Handmade Gel Candles
Handmade gifts are always extra special, and making gifts yourself is often fun and rewarding. I’ve been making candles for years, and I always feel like I’ve given something extra special when I give my best homemade candles away as gifts. I scent them according to what the recipient likes, and they usually go over quite well!
Gel candles can be a particularly fun gift, because you can get a little more creative with them… like making them in glasses as “beverage candles.” While these are fun to make, they can cause fire hazards if not made with the proper care! This includes making sure that you use ONLY non-polar fragrances, that have a flash point over 170!
For this reason, it’s often best to get a gel candle making kit and to FOLLOW DIRECTIONS EXACTLY. Along with having to be extra careful, they also require more patience than paraffin and soy wax candles do, because gel can take longer to melt than these other waxes.
The most highly recommended type of gel, Versagel™, comes in three types of gels: CLP, which has a low density; CMP, or medium density; and CHP or high-density gel. CLP is best for unscented or lightly scented candles, as they will not hold much fragrance oil, CMP works for a moderate amount of scent. For highly scented candles, and for holding objects in the gel, you will need CHP gel.
You’ll also need a melter, double boilers work fine for other candles, but often these cannot melt some types of gel, so you’ll need to find a melter, preferably an electric non-stick one. Different gels react differently, though, so it is best to get exact directions about the kind of gel you get from the craft store or from a gel candle-making booklet. Here we aim to give you an idea of what making gel candles entails.
Be sure to use only candle dyes when making gel candles, as other dyes will be cloudy or clumpy in gel wax. With gel candles, you usually only need a very small amount of dye. Another thing that can make your gel candles cloudy is wax-coated wicks, though they often come pre-tabbed, making them the easiest to use.
Like I said, working with gels can be tricky, so for a beginner, I’d recommend a kit or a detailed book. But if properly done, they can be a lot of fun!
When making any kind of candles, ALWAYS be sure to keep safety in mind! It is advised to wear safety goggles and to have a non-water fire extinguisher nearby (water extinguishers can spread the oil and actually make the fire worse).
For more information about gel candles, or to choose from related products, click on the following link:
Candles | Candle Making
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