Dreamstride Creations: Beeswax Candle: First Attempt

This is my first attempt at a beeswax candle!

Items used:
Beeswax
Pre-Waxed Wicks
Candle Votive
Double Boiler(okay, this is really just a pyrex bowl over a small sauce pot)
Essential Oils

My first step was to set up the double boiler. I filled the pot about half way with water and set the bowl on top. It didn't take it long to come to a boil on medium heat!

While I waited for the water to boil, I made an educated guess as to how much wax I would need for the candle. I used a knife to carefully pry the hopefully correct amount off of the block, broke it into pieces, and set it carefully into the bowl.

Slowly, the wax melted!

As the wax started to melt, I took one of the wicks and dipped the metal base into it. Then, I carefully placed it on the bottom of my chosen votive.

During the melting process, I also took the time to try and choose which essential oils to add to the wax. I chose my personal favorite, Vanilla, for my base note. Ylang Ylang was my choice for a middle note, and bergamot was my preferred top. I followed the typical 3-5-2 for top, middle, and base notes, adding ten total drops of essential oil to the melted wax.

As soon as the last of the wax was melted, I turned off the heat on the stove and added my oils, mixing them in with the same knife I used to pry the wax off the main block.

I made sure I used a potholder to grab the bowl with when I transferred the wax into the votive. To prevent water contamination, I used a cloth to wipe the condensation off of the bottom of the bowl, then poured the wax in!

Perfect fit! Yay!

It was an almost uniform color on the first pour, and then as it settled, it almost looked as if it separated, an interesting visual effect.

The effect quickly went away as the wax cooled.

After a little while, a crack formed on the top of the candle. I'm not sure why this happened, though I suspect it's from the wax cooling too quickly. Next time I'll set the votive that I'm using on the top of the stove to help it warm up some before pouring the wax into it.

My attempt to patch the crack by melting a small bit more of wax and pouring it over the top didn't help the cosmetic effect much! Oh well, a first attempt is rarely perfect.