I first made these Thermomix soy candles after reading the amazing blog by Petra at The Road to Loving my Thermomix. I love the versatility of what I can make in my Thermomix.
Who doesn’t love decorating their home or apartment with a beautiful candle? They add warmth and light to every space and just generally make your home feel cozier. The only problem? They don’t last forever and can be a little pricey. A lot pricey. I’m a big fan of Jo Malone or Molton Brown candles but one candle can set you back a whopping £50. Yes, £50 for one candle. So for any of us who want to have the luxury but spend a little less, there’s always a way to do it more cost-effectively.
You can make homemade candles with a few supplies and a little bit of know-how. Chances are you have a lot of the things you’ll need already at home. Another bonus of making your own candles is that you can control what goes into them. If you’re sensitive to fragrance, you can leave it out. If you’re concerned about keeping the air in your home as clean as possible, you can choose to use soy wax. Although there are many different types of candles, they all contain three main components: wax, a wick, and a container.
- Wax
- Wick
- Container
- Fragrance and color (optional)
I tend to advocate using soy wax. Soy wax is a natural, renewable resource. Soy wax is biodegradable and cleans up with plain old soap and water (again a good thing as I’m using my Thermomix to melt the wax). Soy wax has a lower melting point than paraffin wax and because of this, soy candles will burn slower or longer than paraffin candles. Soy wax burns with zero petro soot, creating petro soot free candles.
Benefits of soy wax
- Soy wax is derived from a vegetables, (soy beans), while it’s counter partner, paraffin wax is derived from petroleum (a refined a gasoline product).
- Soy wax is a natural, renewable resource.
- Soy wax is biodegradable and cleans up with plain old soap and water.
- Soy wax has a lower melting point than paraffin wax and because of this, soy candles will burn slower or longer than paraffin candles.
- Soy wax burns with zero petro soot, creating petro soot free candles. Paraffin candles burn with petro-soot.
After making your first candle, you can get more adventurous and try making different types of candles, just be sure to choose the appropriate wax and wick for a more advanced project. Want a more personal touch? You can customize your candle even further by choosing a fragrance or essential oil to scent your candle—the variations of candles you can make are limited only by your imagination and your willingness to experiment.
From simple projects like basic container candles and votives with wick pins to more complex creations like beeswax rolled pillars and dipped taper candles, there’s no shortage of craft projects you can do with a bit of wax, a heat source, and some time.
It’s incredibly easy to make your own soy candles at home. Although it’s simple to make average candles, customizing your wax, wick, fragrance, and container choices will yield spectacular results. Not only will you save money making your own, but you can also give these beauties as gifts during the holidays (or any time!). Happy making!
N.B. The soy candles in the picture have been coloured red with food colouring and scented with a Christmas spiced essential oil, ready to be given as gifts this Christmas.
Disclaimer – Thermomix® is a cooking appliance intended to be only used for food preparation.
Vorwerk, the manufacturer of Thermomix only advocates making food items in your Thermomix. As a user, I know how versatile the Thermomix is and as a result, blog recipes like this which are non-food such as these candles, beauty products, children’s craft, etc. I also have multiple Thermomixes and multiple TM bowls, so I can safely use separate bowls for making these without any cross-contamination. The bowls do wash and I recommend a hot vinegar or lemon wash to ensure no cross-contamination of any of the ingredients, but if in any doubt, don’t make them.
Love this idea!
Just wanted to ask if this would still work if I used paraffin wax and how hard it is to clean the thermomix bowls after?
Hi, Daisy, with any non-food use in the Thermomix, there are no guarantees. If you are looking to do this on a regular basis my advice would be to buy a second bowl. However, if one-off, then clean, clean, and reclean your bowl with a lemon juice or vinegar wash so there is no trace of wax left after your candle making. Thanks, Ankita