Upcycled Candles

Bethany Brandon
by Bethany Brandon
10 Materials
$10
45 Minutes
Medium

I have a little known secret. I am obsessed with candles. I have a hard time walking away from a candle, especially if it has a great scent or a really cute container. However, if I purchased every candle I ever thought was cute, I would be in debt. As a budget friendly way to indulge my candle addiction while also trying to keep a less wasteful mindset, I decided that upcycled candles were the way to go.

Items you will need: 


  1. Old candles from your home or even the thrift store
  2. Wicks
  3. Wick weight/wick clip
  4. Wick adhesive
  5. Old sauce pot
  6. Tongs
  7. Decorative bowl or container of choice for the new candle
  8. Glass Measuring cup or glass bowl that fits in the sauce pot
  9. Popsicle stick or substantial straw
  10. Essential oils (optional)


To begin, I filled the pot about halfway with water and allowed it to come to a boil. I then placed the candles in the measuring cup and sat the cup in the water to start the melting process.

This can get messy and the wax may drip into the pot so be sure to use an old pot if you have one.

Once the candles were melted, I used tongs to remove the wicks and kept the water boiling until I was ready to pour the wax.

I then placed a wick clip (that was in another candle) on the wick so it did not float up when I poured the wax. I did not use any new candle adhesive since my clip still had some on it from its previous candle, but I would highly advise getting some to hold the weight to the bottom of the new container so the wick stays centered and in place while the wax is wet. Once I did this, I poured the melted wax into the little glass dish I wanted to use. I used a straw to wrap the top of the wick around it to hold it in place instead of allowing it to fall into the wax as its drying. My straw was very light and tended to move around so I recommend a popsicle stick or metal straw instead.

If the candles you melted didn’t have fragrance and you are wanting to add some, be sure to add essential oils before the wax is dry. A good rule of thumb is about 2 teaspoons or 200 drops of essential oil for a 4 ounce candle. 

After my wicks were in place and my essential oils were added, I let the candle sit overnight while it dried. The next day it was ready to use! Overall, this project was very easy. It allowed me to use up old candles that otherwise would have been donated and save a bit on my candle addiction. Once you have the materials, you too can make several candles at a time for a very small investment. So, be on the lookout for fun, decorative containers and have fun candle making batches of candles!

Suggested materials:
  • Old Candles   (My home/Thrift Store)
  • Wicks   (Michael's)
  • Wick Weight/Wick Clip   (Michael's)
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2 of 7 comments
  • Lisa West Lisa West on Mar 03, 2020

    Hi just want to let ever one know, if you dont have pots for this type of craft. Folgers coffee containers work great in the microwave.

    I have bees wax that I make little candle with. I mix it with a favorite color from and old candle. I also put downy unstopables in it to. The unstopables are great in the wax meters to. I love the lavender unstopables. My favorite is the fresh scented one. These work great when you font have oils or a spice that I might be out of. Plus the scent last a very long time. Thanks for sharing.

    Also do you have a problem sometimes with the wax sinking in the middle and having to add more wax to even the center out? Also do you know how to avoid the sink?

  • Aimee Aimee on Mar 04, 2020

    What a great idea!

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