How to Make Beautiful Mason Jar Candles

I love Mason jars.

They’re a versatile little hold-all.

Put flowers in them and they’re a casual way to decorate a table.

Paint them and they’re a decoration.

Put pens and pencils in them and they’re a handy holder.

And their original purpose when John Landis Mason designed them back in the 1800s? He designed them to safely hold and preserve fruits and veggies from farms and gardens.

But there’s one more use I’ve found for them.

That’s making these versatile jars into homemade candles with this clean-burning natural soy wax. I usually get the 5-lb bag of wax.

Look how sweet!

You can take Mason jars in various shapes and sizes and transform them into candles.

One of the best things about making your own candles is you know exactly what’s in the ingredients. Soy wax comes from the oil of soybeans and makes a really clean-burning, long-lasting candle.

If you prefer unscented candles, you can leave out the fragrance. If you like scented candles, add an aroma using pure, not synthetic, essential oils.

Plus, buy Mason jars in different colors from the craft store and you don’t need to add any coloring to the white soy wax.

The jars above are pictured in front of the couch I painted blue a few years ago. Still holding up and going strong.

Back to the Mason jars!

They make really nice gifts at any time of the year for candle-loving friends and family.

And with Valentine’s Day around the corner, they make a thoughtful homemade gift.

Just pretty them up with homemade or bought gift tags and your little gift is good to go.

I’ve also made these soy candles in a teacup.

Just another spin, and a whimsical one at that, on a candle!

Getting Started

Here’s what you’ll need to make one soy Mason jar candle:

• A regular size Mason jar.
• About 3½ cups of soy wax flakes.
• A 6-inch pre-waxed wick.
• A centering device for the candle wick.
• A candle-making pouring pot.
• An old wooden spoon to stir the wax. Use it only for candle-making.
• Essential oil, if you’d like a scented candle.

In the past, I’ve used a candle-making set such as this to get started, since it’s handy. It contains the pouring pot, the candle wicks and the soy wax.

Directions

Make sure the Mason jar is clean.

Pull the wax-wick through the centering device and center it over the Mason jar. Make sure that the wick base is in the center at the bottom of the jar.

Half fill a saucepan with water and place it on the stove at high.

Pour the soy wax flakes into the candle-making pouring pot and place the pot inside the saucepan of boiling water. It takes a few minutes for the soy wax to melt.

As it’s melting, I lightly stir the wax with a wooden spoon that I use only for candle-making.

I stir in about three or four drops of lavender essential oil into the mix for some fragrance.

When the wax is melted, turn the burner off.

Then slowly pour the wax into the Mason jar. Try to keep the wick centered.

After three hours, you can carefully remove the centering device and cut the wick to size.

Leave your candle to set overnight before lighting it.

Homemade Centering Device

If you don’t want to buy a wick centering device, you can make your own. I think they work just as well as the manufactured centering devices.

I’ve used chop sticks, pencils and knitting needles to center the wick.

I also used pencils when I made the Mason jar candles.

Just put two pencils together and attach a rubber band to either end.

Then pull the wick through the center, placing the wick base at the bottom of the jar.

Center the pencils on the rim of the container before pouring the wax into the Mason jar.

Have fun making your own homemade candles.

Now sit back and enjoy your finished product!