Do You Need Special Essential Oils For Candle Making?

The Fascinating World of Candle Making

Candle making dates back thousands of years, with evidence of early candle making found in ancient Egypt, Rome, and China. Over the centuries, candles transitioned from being purely functional to becoming decorative items and works of art. Today, candle making is a popular hobby that allows creative expression through scent, color, and design.

With this rise in hobbyist candle making, an important question emerges – do you need special or premium essential oils to make great smelling, beautiful candles? This article explores the nuances around essential oils and candle making to provide a comprehensive look at this craft.

Purpose of Essential Oils in Candles

Essential oils are commonly added to candles for several reasons:

Aromatherapy Benefits – When heated, the essential oils release natural fragrances and aromatic compounds. The scents can promote relaxation, improve mood, reduce stress and anxiety, boost energy, and more (source). The aroma from the essential oils is believed to have therapeutic effects.

Scent – Essential oils allow candle makers to add specific natural scents to candles. Popular scents like lavender, eucalyptus, citrus, pine, etc. can create pleasing aromas. Blending multiple essential oils together can produce complex, unique fragrance combinations.

Masking Unpleasant Smells – Some essential oils have strong scents that can cover up unpleasant odors. Eucalyptus, citronella, lemongrass and tea tree oils are examples of essential oils added to candles to help mask bad smells.

Common Essential Oils Used

There are several essential oils that are commonly used in candle making due to their pleasant scents and therapeutic benefits. Some of the most popular options include:

Lavender – Lavender essential oil has a sweet, floral, herbaceous scent that is widely appealing. It is known for its calming, relaxing effects that can aid sleep and reduce anxiety. Lavender is one of the most versatile essential oils used in candles. Source

Eucalyptus – With its clean, medicinal, minty scent, eucalyptus essential oil promotes feelings of clear breathing and open airways. It is energizing and stimulating. Eucalyptus is commonly added to invigorating candle blends.

Peppermint – Peppermint essential oil smells refreshing, cool, and minty. It provides an awakening, rejuvenating sensation. Peppermint works well blended with eucalyptus or on its own in candles designed to enliven.

Lemongrass – The bright, citrusy, grassy aroma of lemongrass essential oil is cleansing and uplifting. It helps improve mood. Lemongrass makes a zesty addition to candles.

Tea Tree – With its medicinal, camphorous odor, tea tree essential oil promotes a sense of cleanliness and purification. It is often included in candles marketed for its clarifying properties.

How to Choose Essential Oils

When selecting essential oils for candle making, there are a few key factors to consider:

Fragrance Strength – Some essential oils like peppermint and cinnamon have very strong scents, while others like lavender and chamomile are more subtle. Take into account the strength of the fragrance when blending oils and adding to candles. Stronger scented oils often only need a few drops.

Complementary Scents – Choose essential oils that blend well together. For example, lavender and lemon create a nice medley while jasmine and rose make a sweet, floral combination. Avoid mixing conflicting fragrances.

Therapeutic Properties – Many essential oils like peppermint, eucalyptus, and lemon have energizing effects. Others like chamomile, lavender and ylang ylang are calming. Select oils based on the therapeutic benefits you want to achieve.

Testing different oil combinations and amounts is key to finding the right scent profile for your candles. Keep fragrance strength, complementary nature, and therapeutic properties in mind when selecting essential oils.

Using Essential Oil Blends

When using essential oils in candles, you can use single note fragrances or blend multiple oils together to create unique scent combinations. Some popular single note essential oils for candles include lavender, chamomile, lemon, cedarwood, and peppermint. Using a single essential oil can provide a lovely simple aroma.

For more complex fragrances, blending 2-4 complementary essential oils is recommended. When mixing essential oils, it’s best to start with a small number of oils and adjust the quantities through testing. Going above 4-5 oils in a blend can result in an unfocused and muddled scent. Refer to an essential oil blending chart for guidance on mixing fragrances. Here are some essential oil blend ideas to try:

• Lavender + Chamomile + Cedarwood
• Peppermint + Orange + Lemon
• Eucalyptus + Pine + Tea Tree
• Rose + Jasmine + Ylang Ylang
• Cinnamon + Orange + Cloves

When blending, start with a small ratio like 2:1:1 between the oils. Make small batches first and experiment to find your ideal proportions. Keep testing until you arrive at the perfect formulation.

