Let’s make homemade candles using crayons and soy wax.
Have you wanted to make homemade candles? We are going to show you how to make your own candles in jars using crayons and soy wax.
This fun project is perfect for school-aged kids. Younger kids will need a parent to help with the pouring and melting. Teenagers will love doing this craft project with their friends. My daughter made these with her best friend and they had so much fun.
How to make homemade candles with crayons
I’ve outlined the supplies you need to make your own homemade candles using crayons below. The quantity of wax and crayons you use depends on how many candles you want to make. We made eleven candles of various sizes using 4lbs of soy wax flakes and added one or two crayons per candle for those that we colored.
Supplies needed to make homemade candles
- 4lbs of soy wax flakes will make up to 11 candles of various sizes
- Crayons (1-3 for all candles you want to color, depending on jar size)
- Wicks (check sizes of wicks with the sizes of the jars you are using)
- Fragrance oils (with a dropper)
- Jars or other dishes that won’t crack or break when the hot wax is poured in (microwave-safe dishes)
- Wood skewers or clothespins to hold the wick in place
- Double boiler
- Spatula
- Thermometer
Instructions for making homemade candles
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 250F. Break up the crayons and put them into individual silicone cupcake liners. You can mix and match colors, for example, different shades of blue, green, or pink. Place the silicone liners on a baking tray and put them into the oven for 15 minutes.
One crayon was enough for small canning jars, but we used two or three for larger jars. The more you use, the brighter the color will be. When mixed the color will look very vibrant, but as the candle hardens, the color will be much lighter.
Crayon melting tip: You can leave these in the oven for a while if not using immediately. I left the oven door open a little once they were all melted and then pulled an individual color out as we were ready to pour it.
Step 2
While the crayons are melting, add the soy wax flakes to the top of a double boiler, and put water in the bottom section. Use the jars you are turning into candles to measure how much wax you will need. Fill the jar, and then double it. We added no more than about 3 cups to the double boiler at a time. Stir with a spatula over medium heat until the wax flakes are completely melted and hot. Don’t bring to a boil.
Step 3
Put a wick into the center of the jar using a little wax or glue. Working fairly quickly, pour the melted crayon and wax into a measuring jug. Add a few drops of fragrance oil until you are satisfied with the scent. Stir and pour into your jar once the temperature is below 140F. Use two wood skewers to hold the wick in the center until the candle has completely set, which may take a few hours.
Tip: Any excess wax or crayon in the jug and silicone liner can be scraped out once set and then washed as normal.
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Yield: 6+
Make Homemade Candles with Crayons
Prep Time
15 minutes
Active Time
45 minutes
Additional Time
3 hours
Total Time
4 hours
Difficulty
Medium
Materials
- Soy wax flakes
- Crayons (1-3 for all candles you want to color, depending on jar size)
- Wicks (check sizes of wicks with the sizes of the jars you are using)
- Fragrance oils (with a dropper)
Tools
- Heat-proof jars, containers, or dishes
- Wood skewers or clothespins to hold the wick in place
- Double boiler
- Jug
- Spatula
- Thermometer
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250F.
- Break crayons into small pieces and bake for 15 minutes in silicone cupcake liners until melted.
- Put no more than about 3 cups of soy wax flakes into the top of a double boiler (put water in the bottom) and stir with a spatula until melted.
- Pour melted wax, melted crayon, and a few drops of fragrance oil into a jug. Stir until combined. Using a thermometer check the temperature.
- Put a wick into the center of the jar, secure the bottom using a small amount of wax or glue.
- When the wax and crayon mixture reaches 140F pour it into the jar.
- Use two wood skewers to hold the wick in place while the candle hardens – this could take a few hours. Trim the wick to about 1/2 an inch.
More fun with crayons from Kids Activities Blog
- Make this lipstick with crayons for kids. You can make it in all kinds of fun colors.
- Every Star Wars fanatic is going to love these Stormtrooper bath soap crayons.
- Did you know that you can paint with melted crayons?
- Scratch art with crayons is the perfect indoor craft to do with kids.
- Don’t toss out your crayon scraps, we’ll show you how to make new crayons.
What fun crayon crafts have you made? Have you tried our crayon candles?