Making soap and candles was just a part of weekly life in the early days. Today we can make it skipping several steps that the people of early days had to do. They handled materials that tended to be very dangerous and we have the comfort of using less caustic ingredients to make them today. Making candles or soap is a hobby and no longer has to be done regularly. Instead we just just turn on an electric lamp or go to the store to pick up some soap. You no longer have to make your own soap and candles to stay clean or light the way.

You only need a few tools to make candles or soap. A heat source is the most important and you can use a hot plate or electric stove. Another safe heat source is an electric frying pan. Early folk would use a big iron pot over a fire and we no longer have to do it that way. Another important tool is the double boiler. It is very important that you have a one double boiler for soap making and another for candle making. If you mix them up you could have some disastrous results. Also never use the same double boiler for making food. You might find yourself foaming at the mouth or have a taste you would rather not have in your mouth if you do. Find old double boilers and other pans at garage sales or thrift stores. If you cannot find one use an electric frying pan and an empty coffee can made of metal.

You will need more supplies to make candles and can find them online or at a craft shop. Pick up some wax, some wicks to light the candles, a mold, fragrance to add to the candles to make them smell good, and color for candles to make them anything but white. Molds can be purchased but you can also use small plastic lined cups or paper milk cartons that have a waxy inside. If you want to make pillar candles or tapers you will have to get the metal molds which take a bit of experience to use right.

Wax burns very easily and can flame up and cause a fire. A double boiler is used to prevent this from happening. The wax never touches the flame but instead is cushioned by water and steam that makes it melt. In the electric frying pan method just partially fill the pan and get it up to a good simmer. Place the wax in a metal coffee can and place it in the water. This will take a little longer for the wax to melt but it is really the safest method.

Use paraffin wax to make your first candles as it is easier to work with. There are many different types of wax but this type melts readily and you do not have to do anything special with it. Find paraffin wax in food stores where they keep the canning supplies. It can also be found in any craft store. Paraffin usually comes in a box in either bars or in sheets that are about an inch in thickness. Just place them in the top of the double boiler or in the coffee can and let them melt. Make sure the whole bar or sheet is in the container so there is no chance of any dripping down on to the burner as this could cause it to catch on fire.

Add the color and fragrance after the wax is melted. The best thing to stir it with is a wooden chop stick. A wick will need to be placed in the middle of the mold and you can achieve this by tying it on to a stick or pencil and letting the untied end dangle in the mold while the pencil lies on the mouth of the mold. Pour melted wax in leaving about 1 to 1 half inch head space at the top. You wick needs to emerge from the wax at least 1 inch above the surface of the wax. Let them cool off and leave them them alone for 12 hours then refrigerate for about 10 hours. You can then unmold. If you used a milk carton or paper cups you can just peel them off.

Soap made by our ancestors was dangerous to make because it used some nasty ingredients that could cause poisoning if eaten or could do damage to the skin and lungs because they were so caustic. The used saved cooking fat and mixed it with the ashes from their cooking fires. Today we have easier ways to make soap. The easiest manner is to make it just like you did candles with the melt and pour procedure. Purchase a soap base that also comes in either bar or flakes. Place it in the top of a double boiler and begin the melting process. Once it is melted add the fragrance and color just like you did with the candles. Soap molds are a little different than candle molds. They are generally made of a hard plastic and you just pop the soap out once it dries. They come in different shapes including some whimsical ones like sea shells and fish. Once the soap is poured it needs to dry a few days at room temperature.

The above procedures are the easiest and most simple ways to make your own soap and candles. You can find other methods that will produce some interesting and beautiful products that take more tools and more time but are worth it. You can find these methods on line by searching under making soap and candles.

Now you can get all the instructions to make your own candles fast! Everything you need as well as kits for soap making and candle making that can be made with scents that are uniquely yours!

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Tags: Beauty, Candle Making, Cosmetic Making, DIY, Hobbies, Hobby, home, Soap Making