Personal Bath Candles

I don’t make candles like I used to, but I always make sure I have enough personal bath candles around the house for my personal use.  I don’t know about the rest of you ladies, but I tend to spend quite a while in the bathroom and it’s so much nicer when I can linger in the tub and relax while my favorite scent is filling the room. Really relaxing.

Because gel candles are so easy to make, it’s easy to tint them to match any decor. My family is really pleased when I tell them they’re getting candles for Christmas, because they know it’ll be bath candles.

To make these candles all you need is:

• Clip-on pan thermometer
• Pan
• Small glass containers or soap dishes
• Candle gel
• Wick
• Gel dye
• Fragrance of choice

First, melt the gel in a pan over low heat to the highest temperature recommended by the gel manufacturer. Add small amounts of dye until you’re happy with the color. (Doublecheck the color by removing a small amount of gel on a spoon and placing it on a sheet of heavy white paper.) Add additional gel to the pan if the color is too dark or additional dye if it’s too light. Stir in a small amount of a refreshing fragrance oil just before you pour the candle. Position the wick and allow the candles to cool undisturbed for several hours.

These are really easy to make and you can pick up the glass containers at any dollar store. Keep a few extra on hand to give as impromptu gift-giving.

Wick Preparation and Placement

For some reason, getting the wick in the middle of the candle was always a real problem for me when I first started making candles. So, I just starting wimping out. The easiest thing for me to do was to choose a pretabbed wick and hot-glue the tab to the bottom of the container. Then, roll the excess wick around a wooden cooking skewer or even a pencil,  then pour the gel in.

Of course, you could just pour the gel in first and then try to arrange the wick. If you’re trying to avoid bubbles in your candle, dip the wick in some melted gel and leave it there until the gel stops bubbling. Then remove the wick and run your fingers down the wick to remove just the excess gel. Roll the top of the wick around a wooden skewer or pencil and position it over the candle container.

But don’t get too comfortable because somehow even the most perfectly placed wick can wander off track as the gel candle cools. If this happens, I guess there are only two choices, live with it or try to fix it. If you think the wick has to be moved, the easiest way is just to heat up the candle in an oven (not over 175^) until the gel melts and then try repositioning it.

Now that I only make candles for my own enjoyment, I don’t bother with the wick unless I think it’s moved over too close to the edge of the glass holder, then I’ll mess with it so I don’t have to worry about my glass container cracking.

Creating Champagne Gel Candles

Gel candles are the easiest to make. To start, you will need:

• Clip-on pan thermometer
• Pan
• Champagne glasses
• Candle gel
• Gel dye
• Wick
• Wood Cooking Skewer

Instructions:

First, heat the gel in a pan over low heat until it just begins to melt, stirring as little as possible. Add just enough yellow dye to lightly tint the gel a pale champagne color. (Doublecheck the color by removing a small amount of gel on a spoon and placing it on a sheet of heavy white paper.) Add additional gel to the pan if the color is too dark or additional dye if it’s too light.

Second, pour the gel into the glasses and arrange the wick. Create extra bubbles by placing the wood skewer in the top 1/4 inch (3 mm) of the gel and gently moving the skewer.

Decorate a champagne gel candle with white flowers and ribbons for a special wedding gift.  They’ll be a big hit. Or, paint the year on the glass for New Year’s Eve and add glittery color ribbons to accentuate the festive mood.