Scented candles are a must-have item in your home. If you are looking to make some scented candles on your own, you might have spent time wondering- how to add scent to candles without essential oils. Most of us have little to no idea about using other forms of fragrance to scent the candles.
There are multiple ways to add scent to candles without using essential oils. This includes using teabags, natural flowers, vanilla extract, scented wax beads, etc. Using scented cubes is also a very popular way to scent candles.
Using essential oils isn’t the only way you can make scented candles on your own. You can get creative with so many available options. However, you should learn more about the ingredients that you are working with before you start making them.
Ways To Make Scented Candles Without Essential Oils
There are so many options that you can try to scent your candles. Some of them are quite popular alternatives used by candle-makers. However, there are also a few unique and less commonly used products that give you a beautiful scent for your candles.
As a result, you can easily make scented candles with a lot of variations and uniqueness.
If you have never used any other alternative other than essential oils, then you are in luck. The list of options to make scented candles without essential oils goes a long way. Some of the alternatives that you can easily try out in your home are listed as follows.
1. Tea Scented Candles
Tea candles are those candles that are usually made using teabags or simply tea available near you. The tea used in the candle gives off a strong and pleasant earthy smell. It is an effective way to add fragrance to scented candles.
You might think that the concept of tea candles sounds bizarre. Yes, to a majority of the people, it is still a new and experimental concept. But to the professional candle-makers, using tea to fragrance candles is an old and successful craft. It is both an effective and unique way to add scent to your candles.
The procedure is very simple as well. First, take a non-aromatic oil in a pan and put it on heat. Next, you have to add the tea bags to the pan and heat them in the oil. If you want, you can use a few drops of your preferred tea-tree oils in the pan at this stage.
Make sure that the tea bags have broken down and the oil has attained an earthy, tea-like fragrance.
Remove your pan from the heat at this stage. Once the oil in the pan cools down a bit, add it to your preferred candle mix. If you are using a large candle, make sure to use more oil than that of a small candle. In this way, you can easily make scented candles with tea bags.
2. Vanilla Scented Candles
Vanilla candles are made by using vanilla extract in the candle mix. The strong aroma of vanilla essence is used to scent the candles. It gives off a sweet and soothing vanilla fragrance on both the hot and cold throws of the candle.
The process of using vanilla extract to add scent to your candles is pretty simple. Simply, make the candle mix using your preferred form of candle wax. When the wax is melted and ready to set in the desired container, add vanilla extract to the mixture. The quantity may vary depending on the size of your candle.
If you are using a large candle mix, add the vanilla extract generously so that the candle can get a nice scent. However, if you are using this to scent a small container, make sure that you are using a light quantity, as too much of the scent can have the opposite effects. And thus, you are done making a scented candle.
3. Nutmeg And Cinnamon Scented Candles
Nutmeg and cinnamon candles are made by using these two spices right from the pantry to use for scenting the candles. When nutmeg and cinnamon are combined in candles, they emit a sweet but spicy aroma that is very soothing.
If you are looking to make scented candles for any festival or celebratory occasion, then nutmeg and cinnamon candles are the perfect choices for you. They are great for scenting your candles and adding that special spark of celebration to your home.
To make nutmeg and cinnamon candles, melt the candle wax of your choice. From that melted wax mixture, take about 2-3 tablespoons of melted wax in a separate, heat-proof container. After that, add cinnamon powder and nutmeg powder to it. Make sure that you have powdered the ingredients properly.
Stir the nutmeg and candle powder into the melted wax. Then, add this mixture back to your candle mix and make sure it is all mixed evenly. Set the mixture in your preferred container. Finally, you are done making your nutmeg and vanilla-scented candle.
4. Flowers And Herb Scented Candles
Using flowers and fragrant herbs is a very popular and traditional way of adding fragrance to candles. The flowers and herbs are dried and then soaked in oil to get perfume from them. The oil is used to scent the candle of your choice.
Take the flowers of your choice first to make flower-scented candles. Dry the flowers and the selected herbs in the sunlight. Put them in a jar and cover them with baby oil. Place the jar in a container full of water and heat the container. Do not boil the water as it will disrupt the infusion process. Carefully remove the jar from the heat then pour it on a shelf.
Leave the jar on a shelf for about a week, stirring it once every day. At the end of the week, you will get a beautiful perfume of flowers and herbs. You can add that perfumed oil to your candle mix to make scented candles easily.
Can Perfume Be Used For Making Scented Candles?
You might think of using perfumes and fragrances for making scented candles. However, it is recommended to not use them. This is because most perfumes contain alcohol. And alcohol can vaporize very easily when heated. As a result, the candle will not give off the desired scent. Also, alcohol is very flammable and may cause an uncontrollable fire.
When using candles, it is better to use options that do not burn away due to heat. In that way, you can get the desired cold throw and hot throw smell from your candles effectively. Your candles will also give off the scent that you were looking for.
Tips For Making Strong Scented Candles
To further enhance the scent of your candles, the use of stearic acid is of great significance. Stearic acid incorporates well with the candle wax. It allows you to add more fragrance oils of your choice to the mixture. As a result, a stronger smelling candle is achieved.
Another important aspect to keep in mind is the temperature at which you are adding the scented oils or materials to the wax mixture. The optimal temperature for adding the fragranced ingredients is 185Fº. Make sure to stir the mixture properly for the wax to bond appropriately with the fragrances.
Conclusion
There are various ways to add scent to your candles without having to use essential oils. Now that you know all about how to add scents to candles without essential oils, start with your craft of candle-making. Thus, you can get creative and bring in your variations.
