Save money and be prepared by having these 50 Hour Soy Survival Candles on hand. I have seen stores charge a lot of money for survival long-burning candles, but you can make your own for less than $2.00 per jar and it is so easy to do!
I swear I am reaping so many benefits from doing this Happy Homesteading series of posts, as I get to learn these new skills and find out to to survive on my own a little bit more. Plus doing these projects are so much FUN!
All you need are some half pint glass canning jars, a 5 lb. bag of soy wax, some wicks, aluminum foil and a #10 can.
WAX: I found that the most cost effective price for soy wax was on amazon : The Milliard Wax 5 lb. bag is $12.99 plus free shipping if you have amazon prime. I checked my local craft stores and unless you have a coupon this is still a better deal. I used soy wax because it is all natural, renewable, non toxic, burns clean, helps support the American farmer and has a longer burn time than many other types of paraffin waxes.
WICKS: I ordered these Candlescience 6 inch Soy wax coated candle wicks for $8.99 (50 pack). I think you might be able to also find a smaller pack of 6 inch wicks at your local craft stores for less, but since I get free shipping with Amazon prime, I love ordering my items online, saving a trip.
GLASS JARS: The 5 lbs of soy wax will fill 13 half-pint sized glass canning jars. You can buy these half-pint jars online at Amazon, or at your local Walmart/Target store for around $8-$12 a case. Also keep your eyes out on craigslist or yard sales for canning jars. Luckily I had a box of unused jars sitting in my garage from a time when I was going to make some jam and didn’t (ahem.)
#10 CAN: You can use a double boiler pan if you like, but for ease in cleaning I wanted to use an old #10 can to melt my wax in. I can throw the can away or reuse it again the next time I make candles. If you do use a #10 can, make sure and bend one of the edges so it will be easier to pour the hot wax in the jars.
How To Make 50 Hour Soy Survival Candles
Start a double boiling system by bringing a larger pot of water to boil. Only fill it half-way so when you add your can of wax the water won’t overflow. I filled my number ten can with 2.5 lbs of soy wax flakes.
While the water was heating up, add the wicks to each of your jars. Tip: if you have a hot glue gun add a drop of hot glue on the bottom of the metal part of the wick and stick it straight in the center of the jar. It helps the wick to hold up straighter after you pour the wax.
Once the wax is melted, using hot pads I poured the wax into the jars with wicks.
To help hold your wicks straight while it cools poke hole in a little square of aluminum foil, thread the wick through and seal around the jar.
I then melted the other half of the soy wax flakes and poured them into jars as well.
After they all cool, trim the wicks to 1/4 inch. I just set the scissors across the jar so all the wicks would be the same size after being cut.
Then enjoy your 50 Hour Soy Survival Candles! Just put the lids on them (adding in a pack of matches) and pack them away until your next power outage or disaster. Then you will have heat as well as light for up to 50 hours each candle.
Note: I did add some essential oils to one of the candles and it smelled lovely. I was thinking that if there was a power outage or disaster it would be better to have non-scented candles so it wouldn’t give me a headache, so keep that in mind. And only use products that are safe to use with melted oil so you don’t get exploding wax or something.
WORTH THE COST? YES – can cost as low as $1.18 per candle, which is an amazing price for Soy candles with a 50 hour burn time.
WORTH THE TIME? Yes, for the amount of money you can save, and how quick and easy it was this is very worth the time.
Price breakdown:
- I paid $12.99 for the 5 lb. bag of Soy wax
- I paid $8.99 for 50 soy wicks ($0.18 each wick = $2.34 for 13 wicks used)
- I had the jars sitting in my garage. If you didn’t you would pay $8-$10 at Walmart or online.
- Note: I was able to fill 13 jars with the 5 lb.s of wax
Final cost for me was $1.18 each candle, but if you needed to purchase the jars it would run you $1.79-$2.00 per jar.
