Let’s make homemade candles using crayons and soy wax. Making candles at home is surprisingly easy and a fun craft to do with kids. Follow the simple steps to make your own candles in jars using crayons and soy wax.
How to Make Homemade Candles
Have you wanted to make homemade candles? 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.
Related: Crayola Is Giving Away Free Boxes of Crayons and You Can Pick Your Own Colors
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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
Instructions for making homemade candles
Step 1 – Melt the Crayons in the Oven
- 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.
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.
How Many Crayons Should I Melt?
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.
Step 2 – Melt the Soy Wax on the Stove
Use the jars you are turning into candles to measure how much wax you will need. Fill the jar, and then double it.
- While the crayons are melting, add the soy wax flakes to the top of a double boiler, and put water in the bottom section.
- 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 the wax to a boil.
Step 3 – Set the Candle Wick
Put a wick into the center of the jar using a little wax or glue.
Step 4 – Pour the Wax into the Candle Jars
- 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.
Finished Homemade Soy Wax Candle Craft
The finished homemade candles are colorful and smell great. These candles make great gifts or are fun to keep and burn at home.
Try different crayon color combinations and intensity of color.
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 Candle Crafts from Kids Activities Blog
More fun with crayons from Kids Activities Blog
Psst… Make your own dipped candles at home!
What fun crayon crafts have you made? Have you tried our crayon candles?
