How To Make Candles At Home – DIY Christmas Gift Idea

Something about the cooler months ahead makes many of us think of candles – their warm glow and nostalgic fragrances are completely appealing when it’s chilly outside.

How To Make Candles At Home

This tutorial will show you how to recycle your glass bottles (whether it’s wine bottles, sparkling juice bottles, or even glass soda bottles) into candles that not only look festively serene, but they also smell wonderful, too. DIY Christmas gift idea? Don’t mind if I do.

How To Make Scented Gift Candles At Home 

How to cut a glass bottle

DIY Christmas Gift Idea - Glass Bottle Candle

In order to make a glass bottle candle, you’re going to need to remove the bottom portion of a glass bottle. Following the guidelines and tips in this glass bottle cutter article, score then cut a glass bottle or two so you have a container in which to create your candle.

DIY Christmas Gift Idea - Glass Bottle Candle

Attach the candle wicks

Use hot glue or glue dots or even double-sided tape to attach your candle wicks to the bottom of your recycled glass bottle bottom.

DIY Christmas Gift Idea - Glass Bottle Candle

Tip: I used glue dots here because I was too impatient to heat up the glue gun, but they had a tendency to come undone when I poured in the hot wax. Nothing a pointy skewer couldn’t take care of, putting them back into place, but still. I’ll use hot glue next time.

DIY Christmas Gift Idea - Glass Bottle Candle

Secure the candle wick bases firmly to the bottom of your glass bottle bottom.

DIY Christmas Gift Idea - Glass Bottle Candle

Support your candle wicks, in the upright and straight position, by holding them in place with chopsticks, pencils, or bamboo skewers.

DIY Christmas Gift Idea - Glass Bottle Candle

It’s a good idea to support the wicks on at least two sides, four if you can. They will want to move around when hot wax is poured into the base, so the more secure they are now, the easier it will be for you later on.

How to make scented candles at home

DIY Christmas Gift Idea - Glass Bottle Candle

Step 1: Pour the soy candle wax flakes

Now it’s time to get your candle wax going. Pour your soy candle wax flakes into a candle making pitcher. This pitcher is great because it holds a lot of wax, it is nice and deep, and the handle doesn’t get hot so you can pour it when the wax has melted.

DIY Christmas Gift Idea - Glass Bottle Candle

Volume-wise, you’ll want to use about twice the amount of flakes as what you’ll want in melted wax, because the volume decreases as the flakes melt.

DIY Christmas Gift Idea - Glass Bottle Candle

Step 2: Boiling water

Place your candle making pitcher into a deep pot of boiling water. I found it helpful to hook the handle over the side of the pot.

DIY Christmas Gift Idea - Glass Bottle Candle

Even with the handle hooked, your pitcher will likely float a while until some of the flakes have started melting. Give them a stir every so often so the chunks melt faster.

DIY Christmas Gift Idea - Glass Bottle Candle

Step 3: Remove the pitcher

When the soy flakes have completely melted in your candle making pitcher, remove the pitcher from the boiling water.

DIY Christmas Gift Idea - Glass Bottle Candle

Step 4: Scent

Check the flash point of your candle scent(s). In this instance, the flash point is 210 degrees F. So when I’m cooling the wax, I want to make sure it’s well below this flash point before I add in the scent, or it will evaporate, leaving your candle fragrance-less.

DIY Christmas Gift Idea - Glass Bottle Candle

Use a digital thermometer, and cool your wax down to below the flash point, generally between 150-175 degrees F is a good range.

DIY Christmas Gift Idea - Glass Bottle Candle

Step 5: Pour the scent

Pour your candle scent into the wax. A good ratio is about 1 oz of scent per 2 pounds of melted wax, although you can vary this one way or the other, depending on your own preferences.

DIY Christmas Gift Idea - Glass Bottle Candle

Step 6: Stir well

Stir the scent into your melted candle wax for 30 seconds or so.

DIY Christmas Gift Idea - Glass Bottle Candle

Step 7: Pour the wax

Pour the wax into your glass bottle bottoms, taking care to not pour the wax directly onto your wicks. That has a tendency to knock them out of place.

DIY Christmas Gift Idea - Glass Bottle Candle

Pour all the candles you want to pour at this point, while the wax+scent is in a perfectly melted and mixed state.

DIY Christmas Gift Idea - Glass Bottle Candle

Step 8: Let it dry for 6 hours

Let the candle wax sit for at least 6 hours; overnight is better. When it is solid, use scissors to snip off the wick about 1/2″-1” above the wax surface.

DIY Christmas Gift Idea - Glass Bottle Candle

Use your fingernail or a dry rough rag to wipe off any wax that may have spilled that is now noticeable because it’s dried. Or just leave it there, as it will melt when you light the candle anyway.

DIY Christmas Gift Idea - Glass Bottle Candle

And there you have it: beautiful, yummy-smelling DIY glass bottle candles for yourself or to give away.

DIY Christmas Gift Idea - Glass Bottle Candle

The candles smell well and add a lovely personal touch to any holiday setting.

DIY Christmas Gift Idea - Glass Bottle Candle

Happy DIYing, and merry Christmas gift-giving.