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Make DIY tealight candles using recyclable tealight holders and gel candle wax. Use food coloring and fragrance to make it colorful and fun.
Most tealights burn for about 3-4 hours. Depending on your gel properties you can test when it completely turns into liquid. Some gel candles will continue to burn when liquid. Its fun to watch them and it can go on for long as it solidifies making it ready for use again till your candlewick stops supporting.
Material for tealight candles:
- Candle gel
- Tealight candle case – it can be a recyclable empty tealight holder or tin from burned out candle. You can also pull out a wax candle from a aluminum tealight case and use it.
- Candle wick
- Glue gun
- Double boiler or a melting pot – you can also use two stainless steel pots with one slightly larger than the other.
- Food coloring – I am aiming to use things I can find at home. However, there are dyes for candle making like dye color chips and oil-based candle dye.
- Essential oil – I am using fragrance oil tea tree and orange.
- Candle making kit for starters – get all in one for beginners.
- Toothpick for poking and moving color.
What to fill in tealight candles?
There are a variety of things you can use to fill tealight candles. Make sure to keep it away from the burning diameter of the candlewick:
- Stick mini figurines on the side of the tealight cup with glue gun.
- Tiny spices and herbs like pepper and cloves.
- Powdered spices like pumpkin spice and cinnamon powder.
- crushed dried flowers or petals.
Tutorial for tealight candles:
Here’s a video showing how to make gel tealight candles.
I wanted to save time so I thought instead of using double boiler like I used to make gel candle, how about I put it on low flame or simmering directly on gas stove.
The idea that lead to this experiment was watching the gel candle burn. As the fire burns the gel around the fire melts but it never burns.
I realized it was a faster process but only the gel might pop around in the pot a little.
While the gel melts in the pot, use glue gun to stick candlewick on the base of tealight cup. Make sure it is in the center. Also open the caps on essential oil and food coloring. You will also need a toothpick to move color around the gel.
In about 5 minutes 2 oz of candle gel melts. Pour it into the candle and add 2-3 drops of food on top. Now poke the gel to move the color to different layers of gel. Use different colors to make fun patterns and combinations. Add drops of essential oil and use toothpick to mix in the gel. Let it settle and cure for 15 minutes.
Your beautiful gel tealight candles are ready to burn. What I love about gel candles is that it keeps burning for longer time than a wax candle. The gel melts and liquefies as you burn the candle and solidifies later.
Its so easy to make and so much fun to burn. Have fun making candles.
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