Using Leftover wax

I get asked this question a lot so I thought it a good idea to so a blog on it. Customers coming to the workshops frequently tell me they scrape out wax and re melt it in a pot using leftover wax While I love being eco and recycling is fabulous this isn’t something that I have tried myself.

Types of wax

Unless you know specifically what kind of wax candle you have you could end up with a blend of 7 or eight different waxes in one candle. For example one candle could be a blend of soy, palm, beeswax and paraffin. Not mentioning some additives candle makers put in to increase scent throw, shrink to enable them to pop out a mould or stick to make them adhere to the side of the glass to create a uniformity, which in particular is good if the candle glass is clear. More of this in a blog coming soon.

If you buy from a particular supplier you will know probably what kind of wax they use, for example myself uses 100% soy and no additives.

Fragrance blends

I think generally people group their scents into

• Fresh
• citrus
• woody
• Oriental
• Coastal
• spicy

So if you are blending unused wax stick to the same groups or else you could end up with either a surprisingly gorgeous scented home or something pretty nasty.

The scents that I use contain up to 10 different scents in just one candle so just be thoughtful when you are considering which to use.

Burning a candle correctly

So all that said, you shouldn’t have any wax left in your candle at the end of its burn time. Your glass should be virtually clean Candle Burning and look like this when it is getting to the bottom. Remember not to over burn and extinguish when there are still traces of wax. So reusing leftover wax isn’t something that should happen too often.

*Always remember to use a Bain Marie (pan on water) and never straight in the pan.

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