How To Make Cactus Candles

Cactus Candle making Kit Insturctions

Step One - Prepare your mould.

Pierce a tiny hole (using a needle or cocktail stick) in the most central point of the mould. Push a wick through the hole so about 1cm of wick is on the outside of the mould. Secure the wick, on the outside of the mould, with the plasticine provided. Place the mould on a level surface with the open side facing up. Use the wick props to support the wick centrally in the candle mould.

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Step Two - Weigh your wax and prepare your colour flakes.

The Cactus Candle mould uses about 60g of wax per candle.

- For flowery dots: I use about 3-5g for the flower spots and the rest for the body of the cactus candle as seen in the video.

- For an ombre effect: Use the 5grams of coloured wax and swirl your mould around continuously until the wax sets, then add the rest of your wax (using a different colour). 

- If you fancy making a rainbow cactus: divide the 60grams of wax into 6 for the layers of your candle. 

 Add less colour flakes for lighter colours or more colour flakes for a more intense colour.

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Step Three - Make flower dots. Skip this step if you don't want flower dots.

Melt about 3-5g of wax and your colour flakes gently in a double boiler, continuously stirring quickly. Once the colour has dissolved, allow to cool and become slightly opaque. Warm your mould in your hands, over the steam or with a hair dryer, then use the handle of a teaspoon to drip wax into the indentations on the mould to create flower spots. Allow 10-20mins for these to set.

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Step Four - Melt some more wax.

Melt another 3-5g of wax and your colour flakes gently in your double boiler, continuously stirring quickly. Once the colour has dissolved, add the rest of the wax required for the layer or for the whole cactus. 

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Step Five - Remove from the heat and add a scent.

Once your wax and colour flakes have completely melted, you can get ready to add your scent. You need to allow the wax to cool slightly. The time will vary depending on the room temperature. An ideal temperature to add scent to candle wax is about 60-65 degrees centigrade. At this temperature, you my notice the top layer of wax has started to become opaque.

Step Five - Pouring your wax.

Firstly you need to warm your mould, this prevents frosting. You can hold it in my hands for a minute or two, use a hair dyer or hold the mould over the steam of the double boiler. Don't heat it too much though, or your flowery dots will melt.

Put something underneath your mould, or put your mould in the box to collect any leaks.

The temperature can vary due to the ambient room temperature, and can take a different amount of time depending on the quantity of wax you have melted, you can do this by eye if you don't have a thermostat. The wax will  look slightly opaque on the surface of the wax, then give the wax another good stir and pour nice and slowly into your mould.

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Step five - Allow to set.

Allow the wax time to set. If you are pouring a multilayered candle, allow each layer about an hour before pouring the next layer. Repeat step four until your candle mould is full.

Once your candle mould is full, allow your candle to cool and set overnight.

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Step Six - Demould your candle.

To demould, remove the plasticine and loosen the top of the mould from the candle. Push the base of the candle mould up to pop your candle out of the mould. Cut off excess wick & apply safety sticker to candle base. Enjoy your colourful candle and repeat for more candles.

Please refer to my CLP guide if you are planning to give away or sell your scented candles.