Channel the cozy smells (and sound!) of the Christmas season! Learn how to make a delicious smelling Chai Eggnog DIY Soy Candle with a crackling wooden wick in this simple tutorial.
The aroma of spiced eggnog is one of those scents that instantly evokes nostalgia and warm memories for me. I always looked forward to my mom’s eggnog every year when I was a little girl… no other eggnog would do! I don’t really drink eggnog anymore but I wanted to try to channel that smell in a DIY soy candle so I can enjoy it all through the Christmas season.
Well, I couldn’t get it exactly like the smell of my mom’s eggnog. But as I played around with the essential oil ingredients, I realized that the outcome that I ended up falling in love with smelled like a combo of warm chai and spiced eggnog. And guys, it smells sooooo good! Even though it didn’t turn out as I intended, the finished soy candle candle still transports me to the warm, cozy feels of cold Christmas nights with mom’s eggnog.
Trust me when I tell you that this candle smells so good that you’re not going to want to retire it after Christmas. I would suggest making multiple batches of candles because they make great gifts! Grab my free printable labels and you don’t even need any fancy gift wrap! 😉
How to Make a Chai Eggnog DIY Soy Candle
Why do you use Soy Wax?
This is always a hot question when I’ve shared a candle tutorial. There are many types of candle wax available for candle-making. I always use soy wax flakes. Soy candles burn cleaner, longer and more evenly than beeswax or paraffin candles and are considered ‘green’ and safer for the environment. Bonus that the soy wax flakes are so much easier and faster to melt since they’re already in flake form.
What type of candle wick is best?
I love using a wood wick because I love the added ambiance they add to my handmade candles. You can also use cotton wicks instead of the wooden wicks if you prefer.
How to scent DIY soy candles?
I recommend only using 100% pure essential oils for adding scent to candles. Yes, they’re a little more expensive than fragrance oils, but they are much better for the air, your home and the environment than artificially scented additives. My favorite go-to is doTerra. They are 100% pure, therapeutic grade and smell amazing. They are more expensive than some oils you can find on Amazon but they’re so worth it. Because of how pure they are you don’t have to use as much as you would with other brands to get the same scent payoff. If you’re looking for DIY soy candle scents that are non-seasonal, Lavender, Rosemary, Eucalyptus and Peppermint are some of my favorite everyday scents. Orange, Lemon and Grapefruit are always make great DIY candles for the kitchen with their fresh, citrusy burst of scent!
It takes quite a bit of oil to get the candles aromatic enough to fill the space where they will be burning. However you don’t want to add too much that it will interrupt the curing of the candle or make make the wick harder to burn. When using a wood wick, it’s recommended that the volume of the oil not exceed 7% of the total candle volume (and not more than 10% for a cotton wick).
You can also scent homemade candles with tea leaves (like I did here), although the scent is much more subtle so would be best suited for a smaller space.
How long does it take for soy candles to set?
This is a loaded question. Technically it takes about an hour for a soy wax candle to harden or set. However, soy candles have to CURE, not just set. The process of curing the soy candle enables the oil to fully bond with the soy wax which will produce the best long-term scent payoff. So a soy candle needs to cure for 1 to 2 weeks (with the lid on the jar) before burning for best results. This means you’d better get started soon if you want to give these Eggnog Chai Soy Candles away as Christmas gifts! 😉
Supplies to Make Chai Eggnog Soy Candle with Wooden Wick
- Soy wax flakes
- Woodwick
- Mason jar
- Vanilla, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Clove and Cardamom essential oils
- Glass measuring cup
- Multi-purpose adhesive
- Printable label
If you’ve seen any of my other wood wick candle recipes you’ll recognize the process. These DIY soy candle instructions can be used to make any scent of candle you’d like (check out my other Jasmine Green Tea Wood Wick Candle and my Crackling Spiced Pumpkin Latte soy scented candles).
I know most candle makers use a double boiler and a candy thermometer and all of that fancy stuff. But I’m a lazy crafter so I get my melted wax straight out of the microwave. I use a large glass bowl with a spout to heat up the soy wax flakes in increments before adding any essential oils and it works just great.
Have you ever tried DIY candles before? This is the perfect time of year to develop a candle-making hobby!
Chai Spiced Eggnog DIY Soy Candle with Wooden Wick
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups soy wax flakes Rough estimate, quantity will depend on size of jar
- 1 wood wick
- 1 jar
- Multi-grip Adhesive
- 60 vanilla essential oil
- 40 nutmeg essential oil
- 40 cinnamon essential oil
- 40 clove essential oil
- 30 cardamon essential oil
- Glass measuring cup
Instructions
- Add soy wax flakes to a microwavable glass measuring cup.
- Microwave the flakes in 45 second intervals until just melted, stirring well between each interval. NOTE: The bowl will be very hot when you remove it from the microwave so you will want to use pot holders.
- Add essential oils into the melted wax and stir continuously for 1 to 2 minutes to allow the scented oils to fully incorporate into the soy wax.
- Place the wood wick into the metal wick holder and place wick into the middle of candle jar (you can add a bit of adhesive to the bottom of the wick holder so that it stays attached to the bottom of the jar ).
- Carefully pour the wax into the candle jar. To prevent the wax from hardening and messing up your bowl, rinse immediately.
- Allow the wax to fully set (usually about an hour).
- If necessary, trim the wick to about ¼” above the candle.
- For best scent results, let soy candles cure with the lid on for 1 to 2 weeks before burning. This gives the oils and the wax enough time to bond together to give you the max scent payoff. Then you can burn your wood wick candle and enjoy!
Brooklynn says
Amazing!!
Lydia says
Thanks so much!