Making a candle is a fairly straightforward process where you melt almost any kind of wax, superglue a wick to the bottom of a container, pour the melted wax into the container, and then allow it to cool.
When we look into the process in more depth, we realize that there can be more than one way to melt the wax for your candle, and that would depend on your preference and the availability of recourses.
Here you can find seven of the most popular ways for you to melt the wax and then continue the process for your own homemade candle.
Table of Contents
Ways to melt the wax
Method 1: Using a double boiler
A double boiler is a kitchen pan that has two compartments with one placed on the top of the other. This pan is usually not available at home, and if that is the case then you might want to consider some of the other methods. If it is available, however, then it can be one of the most convenient and simple methods to melt your wax.
Add plenty of water into the lower compartment of the double boiler and add your wax to the upper compartment. Cover the wax with a lid and place the boiler on the stove with a medium flame allowing the water in the lower compartment to boil.
Once that is done, reduce the stove to low flame and wait for the steam of the boiling water to heat the upper compartment and allow the wax to melt. Once the wax is melted, you can take off the lid and pour your wax from the upper container of the double boiler into whichever container you want to make your candle in.
Method 2: Using a home-made double boiler
If you have a double boiler at home, then you can simply use the boiler to melt your wax. If you don’t have a double boiler at home, then you still need not worry.
You can make your own double boiler with commonly used pans at home. Simply pour some water into a large pan and allow it to heat on a medium flame. Add your wax to any water and heat-resistant containers like a metal bowl or a smaller pan.
Once the water in your larger pan has come to a boil, place the smaller container with the wax, into the larger container of boiling water. Reduce the flame and allow the heat from the water to melt your wax. Make sure there is plenty of water in the larger pan and do account for evaporation.
Method 3: Using a Microwave
Using a microwave is a fairly straightforward method. Simply place your wax into a microwavable container and heat it in the microwave at one-minute intervals.
Stir the wax after every minute and repeat the process until your wax has completely melted. Make sure you use a thermometer to monitor the temperature of the wax.
Just be careful that there are no metal pieces under the wick. Anything metal in the microwave could cause a fire!
Method 4: Using a Wax Melter
Yes, as the name suggests, there are special devices specifically designed to melt the wax. Of course, most of you may not have this at home, but it is one of the fastest methods to melt the wax.
If you wish to create multiple candles on a regular basis, then this may be the perfect purchase for you. Simply pour your wax into the wax melter and position it in a way that makes it easy to pour later.
Switch on the device and wait for just a little while. Pay close attention to the Melter because this is a rather fast device. Open the spigot to allow the melted wax to pour into your desired container once it has completely melted.
Method 5: Using a heat gun
Sometimes you may find yourself in need of melting only a little bit of wax from the surface to bring out a new shine in your candle or pull out a wick that has accidentally been buried in a previously cooled wax.
If that is the case, then the heat gun method may be the way to go. Simply clear any dust or particles on the surface of the wax. Keep your heat gun about five inches from the wax and turn it on.
Adjust the wax as you notice parts of the surface melting for an even liquification of the wax.
Method 6: Using a hair dryer
For a lot of you candle-lovers, a heat gun may not be readily available at home. If you want to melt wax in the same way and fulfill the same purpose as the heat gun, then you can switch to a more available alternative: A hairdryer.
As you may have thought through intuition, a hair dryer is a good alternative to the heat gun and works in almost the same way. Just like the heat gun, keep it about five inches from the wax and turn it on. It should melt in the same way as the heat gun.
Method 7: Using aluminum foil.
A rather neat method to melt wax on a candle would be to use the heat from lighting the candle itself. Simply take a piece of aluminum foil and cut a hole out of the center.
Place the foil on the candle in such a way that the wick comes out of the center hole that you just cut. Then, light the candle and let the heat from the candle melt the wax on the surface and below in just a little while.
Final Remarks
When it comes to melting your wax, it does not really matter what method you use as long as you make sure you use it safely. Some methods can be faster or more convenient to use and that would depend on your personal preference and need.
If there is one thing to be careful about in every method, then that is to keep an eye out for the temperature of the wax. Different types of wax need different temperatures that would be suitable for them to melt safely.
Going above those temperatures may ruin your wax. As long as you keep this in mind, there should not be a problem with any method that you wish to choose.
My name is Candice and I have always loved candles since I was a kid. I continue to buy candles and try out new candle brands to this day! I started this blog to share my love of candles so I’m glad you’re here and hope that my content helps you out in some way!