How To Make 50 Hour Soy Survival Candles
Instructions
- Start a double boiling system by bringing a larger pot of water to boil. Only fill it half-way so when you add your can of wax the water won't overflow. I filled my number ten can with 2.5 lbs of soy wax flakes at a time and did this twice.
- While the water was heating up, add the wicks to each of your jars. Tip: if you have a hot glue gun add a drop of hot glue on the bottom of the metal part of the wick and stick it straight in the center of the jar. It helps the wick to hold up straighter after you pour the wax.
- Once the wax is melted, using hot pads I poured the wax into the jars with wicks.To help hold your wicks straight while it cools poke hole in a little square of aluminum foil, thread the wick through and seal around the jar.
- I then melted the other half of the soy wax flakes and poured them into jars as well.
- After they all cool, trim the wicks to 1/4 inch. I just set the scissors across the jar so all the wicks would be the same size after being cut.
Notes
Have you ever made your own homemade candles? Any other tips or tricks you have found to save even more money?
About Karrie
Food is my love language. But so is saving money. So I like to combine the two a lot and make thrifty make ahead and freeze meals to save time. Because life is busy, and freezer meals can come to the rescue for all of us. And yes, they actually CAN taste good. Read more...
Comments & Reviews
Christie says
Hi, well we went to the warehouse to get some jars and we drove away. The guy was a bit of a nut case. My dog did not like this guy at all, he went off on him and was going to tear him up. ( he never gets upset) But then when this guy come out yelling and having a fit because you didn’t call him ahead of time????? It was not a good thing. He was yelling at us where to park and how to park. I don’t think so. Time to leave. 🙂
So we have to find another source for jars.
Ah, for the love of making candles. 🙂
I have been looking at the Goodwills and have come up with some good finds for 29 cents a jar.
Christie
Karrie says
Oh no, what a pain!! I have seen some at thrift stores too and listed on craigslist as well.
Christie says
Hello, we are going to make some more as soon as the wax gets here. We’ll try a to heat it up a little more and stir it up in the jar.
The wax is SO MUCH CHEAPER on line.
And just a heads up. Don’t tell anyone that your using Mason Jars for the candles. I just called a person who sells used jars ( some warehouse) and he wouldn’t sell them to me because there is some goofy law about using them for candles???? Say’s that it’s not safe????? I don’t get it my self. I use them for everything.
So I’m going there to get some anyway and tell him I’m making my dog home made dog food. GIGGLE
Thanks
Christie
Karrie says
Hee hee…you need to email me about this warehouse…. I need some jars too!
Michele Service says
Since he has recommended against using them for candles, he has covered his own backside as far as liability and responsibility, just in case you end up having a problem. It is POSSIBLE that his jars aren’t good strong ones…do you know whether or not they are ok for canning food? If so, I’d love to have his information as well.
Christie says
Hello, I just got done making some of your 40-50 hour candles and this was our first try. I even got the hubby to help and we had fun doing it. 🙂
My question is, we have air bubbles in the jars. What are we doing wrong? We seen them after they harden. But other then that they came out great.
Thank you for the fun.
Christie
Karrie says
Hmmm, I wonder if you have to heat it to a certain heat level to avoid the bubbles? Not exactly sure why. So glad you made them, isn’t it fun making things yourself?
Jan says
The reason you have air bubbles could be how fast you are pouring the wax in the jars. Try pouring slower. The faster you pour the more air bubbles you will get. When pouring candles, it’s not like pouring a beverage in a cup. You need to pour slower and steady to avoid all the air bubbles. You might still get a few but the slower you pour the better.
Jan says
You do need to heat the wax to the required temperature. I usually let the wax cool a little before I pour it into the containers and then I pour slow and steady to avoid the bubbles.
Carol says
The wax was to hot and poured to fast.
Marissa says
You will also want to slightly warm the jars before you pour the wax in them to help cut down on the bubbles and air pockets or dimpling around the wicks as the candles cool and harden. The dimpling isn’t as dramatic in soy wax as it is in paraffin wax, but can still happen.
