Can You Use Essential Oils In Candles?

Can you use essential oils in candles? This is a frequent question for people who love DIY.

To answer this question, essential oils can be used in candles.  However, don’t use these oils in your candles blindly.

There are a few things to understand before shopping for candle-making essential oils.

When using essential oils for candles, you need a more advanced approach than you would use when using fragrances to make candles.

Try to understand how essential oils behave in different conditions, like heat, and how to integrate them into your candles to get the most out of them. 

It’s important to know where the essential oil is extracted from. Some are extracted from leaves, flowers, and flower buds. Others are extracted from rhizomes, fruits, seeds, wood, and bark.

Can all essential oils be used in candles?

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Not all essential oils can be used in candles. Most of them don’t do well in soy wax candles, and this is because of their different compositions. 

Some essential oils break down; others evaporate, thus losing any therapeutic benefits. 

For example, when exposed to their flash point, citrus essential oils break down. The flash point is the temperature at which an organic compound gives off enough vapor to cause a fire.

Some essential oils become toxic once heated, making them dangerous if inhaled. You cannot tell what will happen when you use this or that essential oil in your candle(s).

Essential oils used in candle making

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As we’ve already noted, not all essential oils can be used in candles. Some of the best essential oils used in candle making are;

Rosemary essential oil

It smells as good as it tastes in your tea. It can be used any time of the year, but it is best suited during the spring and summer. 

Lavender essential oil

This oil is popular among people who love aromatherapy. Lavender helps to bring a sense of calmness, and it promotes better sleep. 

Lemon

The best thing about lemon essential oil is its versatility and various medical and therapeutic benefits. 

It can be used during yoga sessions, and it can also be used in the bedroom to promote better sleep.

Tea tree oil 

This essential oil has antiseptic properties. It is better used in the kitchen or bathroom, where bacteria are likely to cause nasty odors.

Eucalyptus essential oil

This herbaceous-smelling scent is suitable for clearing your sinuses and relieving congestion. It also helps to promote calmness and relaxation. 

Peppermint

This essential oil has a refreshing scent that helps to clear your head and boost your mood. It also helps to promote focus and concentration, improve mental clarity, and clear headaches. It comes in handy during your relaxation routine. 

Ylang-ylang essential oil

Ylang-ylang essential oil has several benefits; it may help to alleviate anxiety and lower pressure. 

It has a calming effect that helps you relax and clear your headaches. It can also help when you are trying to get your anger to subside.

Orange

It has an uplifting and refreshing scent that’s best suited for when you want to boost your mood and energy levels. 

It also helps to boost one’s immunity, which makes it a fantastic choice during the cold season when there is a lot of flu going around.

How to use essential oils in candles

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To use essential oils in candles, you need to do the following:

• Prepare your essential oil or essential oils if you want to blend more than two scents
• Get a clean glass container and put equal amounts of each of the essential oils you want to use in it.
• Shake the bottle well
• If you don’t get the desired aroma, keep adding more drops until you get it
• Mix your essential oil(s) with your heated wax

Keep a thermometer, as it helps you mix the two at the appropriate temperatures. Different types of wax melt at different temperatures. 

Here is a brief look:

Soy wax: Melt the wax up to 180°C–185°C. Add your colors and smells when the wax cools down to 140°C–160°C.

Paraffin wax: Melt the wax up to 180°C–185°C. Add your essential oil(s) and colors at this same temperature, then pour the wax into the containers at 160°C-170°C.

Palm wax: Melt the wax up to 205°C–210°C before you mix your scents and colors. Put the mixture in the containers. Once it starts to stiffen, heat it to 205°C–210°C, then leave it to cool.

Can you use essential oils in soy wax candles?

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Yes, you can. Always ensure you know the recommended temperatures for the wax.  And know at what temperature to add the essential oils. 

You are supposed to melt soy wax to 185°C and then let it cool down to about 160°C so that you can add you’re essential oil. 

These candles are also very safe, as long as you follow the instructions laid out for making them. 

You can buy soy wax candles from the store, but if you are the adventurous type, you can make them at home. 

It is also vital to know the types of essential oils you can use with soy wax to make candles. 

These include bergamot, lavender, rosemary, eucalyptus, and lemon. You can mix all of these oils or a few of them, of course, in the most appropriate ratios. 

Can all essential oils be used in candles?

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Just about all essential oils, from lemon, orange, tea tree, and lavender to rosemary, can be used for making candles. 

Chamomile, eucalyptus, coriander, and cinnamon can also make sweet-scented candles. 

However, remember that essential oils are not the same as fragrances, as they have lower flash points. 

Before you start using them to make candles, check the instructions for the same. You can use a site like Edens Garden, which is very resourceful. 

If you are a beginner at candle making, you should start with the essential oils that have higher flash points, say, 150°C. 

Oils such as geranium, lavender, basil, cedarwood, clary sage, ylang-ylang, palmarosa, and lemongrass are excellent for candle-making. 

Wrapping Up

Essential oils are excellent for candles because they are made from natural ingredients. 

To get the best from the essential oils in your candles, use high-quality essential oils so that your candle can give off beautiful fragrances that burn and last for longer.

You also have to invest in candle-making gear such as narrow containers, wicks, the oils themselves, and the wax. 

You can sell some of what you make to your family, friends, and social media family. Also, you can document the whole process on video and share it on YouTube.