Make Your Own Litha Candle

Litha is arriving at a rapid speed this year! While I wish I could celebrate in a grandiose manner with a large bonfire, I would be sadly mistaken to think so. The weather calls for rain instead of a full day of beautiful sun; and even if it were sunny, my city lifestyle is't very accommodating to large bonfires. So instead I opted to make a few candles to be placed around my apartment when a few friends come over tomorrow evening to celebrate.

To preface, candle making it much easier than anticipated! The only tricky part would be practicing patience while you wait for the candle to cool. Citrus is often associate with this sabbat, as well as spices that resemble fire- so I've chosen to make my candle a slightly spicy lemon scent! When you're collecting the materials listed below; I recommend thrifting the pan and spoon because it will be covered in wax and wax is very difficult to remove from these items. I actually got my wax pan by posting on my community Facebook page asking if anyone had any small pans they were looking to get rid of!

Materials:

• Candle wax (I purchased a 10lb bag of organic soy wax on Amazon for $30)

• Candle wicks (wood or cotton)

• Pencil, wooden dowel, Popsicle stick, or wick holder

• Dragon's Blood Oil

• Lemon Oil

• Dried Honeysuckle

• Chamomile

• Rose

• Cinnamon stick

• Lavender

• Mugwort

• Jar or cup

• Metal spoon

• Large metal pot

• Metal pan or pitcher

• Aluminum foil or baking paper

Measure out the wax.

The wax will shrink and condense as it melts down and eventually cools. I recommend taking the container you plan to put the candle in and filling it with wax twice to get a good measurement. Go ahead and pour the wax directly into the pan.

Heat that baby up.

Pour about 2-3 inches of water into the bottom of the big pot. Bring the water to a boil. Place the wax pan (or pitcher) into the pot and lower to a simmer. If the pan or pitcher doesn't float just slightly, it might be a good idea to add a old cookie cutter underneath of the pan.

Now here's the part where I felt like a damn fool. I strongly recommend having a thermometer you can use to gauge the temperature, as the wax should technically heat up to about 180 degrees Fahrenheit so it can fully expand before you add your oils for aroma. I, on the other hand, did not have a thermometer and basically let it sit over the open flame for about four minutes before adding the oils.

An important tip! Don't let the pot underneath your wax pan run out of water- this will cause the wax pan to get too hot and may risk catching.

Attach wick.

While your wax is melting, take your wick and attach it to the wick holder (you can easily use a pencil and just tape or wrap the wick around it). Just be sure that the base is touching the bottom of the glass or jar.

To attach the wick to the bottom of the glass, I just dip the base of it in some of the melted wax. I've seen other people use a bit of hot glue or table to attach it. If you don't attach it, it'll end up floating around at the bottom of the jar after you pour the wax.

Add Dragon's Blood and Lemon Oils.

Admittedly I don't think I added enough oil to my candle. This is something you're going to have to eyeball a bit and play around with. Too much oil won't attach to the wax fully, and too little will leave you without a scent. The amount that I added was about 10 drops of lemon oil and a cap-full of Dragon's Blood. I would recommend doubling that if your candle is about the size of mine!

It's important you keep stirring the wax after you add the oils as well. Stir for about one minute straight in order to ensure that the oils attach to the wax.

Let cool and pour.

It's very important to allow the wax to cool a bit before pouring it! If you pour it while it's still very hot, this will cause the wax to pull away from the wick or cause sinkholes in your candle. I let mine cool for about two minutes prior to pouring. I placed the glass on top of some aluminum foil in case I spilled the wax at all (it's a bitch and a half to try and clean off of the counter, especially if yours is tiled like mine).

Please excuse the terrible picture, but it might be a good idea to fill the container up a bit higher than where you'd like the wax to cool at. Again, wax shrinks so it will pull down as it cools.

Add herbs and flowers.

This is my favorite part! After letting your candle cool for about ten minutes or so (soy wax tends to take longer to cool than paraffin wax), you can add your herbs! The thing I look out for prior to adding the decorations on top, is that the top of the candle looks a bit more white and overall it's less translucent. Once finished, allow the wax to cool the rest of the way (probably another fifteen minutes or so) and snip the wick so that it's about 3/4 inches tall or so.

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And that's it! Super easy and honestly a ton of fun! I like to play old-timey music when making candles :) I hope you all have a blessed Litha!

Have any questions or comments? Or have a recommendation for what I should do for an upcoming blog post? Don't hesitate to let me know! Feel free to shoot me an email, leave a comment, or send me a DM on Instagram. I may have werewolf teeth but I don't bite :) Blessed be and happy candle making!