How to Make a Soy Candle
They’re great for helping you relax or igniting some passion for a romantic rendezvous, but did you know that candles often contain ingredients that snuff out animals? Many candles are made from beeswax stolen from industrious bees’ hives, stearic acid made from tallow (a slaughterhouse product derived from beef or sheep fat), and cetyl palmitate, a waxy oil taken from sperm whales’ heads or from dolphins.
Although some paraffin candles are animal-free, they can be bad for your health and the environment. The soot given off from the burning of petroleum-based paraffin candles is essentially the same as that given off by burning diesel fuel. Fortunately, it’s now easier than ever to find or make soy candles, which burn cleaner, last longer, are better for the environment, and do not depend on killing and stealing from animals. Check out our list of compassionate candle companies, or get crafty and make your own.
These soy container candles are fun and easy to make. Get ready to let your creativity and compassion shine!
What You Will Need
• 1 pound of soy-wax flakes (found on the Internet or in local hobby shops)
• 1 mason jar or another type of decorative jar made with thick, heat-resistant glass
• 1 ounce of fragrance oil (since you won’t be adding dye to the wax, we suggest picking a scent that complements a white candle)
• 1 cotton wick (use a wick that’s attached to a metal disc)
• Scissors
• Superglue
Procedure
1. Wash and dry your glass jar completely.
2. Put a couple of drops of superglue on the bottom of the wick (metal tab), then place the metal tab at the bottom of the jar.
3. Hold the wick in place for about a minute or until the glue dries.
4. Slowly heat soy wax in a pan over medium heat until it is completely melted.
5. Remove the soy wax from the burner.
6. Stir in fragrance oil (we recommend essential oils) until it is absorbed into the soy wax.
7. Gently and slowly pour the soy-wax mixture into the jar.
8. Position the wick in the center.
9. Once the wax turns solid, trim the wick to ½ inch.
10. Light your candle and enjoy!
Find more animal-friendly candles by checking out PETA’s handy online shopping guide or shopping at the PETA Mall.
May 21st, 2009 at 8:16 am
but let us not abuse the animals more friends.
May 27th, 2009 at 10:26 am
I have been looking for soya candles and they are all too exoensive to buy, what with the shipping and all, great i will make my own, i love crafts anyway.
May 27th, 2009 at 12:53 pm
Love it! Thank you so much for the great idea. I love soywax candles but they are in much shorter supply in stores so now I can make my own instead.
May 27th, 2009 at 2:17 pm
any particular reason why dye isn’t added? I’m pretty new to all of this so I don’t know if animals are used or harmed in candle dye.
May 27th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
Looking forward to trying this out myself!
May 27th, 2009 at 4:38 pm
I had no idea superglue is cruelty free.
May 27th, 2009 at 6:00 pm
Thanks! I was fortunate enough to find a brand-new, delicious-smelling, jarred soy candle in a thrift shop recently - for only $1.50! I highly recommend them!
May 27th, 2009 at 11:23 pm
In order to color candle wax, the dye has to be made with some sort of oily substance so that it will mix with the wax–food coloring or other dyes are usually diluted in water and we all know that oil and water doesn’t mix! (I worked at a candle shop about 10 years ago and we had to color lamp oils for our displays and we used a special kit of dyes that was supplied by the manufacturer which was essentially concentrated dye in paraffin oil)
May 28th, 2009 at 7:49 am
Animal Aid also sell soy candles if you’re UK based and they smell amazing and are vegan and Palm oil free!!