Lori G says
I have just finished my first batch of emergency candles, and they look great! A note about fragrances and jars…we are in CT and were without power for 9 days last fall when hurricane Sandy came through here. I burned every Yankee Candle and many others we had in the house. The scent from all of these candles made us all feel a little sick! You are right to consider going the unscented route, if they are to be used for power outages. As for the jars…if you repurpose (which I did), you must use jars that are fairly thick-walled to avoid having them crack at the base when the candles burn low. You can tell just by holding a jar whether it is a good, solid jar, or rather lightweight. I am so impressed with the ease of making these, and the low cost, that I am definitely going to make more for gift-giving. And I think the natural color and scent of the plain soy wax is lovely on it’s own.
Liz. beasley says
Something I saw that is super cute to use for summer bbqs etc, I wanted to do for my wedding reception….use old soup, veggie can that have been clean and the sharp cut edges have been filed down to be safe, fill 3/4 full then just above the fill line, use a tool of sorts and poke holes around the can, atop put holes on each side and use some wire to create a handle, great cute decor as well and in a pinch for emergency s would work as a lantern
Karrie says
Cool idea!!
Maria Kaiser says
What a fabulous idea! I have the wax and wicks on order. Can’t wait for the postman so i can make mine!
Jacquelyn says
You might save some money on this if you check at Michaels when they offer 40 or 50 percent off coupons. I think they also sell the scents and colorings for candles. I know they do for soap.
mary says
I’m thinking of using my cans-the ones the veggies or fruit come in. That would work for cooking, and if I wanted the light I could poke holes in the cans after the wax cools. Any one else have thoughts on this?
Another source for the jars would be thrift stores.
Karrie says
Great ideas Mary! I bet those cans would work really well in a disaster situation.
Michele Service says
And, in a pinch, you may be able to at least WARM a small amount of some kind of food over it (on it heat-safe dish) as long as there are venting holes in the can! 🙂
Karrie says
Oh and if you all were looking for natural ways to dye the wax, and not use weird colorants, you can take items like these, tie them into a coffee filter and tie it with a twist tie. Then let these infuse in the melted wax, keeping it all warm for an hour or so. You should then have some natural colors in it, but note: I have never tried this but was emailed by sara who says she has done this!
rose hips powder
peppermint
lavender
spirulina powder
Good luck! If anyone does try to infuse color let me know how it goes.
Barb says
I was thinking of making these as gifts. Where would I get essential oils and how much would I put in? Would you use food coloring to dye the wax or is there something more natural?
Karrie says
You can add coloring by using Candle Dyes like these liquid drops on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001680W5I/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001680W5I&linkCode=as2&tag=fistofcoup-20
Looks like you only need a few drops of color per lb. of wax. A little goes a long way.
As for essential oils, I use Doterra oils, you can order some through my Doterra account if you like: http://www.mydoterra.com/karrietruman/
Steffany says
Is there a way to add color to the wax when its melting? Just to add a little bit of fun to the mix 🙂
Gina says
Just curious could you add an essential oil or something to give them a lovely scent to take place of say the Scentsy burners?
Kathy Slagal says
I was wondering about adding color or scent to the candles? Has anyone tried ? Was it successful or is it something that won’t work ? Just curious. Kathy
Joanna says
Try candlescience.com They sell dye chips for adding color that work wonderfully with soy wax and are the cheapest I have seen as a way of coloring candles effectively. I also buy my scents from them. There is so much to choose from that site.
Gayla says
If you add essential oils to the wax they can be dual purpose (nice scent, emergency light), and if you use old baby food jars instead of new canning jars you can save that cost. =D
Briana says
Well that is a genius idea! I was trying to think of what to use to repurpose! Now I’m wondering about other options for the wick. I know there are some great ideas out there. Thanks for that one!
Joy Boyett says
Wouldn’t cutting down on the size of the jar used for the candle made also cut down on the time of the burn?
Melissa says
I’ve made jar and dip candles. I use old broken crayons for coloring, the metallic crayons make a candle sizzle when they burn.
