How to Add Scent to a Candle

Candle can go from merely lighting up a room to freshening up the entire area with its fragrance. You can place a scented candle in the bedroom, beside the bath, or on a coffee table in the living room, so that you and your guests can have an easier time to lighten up and relax.

Unfortunately, scented candles have become so popular that many stores have raised their prices way too much. While you may love lighting a candle and inhaling the soothing aroma that wafts from its wick, your pockets may not be as happy. There is a solution to this, though, and that is to add your own scent to a store-bought, fragrance-free candle.

Step 1: Choose Fragrance Oils

Make sure that you understand how fragrance oils work before you actually use them for your candles. There are fragrance oils that are inappropriate for adding scent to a candle; therefore, you should always ask the salesperson. It is also important to note the temperature at which the oils will burn. Likewise, note the concentration of the oils.

Step 2: Melt the Candle Partially

Light a candle and let it burn for several minutes until an inch-deep pool of melted wax has grown around the wick. Blow out the candle.

Step 3: Pour the Fragrance Oil

Use the eye-dropper to add a few drop of fragrance oil into the pool of melted wax. How much you want to add depends on how rich a scent you want to have. 3 to 4 drops into the melted wax will assure you of a light fragrance. If you want a steadier, fuller scent, pour at least a couple more. As an alternative, you can also place a few drops of your fragrance oil in your basket of potpourri or reed diffuser to maintain the room’s fragrance, even when you have not lighted a candle.

Step 4: Stir the Melted Wax

Use a toothpick and begin with small circles at the center of the melted wax and gradually extend to the outer edges of the candle. Blend the fragrance oils thoroughly into the wax to avoid pockets of unmixed oil catching up in flames.

Step 5: Let the Wax Cool

Allow the melted wax to cool for a few minutes before lighting up the candle again. This will allow the fragrance oil to be absorbed into the candle.

Step 6: Test If the Scent Works on the Candle

Light the candle again. You should be able to detect the scent easily while within inches of the lighted candle and the room should also be filled with a light fragrance.

Step 7: Add More Fragrance Oil

Repeat Steps 3 to 5 if you have put out the candle and want it to emit a scent once lighted up again. This way, you can enjoy the same lovely fragrance the next time you want to light it.

Always be careful when adding scent to a candle. Never ever pour fragrance oil when the candle is burning or else you will risk burning yourself.