Make Your Own Soap And Candles Using An Easy Do It Yourself Procedure
Making soap and candles used to be one of the weekly chores of the household. When you actually go to make your own soap and candles you will find out it is not all that easy and takes a great deal of time. It was also very dangerous because of the materials that were used to make them. It is fun to make your own as a hobby and do it once in awhile but just think if this was something that had to be done on a monthly or weekly basis. You will then appreciate modern soaps you can just get in the grocery store and electricity that provides our light in the modern age. You can make your own soap and candles as a hobby instead of a way of life.
You only need a few tools to make candles or soap. A heat source is the most important and you can use a hot plate or electric stove. Another safe heat source is an electric frying pan. Early folk would use a big iron pot over a fire and we no longer have to do it that way. Another important tool is the double boiler. It is very important that you have a one double boiler for soap making and another for candle making. If you mix them up you could have some disastrous results. Also never use the same double boiler for making food. You might find yourself foaming at the mouth or have a taste you would rather not have in your mouth if you do. Find old double boilers and other pans at garage sales or thrift stores. If you cannot find one use an electric frying pan and an empty coffee can made of metal.
Other things that can be found online or in a local craft establishment are wicks, wax, molds, dyes to make candles in colors, and fragrances to make them smell good. Most candle molds are made of metal but you can also use plastic coated paper cups and paper milk cartons. In order to make a taper candle you must use a metal mold. These are a little hard to work with so it is best to try those once you have made candles in easy molds first.
The reason a double boiler is used is because if you put the wax right on the heat it will burn very easily. Putting it in the top of a double boiler prevents this from happening because the steam in the pot below is what melts the wax. Wax is flammable and you have to be very careful so that it does not flame up. A double boiler will prevent this from happening. When using an old electric frying pan to melt wax you must put water in it and bring it to a simmer. Place the wax in a metal coffee can and put it in the water inside the frying pan. This will take a while to melt but it is a relatively safe way to melt wax.
Use paraffin wax to make your first candles as it is easier to work with. There are many different types of wax but this type melts readily and you do not have to do anything special with it. Find paraffin wax in food stores where they keep the canning supplies. It can also be found in any craft store. Paraffin usually comes in a box in either bars or in sheets that are about an inch in thickness. Just place them in the top of the double boiler or in the coffee can and let them melt. Make sure the whole bar or sheet is in the container so there is no chance of any dripping down on to the burner as this could cause it to catch on fire.
Just melt the wax and add the fragrance and coloring that you also got at the craft store. Place a wick in the mold and pour the melted wax in but do not fill all the way. Leave about one half to one inch head space. Make sure your wick is sitting in the middle of the mold up about 1 to 2 inches above the wax. You can tie the wick to a stick or pencil that sits over top the mouth of the mold to hold it up. Let it sit for 12 hours. You can then put it in the refrigerator for ten hours. If you used the Dixie cups or paper milk mold just tear the mold off and you have a candle.
In the early days soap was made with lye which is considered a caustic and dangerous thing to work with. They would collect fat from cooking and mix it with the ashes of the hearth fire and use these things to produce soap. Today it is much easier to make your own soap. Use the melt and pour method that is the same method in making candles. Purchase a soap base online and make sure to get some fragrance and coloring if you desire. Place the soap base in the top of a double boiler and melt it adding the color and fragrance. Pour it into a mold and let it sit until it hardens; a few days. Soap molds are almost always clear plastic and once the soap is dry you just push on the bottom and the hardened soap will be released.
These methods are the simplest ways to make your own soap and candles. Other methods produce interesting soaps that will take longer and take more ingredients to make. Search online to find these other methods and try them once you get the hang of doing it the simplest way.
Now you can find all the instructions to make your own candles fast! Everything you need as well as kits for soap making and candle making that can be made with scents that are uniquely yours!
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