Denise Metzig says
Can you add a scent to these? If so how, where or what kind would you add
Karrie says
Hi Denise, I use Doterra Essential oils, they are the purest form of the plants. You can order some online at my Doterra web account if you like: http://www.mydoterra.com/karrietruman/
I used Citrus Bliss in my one candle I tried with it. It smelled heavenly, but when it was lit, I don’t think I had used enough oil, because I couldn’t really smell it like other smelly candles. I think I only used 6-7 drops, so next time I would try more.
Patty says
Karrie, I believe that the reason the candle doesn’t smell when burned is that the essential oils would have evaporated when added to the heated soy wax. Heat is very injurious to the therapeutic value of quality essential oils, and they just don’t stand up well to it. For lasting scent, you would need to use a fragrance oil. As to the jars you used for the candles in the picture, are they tall half pints? They look like pint jars. Just wondering. Thank you for posting this!
Happy.MoneySaver says
Yes, I used 13 half-pint sized glass canning jars in this recipe!
Matt says
The ‘therapeutic value’ of an essential oil (where there is one) is unrelated to its scent. The issue here is simply that Happy MoneySaver (I am so sorry, I don’t know your name!) didn’t use enough oil. 25-50 drops is a far better bet.
Shannon says
At what step did you add the essential oil? I want to do that also but k don’t want 13 scented candles that all smell the same. I like variety!
Happy.MoneySaver says
I added in some essential oils into the individual jars before adding in the wicks. That way I could control how many candles I added them to. 🙂
Marissa says
As a hobbyist candle maker, the scent, like the coloring, should go into the melted wax before the pour, so that the fragrance can be mixed throughout the wax. It is going to be a bit more difficult to mix a fragrance thoroughly into the wax if you only add the fragrance to the jars individually before your pour.
Fragrance oils made to withstand the heat of the melted wax are ideal.
Deborah says
Have you tried again with the EO’s and updated the drop count that worked for you? I would love to try this for the holidays and also use your brand of essential oils. I know the last time we made candles with fragrant oils at the hobby stores it was a ton of oil, I would hoping that with EO’s since it is concentrated it would be less. Thanks for the idea!!
Karrie says
I haven’t yet as I haven’t made these again, they last so long!
Angela says
I always use 1 oz of scent to 1lb of wax and have wonderfully scented candles..(of course, it’ll depend on the oil too, some are better than others) Also, if your wax gets higher than 200 degrees, your scent will burn off..i add my scents when i’m at 165-175 degrees, stir slowly for a couple minutes so they can bind together (same goes for the coloring too, but i add that at 150 degrees) Also, i always heard, you can use crayons for the color, but they can clog up your wick and your candle may not burn properly 🙂
Happy.MoneySaver says
Great tip! I have also heard that about crayons.
Michelle Ford-Copley says
I have also read this somewhere. But I thought it was where I buy wax and other supplies website, so I wondered if that was really true.
Terri Gibbs says
You gusy are the greatest…I love sharing your stuff…thanks for sharing with the rest of us! <3
Jaime says
could u add food colouring to make them colourful?? if so at what step would u add it??
lisa says
yes, you can add food coloring…just add it a few drops at a time into the melted wax and stir well before pouring.
Karrie says
I would advise to NOT use food coloring because most food colorings are water based and will not mix in. Plus you could get exploding wax when you add it in, so I wouldn’t do it.
kathleen ridge says
First time posting here and I love this site. Thank you for creating it. What about using old crayons to make some colored candles. I would have to experiment a little because I am not sure if the crayon wax would mix well with the soy wax, but it does melt so why not. I would be a good way to use up old broken crayons.
Karrie says
I have heard of people using crayons for coloring, but that when they melt it does make it smell like melting crayons. 🙂
MumsyLo says
You need to add more than one crayon for much color because they are weak when added. My hubby uses them to color bees wax for lubricating bullets.
