Watch Video >>

Whether you’ve been making your own candles for a while or you’re just beginning candle making as a hobby, you’ll want to be sure you follow these candle making tips to help keep you, your fingers and your your candle making supplies safe from harm.

Heating Wax
There’s no getting around it: to make candles, you have to heat wax. Whether you use a double boiler or other pot for melting, take care not to touch the pots or their handles with bare hands or you’ll risk serious burns. Always wear oven mitts or use silicone pot holders to adjust the pots or remove them from the stove.

You also need to pay close attention to where your wax is in relation to its boiling point. For candle making, wax typically needs to be heated to between 170 and 175 degrees Fahrenheit. A temperature higher than 200 degrees Fahrenheit is called a flash point and is the temperature at which wax begins to burn and release toxic fumes into the air. Clip a candy thermometer to your melting pot and be vigilant about checking the current temperature.

Pouring Wax
Hot wax can easily cause first and second degree burns. Exercise caution when you pour wax from your melting pot into your containers. Pour the wax slowly and deliberately to avoid spills and splashes. If you do happen to get burned, take the following precautions to help minimize the damage until you can get to the emergency room:

• Cool it. Submerge the burned area in a bowl of cold water or hold under cold running water for 5 to 7 minutes. Don’t use ice.
• Sterilize it. Wrap clean, sterile gauze loosely around the burn site, being careful not to apply pressure to the burn.
• Dull the pain. Consult the emergency room doctor or your regular physician for their recommendations on pain relief.