I got a candle-making kit for Christmas. So I decided to start making hand-made candles using only recycled materials.
I said it before and I’ll say it again: I’m all up for recycling and reducing rubbish in any way we can. And because I’m also trying to lead a healthy lifestyle I don’t usually use oil for cooking more than once. Which means I collect a lot of oil that I take to the disposing bins where you’re supposed to throw them. But then I started looking for other options to put it to good use.
And this is what I found: candles!
I also have leftover paraffin from past candles, which is totally reusable, and lots of glass jars, from jam, honey, baby food, etc, which I also collect to take to the recycling bin every few days.
So I did the experiment to see what turned out and the result was more than positive.
I must add that I am a big, big fan of candles and I usually burn at least one week in my home, so re-using materials to make candles is something that I can totally make the most of!
It’s not as easy as it sounds: before you can use the oil for candles there is quite a cleaning and deodorizing process to go through -you don’t want your candles to smell like fried chicken!
This is actually where the most of the hard work lies, because it takes a couple of days to get the oil ready. But after that it’s pretty straightforward: just melt the wax, mix the oil, add the perfume and puor in the jar.
The result is amazing because it’s not your regular paraffin candle like the one you buy at the store. The oil addition to the mix makes a resulting soft, creamy wax, which gives the candle a special artisan look and feel -plus it makes it last longer! A small candle can burn on and on for hours! Needless to say that this will save you money in the long term, since you’ll need less candles to burn.
Now everything that used to be rubbish has transformed into a beautiful piece of decoration or gift. And the oil that was supposed to clogg my drains and pollute the ocean has gently evaporated into a golden flame.
Mission accomplished!
Want to try my hand-made candles? Just click on the button below to place your order. They make aswesome gifts or party favours, as they come with personalized label and tag customed to the colors, pictures, monogram or text of your choice! Eco-friendly, unique and -as always -made with L-O-V-E!