbles. If there are bubbles, tap the cup in this way and check again. If everything looks fine, leave it to set; if bubbles remain and you don’t like them, keep tapping until they go away. Leave it to set.
When the paraffin has set, carefully remove it from the mold. The freezer will help with this, as in the dinner-candle lesson. After that, pour in the cooled wax and the candle is ready!
Set the paraffin on the stove, preferably not in a water bath but over very low direct heat, since paraffin has a high melting point and we’ll be waiting ages for it to melt otherwise. While it’s heating, do not stir it—otherwise bubbles will form, which we don’t want.
In the meantime, set the dried flowers. The advantage of a dedicated mold is that it’s transparent, so we can see what’s placed where and how. Don’t put in too many dried flowers; otherwise the paraffin won’t be able to flow through all the gaps.