James says
In 8th grade we actually made candles, and yes, we used crayons to color them. Worked well. I made a candle that actually looked like a beer with lots of head on it (let wax start cooling, wisk with fork) Worked great. Might suggest finding vanilla, or Cinnamon or some smell to go with it…Why make it plain jane?
Shay says
If you use crayons though, they are coloured with pigment which can leave specks through your candle. They also aren’t made from soy wax, so if you want an “all-natural candle”, adding the crayon will ruin that.
Kelley says
Just add a bit of crayon of whatever color you want – that’s what I always used when making candles and it worked great! (Unless for whatever reason, they have changed the ingredients in crayons in the past few years!)
Melanie Banks says
They make dye chips specifically for candle making, it melts along with the wax, the more color obviously the darker the candle becomes. They run about $3 a pack at a craft store.
Erika says
I found some at my local Dollar Tree store — only $1.00!!
Carol Kelly says
You can not use food coloring. It’s water based & oil/water do not mix. For safety you really should buy the wickstickers to hold the wicks in place. If you are making these candles to sell you better have insurance. If someones house burns down.
JennIsCrunchy says
No. You can use wax color tabs that you can get at AC Moore or Michaels or you can use a cjocolaye dye kit as that type of food coloring is oil based 🙂
Angele says
Recycle old broken crayons to add colour. You can add them in as you melt the wax to create a solid colour. Alterantively fill the space around the wick with pieces of broken crayons before filling the jar with wax, pour the hot wax dirrectly over the crayons filling in the air spaces for a crazy calico effect.
Rebekah says
When making paraffin candles at summer camp as a kid we used crayon shavings. I don’t know how crayons would mix with soy wax, but it might be fun to experiment. A #10 can of melted was can be beautifully colored with a few swipes of a vegetable peeler on a crayon in the color of your choice.
Joan Blurton says
I always worry about glass shattering. Have you burned these all the way down to test the glass?
lisa says
if you use canning jars, the heat wont be a problem…they are made to withstand high heat.
Karrie says
Hi Joan, yes I have burned my soy candles in canning jars all the way to the bottom to test the amount of time they take to burn. Canning jars are made for heating. 🙂
Melanie Banks says
I used to make soy candles, and these candles are what you would call kid-friendly as well. Soy has a much lower melting point than paraffin wax, so they get no where near as hot as regular wax and actually will solidify on touch, which is why its considered kid-friendly. Also soy is water soluble so if it gets accidently tipped over, it cleans up with soap and water unlike other waxes. 🙂
MumsyLo says
Another container is empty vegetable cans and a good way to recycle them.
Jani says
So great!! I’m ordering my stuff off amazon right now! BUT, why waste good canning jars?? You could totally use an old salsa jar or other glass food jar that you can’t reuse for canning! Then your jars ARE free! I love re-purposing!
Karrie says
So true, use any old jars hanging around to save some money. Even old candle jars too Just heat them up in a double boiler and when the old wax inside melts pour it into another container.
tyler currin says
May be a silly question but does each candle burn 50 hours
Happy.MoneySaver says
Yep!
bliss says
Did you test this by burning them continuously?
Happy.MoneySaver says
Yep!
Jaime says
Can you use the leftover wicks to make small votives maybe? I hate to waste.
Happy.MoneySaver says
I don’t see why not!
Bethany says
If you put the old candle jar in the freezer for about 20 minutes the old wax will pop right out.
Linda says
Just a suggestion, when you are going to burn a candle in a regular candle holder, or put an existing candle in a jar or glass, first put a thin film of olive oil on the inside of the container. It will be invisible and when the candle is done, the stub will slide out easily.
MumsyLo says
Just a tip so the jars won’t break have them hot out of the oven before pouring in hot wax.
Michele Service says
OOoohhh~GREAT IDEA! Thank you!!
David Wilson says
Just be careful with the thin grocery store jars… If they get too hot, they will break… Lesson I’ve learned in the past. It is better to use Mason jars or other thick glass jars.
Jeannie Shaw says
I save all glass jars that I empty for things like this and it saves so much!