Ingredients
· You’ll need vegetable shortening.
(I used the store brand, but you can use Crisco if that’s what you want to do.)
· A cheap candle
· Measuring Cup
· Spoon
· Mason Jar to hold your candle
· Lid for the Mason Jar
· Food Coloring (Optional)
· Essential Oil (Optional)
Directions
Step One
Step Three
Step One
Fill a measuring cup with the vegetable shortening. Once measured, melt the shortening in the microwave. You can also melt it on the stovetop if you prefer.
There’s no need to heat it until it’s ready to fry chicken—just warm it enough so everything melts smoothly and is easy to pour into the jar.
Continue melting the shortening until you have enough liquid to fill your mason jar.
Step Two
Step Three
Step One
After melting the shortening, this is the time to add any coloring you’d like. If you’re using food coloring, make sure it hasn’t been sitting unused in your home for years. I made that mistake and ended up with a very strange color. Of course, feel free to experiment and have fun with color on your own.
Next, allow the shortening to cool slightly. If you add essential oils or fragrance while it’s too hot, they will likely burn off from the heat. A good rule of thumb is this: if the jar is too hot to comfortably touch, it’s too hot to add essential oils.
Step Three
Step Three
Step Three
Place the lid on the mason jar and set the soon-to-be candle in your freezer. The amount of time it needs to stay in the freezer will depend on the size of the candle you’re making.
This candle sat in my freezer for about one hour.
Step Four
Take the candle you purchased and cut it down so it is no taller than the mason jar.
As you’ll see in the pictures, I take the long candle and slowly insert it into the vegetable shortening., notes, and reminders.
Finally
Epilogue
Before moving on to the next DIY project, I wanted to share a small experiment I conducted with this candle. I’d love to say it was scientific, but alas, it wasn’t. I burned the candle for four days, approximately 8–10 hours each day, to see how quickly it would burn.
You can see the results here. Over that time period, about one-quarter of the vegetable shortening was used. Not too shabby. I know my Walmart candles wouldn’t have lasted nearly that long.
