How much wax do I need?

The idea of pouring your own candles can be daunting at first. Sure you can buy already poured candles... but what if you have your own vessel that you want to fill with a special scent?

How do you know how much wax you need to order from Juls?

How do you even know if the vessel is candle safe?

Here are a few tips to making sure your container is safe:

1. The container won't catch fire:

Although this seems pretty obvious, there are a few things you may thing are candle safe that aren't!

We have all seen someone make a candle out of a bark bowl, a coconut shell, a plastic glass, and ceramic pots. But these are NOT safe vessels to pour your own candles into. They need to be specially coated for high temperatures and open flames. certain porous material like terracotta used in some flower pots can soak up the wax and has the potential of being a giant wick.

Yes. This is unlikely. but better safe than sorry. Plus.. who wants to waste Juls Candles wax that way?! No one. That's who.

If you have a handmade ceramic pot with sentimental value, make sure to coat the inside with at least two heavy coats of decoupage medium like ModPodge before making the candle.

Here is a safe way to incorporate wood into your candle decor. The wax hasn't been poured directly into anything flammable

2. It won't Spill

Yes, this too seems obvious, but sometimes containers can have tiny cracks or weak seals that slowly release your hot wax.

Metal tins that have a seam along the side or bottom will commonly leak. The best way to test this is to fill the container with water and leave it sitting for a day or two to make sure you don't have a potential fire hazard on your hands!

Measure for how much wax you need by filling the container with water too! Fill the container with the amount of wax you want inside and measure how many ounces of water that is! Add 2 or 3 oz to your order for top off and wax shrinking purposes. Of course if the vessel is large, increase the amount of extra ounces you need.

Wine glasses may be prone to spilling after a few glasses, but aren't likely to spill with a candle inside!

3. The glass won't crack:

This is the third and final rule, but possibly the most important. With the temperature of the melted wax and the heat of the flame, thin glass can easily crack and not only leave a mess, but possibly catch nearby flammable object on fire!

Make sure the glass is thick enough to support heat or choose a heat resistant vessel such as a properly treated flower pot, well sealed metal tin, ceramic bowl, or jelly jar. Also consider the shape of the container. If it has a large bottom and narrow mouth, the container will trap heat. If the container has a small bottom and wide mouth, it will begin to burn hotter as the wax gets lower and increase heat production.

As you can see, this container gets smaller at the bottom. It will need to be monitored once you have reached this point, or safely melted and refilled before all of the wax is gone

For these reasons, please never leave candles unattended. Make sure candles are placed safely on heat resistant surfaces and away from anything flammable.

As mentioned before, use water to measure the amount of wax you need. Enjoy this little video clip from Juls to help explain!