Safety Precautions

When working with essential oils, it’s important to take safety precautions to avoid skin irritation or other negative reactions. Always follow usage guidelines and dilute essential oils properly. Some tips include:

• Perform a skin patch test before using a new essential oil, to check for any allergic reactions. Apply a diluted drop to your arm and wait 24 hours.
• Dilute essential oils properly in a carrier oil like coconut or jojoba oil before applying to skin. Follow usage rates, as some oils require more dilution than others.
• Avoid getting undiluted essential oils on the skin. If this happens, wash immediately with soap and water.
• Keep essential oils out of reach of children and pets.
• Only use essential oils as directed. Don’t ingest them or apply them near eyes or mucous membranes.
• Store essential oils properly in dark glass bottles, away from sunlight and heat.

Following these precautions will allow you to safely use essential oils and avoid any skin sensitivities or adverse effects.

Storing Essential Oils

Proper storage is crucial for maintaining the integrity and potency of essential oils. Oils can evaporate or degrade quickly when not stored correctly.

Essential oils should be kept in dark colored glass bottles with tight-fitting lids. Avoid clear glass as it allows light to damage the oils. Dark glass blocks UV rays that can alter the chemistry of essential oils. Make sure the bottles have an airtight seal to prevent evaporation and oxidation.

Ideally, essential oils should be stored at a steady room temperature away from heat, light, and moisture. Fluctuating temperatures can cause condensation inside the bottles, leading to oxidation. Aim to store oils between 50-80°F. Do not refrigerate as this can cause clouding.

Check bottles frequently for leaks, cracks, or cloudiness, which indicate it’s time to replace the oil. With proper storage, most essential oils have a shelf life of 1-2 years. Citrus oils like lemon or grapefruit may last only 6 months before losing potency.

Always keep essential oils out of reach of children and pets. And never transfer them to containers like plastic water bottles that could be mistaken for something else.

Adding Essential Oils to Candles

When adding essential oils to candles, it’s important to use the right amount. Too much oil can cause the candle to smoke or the scent to be overpowering. As a general rule, only use 1-2% essential oil per pound of wax. If using fragrance oil, the recommend amount is 6-8%

You can add essential oils directly to the wax while melting it. However, it’s best to mix essential oils with a small amount of fragrance oil first to help disperse the oil evenly in the wax. The fragrance oil acts as a carrier for the essential oil. Simply add a few drops of essential oil to 1 ounce of fragrance oil in a separate container. Mix well before adding to the melted wax. This prevents the undiluted essential oil from sinking to the bottom of the candle [1].

Testing and Experimenting

Testing your essential oil blends in small batches is crucial before making large amounts of candles. This allows you to experiment and tweak your blends until you achieve your desired scent. According to Brambleberry, when testing essential oil blends in candles, be sure to note the wax type, fragrance percentage used (start with 6%), and wick size/brand [1].

Allow your test candles to cure for 3-5 days before evaluating the scent throw. If the scent is too weak, increase the fragrance percentage in small increments like 1-2% at a time. If the scent is too overpowering, reduce the amount of fragrance oils. You can also adjust the scent by tweaking the ratios of the oils in your essential oil blend recipe. Referring to a fragrance oil blending chart can provide guidance on blending different scent families. According to CandleScience, testing blends in small batches allows you to perfect your recipe before scaling up [2].

Conclusion

In summary, while essential oils are not required for candle making, they can provide some nice benefits when used properly. Essential oils can add therapeutic aromas, create a mood, or provide other effects from their natural properties. Some popular options include lavender, citrus oils, eucalyptus, peppermint, rosemary, and tea tree. When selecting essential oils, consider the desired scent, safety, and budget. Take care to follow usage rates for candles and avoid irritants like cinnamon. Blending oils together can result in creative, custom scents. With some experimentation and testing, essential oils can be a fun addition to homemade or artisanal candles.

The key points are that essential oils are optional for candles, but can provide unique benefits if used correctly. Feel free to get creative and blend different oils for custom scents. Just be sure to take proper safety precautions.