Dipped Ombre Candles

The other day I happened upon a random assortment of unscented candles that I had been saving for…something. Today was the day for that something! Using our wax dye blocks and fragrance from our NEW Candle and Soap fragrance line, I spruced up these otherwise basic candles and was even able to add a little bit of scent.

Note: the fragrance will not have the same throw as it would if the candles were made from scratch with fragrance oil.

Recipe:

16 ounces EcoSoya Excel Wax

1 Lavender Wax Dye Block

1 Cobalt Blue Wax Dye Block

1 Teal Wax Dye Block

1 Hunter Green Wax Dye Block

1 Clean Up Tool

Mini Temperature Gun

1 ounce Milk and Honey Candle and Soap Fragrance Oil (optional)

An assortment of white or neutral colored pillar candles

Buy everything you need for this project (except for the pillar candles) in the click of a button!

Color Prep: Shred a bit of each of the wax dye blocks using a Clean-Up Tool or cheese grater so that you have about 1/2-1 teaspoon of shavings from each color block.

ONE: In a heat-safe container, melt the EcoSoya wax until there are no more solid flakes.

Tip: Be sure to use an appropriately-sized container when melting wax! A higher melting point can cause glass contain

 

ers to undergo above average heat exposure and possibly explode (yikes), so you’ll want to use a container that fits the amount of wax being melted with as little untouched glass as possible. On that note, it’s a good idea to use a hot pad or towel when grabbing the container from the microwave. Alternatively, you could melt the wax in a double boiler. Do whatever you feel comfortable with.

TWO: Add 1 oz of Milk and Honey Candle and Soap fragrance oil and mix in well.

THREE: Grab 4 containers that your pillar candles will fit into (but aren’t so wide that there is a huge amount of space between the sides of the containers and the sides of the candles). Split the wax evenly among the four containers. Each container should have about 1/2 cup wax. At this point, check the temperature of the wax, and return to the microwave if it’s dipped below 170 degrees.

FOUR: Color each of the containers of wax with a different colored wax dye block.

Coloring Tip: The amount of shavings you add will depend on how saturated you want the wax’s color to be. I used about a half teaspoon of shavings per container of wax. The best way to check the color of the wax is to let it cool slightly (to below 130 degrees) so that it starts to become opaque again. You can always reheat it and add more color!

FIVE: Pay close attention to your temperatures during this step! The pouring temp for EcoSoya Excel Wax is 135 or above, so you want it to be 125-135 degrees so that the wax hardens quickly after you dip it. However, if you dip your candle in the wax with the temp much below 125, the texture will be grainy because the wax will be starting to solidify. So, minding your temps, dip the pillar candle into the wax until it is resting on the bottom of the container. Allow the candle to stay in the wax for 7-10 seconds, then slowly remove from the container. Twist the candle in your hand as the excess wax drips off to reduce the appearance of drip marks.

 

SIX: Allow the wax to harden for a few minutes. Then dip the candle in the next color (or into the same color again) until the second color is almost (but not quite) covering the first. Allow to harden for a few minutes and repeat this step until you have achieved the look you are going for.

 

Dipped once in teal, then dipped once in cobalt. It was then dipped in lavender to finish the look.

SEVEN: Let the candles sit for 24 hours before lighting them. I used wax paper to set the candles on between dips and while they were hardening. After 24 hours, clean up any imperfections with the Clean-Up Tool.