How to Make Coconut Shell Candles
Coconut shell candles can bring a warm, tropical feeling to the rooms in your home. In the bathroom, they offer a spa-like feel. In the living room, they create a beach villa atmosphere that makes you feel like you're on vacation.
Coconut shell candles are easy to make and you can add exotic scents like mango or pineapple. In just a few hours, escape to the tropics!
-
Place the coconut on a flat surface. Ask someone to hold the coconut steady for you as you crack it in half. Put the flat-head screwdriver on the upper coconut where the dimples are. Using the hammer, tap the top of the coconut until it cracks in half. Pour out the coconut milk and scoop out the meat.
-
For a glossy finish, use sandpaper to sand away the fibers until the surface is smooth, then rinse it with warm water. Scoop up some wax in your hand and rub it over the outer shell in a circular motion -- just like applying moisturizer to your skin. Do this until the surface is glossy.
-
Place the coconut halves on a flat surface and put the wicks into the center of them. Fill the pot with water to the halfway mark and heat it up, but don't boil the water. When the water is hot, place cubes of wax into the preserve jar and then put the jar in the center of the pot of water. Using the end of a wooden spoon, stir the wax until it's melted. Add in the scented cubes and continue to stir until it's blended.
-
Pull on your oven mitts and take the jar of hot wax out of the pot. Ask someone else to wear oven mitts and hold the coconut shell steady with one hand while holding the wick straight up with the other. Carefully pour the wax into each coconut shell until it’s filled a little over halfway.
-
Let the candles stand for about four hours before you light them. If there is any wax left in the jar, put a lid on it and save it for your next candle-making session.
Things You Will Need
- Coconut
- Wax cubes
- Fragrance cubes
- Wicks
- Sandpaper
- Pot
- Oven gloves
- Preserve jar
- Hammer
- Flat-head screwdriver
- Wooden spoon
Tip
After opening the coconut, you can eat the meat or save it for a baking recipe. For a rustic design, leave the fibers on the outer coconut. The glossy finish gives the shell a neat contemporary look. Coconut shell candles also make an excellent gift! Find out what scents your recipient enjoys and use fragrance cubes to give the candle a different aroma.
Warning
Do not substitute your preserve jar with any glass as the hot water might cause it to crack and break. Only use preserve jars as they're are meant for hot temperatures. Be careful when stirring wax in the pot and pouring it in the shells as it can burn your skin if contact is made.
Also, when breaking the coconut in half, handle the hammer with care so you don't slip. And for any steps you need help with, just ask someone. Tell them you'll return the favor with a candle.
Writer Bio
Since 2005 Cristina Cole has been writing essays, speeches and blogs about beauty, fashion and frugality. She has written for FabulousSavings.ca and holds a Bachelor of Arts in English, world religions and women's gender studies from University of Toronto.
Photo Credits
- coconut fruit studio isolated over white image by dinostock from Fotolia.com
- coconut fruit studio isolated over white image by dinostock from Fotolia.com
- coconut fruit studio isolated over white image by dinostock from Fotolia.com
- sable 2 image by Blue Moon from Fotolia.com
- empty glass jar image by vadim kozlovsky from Fotolia.com
- candle image by Henryk Olszewski from Fotolia.com
- wind up timer at 0 minutes image by Andrew Brown from Fotolia.com
More Articles
