Can You Reuse Candle Wax? Saving Money on Wax

Reusing candle wax is a great way to practice your candle-making skills and explore new projects. This method is also beneficial for the environment and to other people in the candle-making industry. This article is perfect if you want to try reusing candle wax but do not know where to start.

Candle wax can be reused in many ways. You can make wax melts, lubricants, fire starters, or letter sealers. Also, the best thing about reusing wax for beginners is to practice candle making inexpensively and explore other potential projects.

Recycling is a popular term today; almost everyone wants to try their best to recycle. The good news is that candle wax is one of the things you can recycle. There are benefits to reusing wax, but there are also limitations on what you can achieve with reused candle waxes.

Reusing Candle Wax: The Benefits You Can Get

There are benefits when you decide to reuse candle wax. You might know a thing or two, but here are the best sides of the coin you can add to your list. 

It Is Good For The The Environment

Reusable products are a good option if you want to help the environment in small ways. These products have traits or are manufactured to allow you to use them repeatedly for a period. 

Used or leftover candle wax is an addition to this reusable list. Teh candle wax that I am referring to here comes from candles that have been burned or have a leftover from your candle-making project. 

Since not all wax types like paraffin are safe for the environment, treating synthetic elements as harmful to nature is always wiser. 

Today, our degrading environment is a big issue, and it will be good to do your part in saving the planet. If you decide to reuse candle wax, you can lessen the carbon footprint needed to manufacture new wax. 

Although it might be a small step, you can encourage other candle makers to start doing it if they can. 

For instance, throwing melted wax in rivers or sinks can cause clogs and, in turn, result in bigger problems for the drainage system. Of course, no one would want this, so let this be an encouragement to reuse candle wax if you can.

It Makes You Value Reusable Resources More

You will learn to value reusable resources more when you experience how much you can save and help the environment by recycling and reusing products such as candle wax. 

Valuation of resources is important because it can help you, the community and the environment to practice sustainable living as much as possible. 

It is an Inexpensive Way to Practice Candle Making

If you want the most inexpensive way to practice candle making, you can use melted wax or reuse candle wax available in your homes. It can be an advantage to a beginner candle maker. 

You can reuse candle wax, and this is easy. The process is simple and can be learned by anyone who wants to get into candle-making. When you are done using your candle or all the wick has been burned, and all left is the wax, it is time to put your green hat on. 

It only involves three major steps: collecting, reheating, and molding. You can begin by collecting melted wax, reheating them, and transferring them to mold. Once done and allow them to cool and harden. 

Use your candle-making utensils such as tongs for getting old wicks and containers to give your candle wax a new shape. Do not forget to add a new wick that has been pre-waxed properly.

By doing this will not have to worry about how much you will spend on the wax to practice new skills. Nevertheless, you can always buy new candle wax if you want to master and maximize your candle-making skills. 

You can read this article on the cheap wax options you can buy in the market.

It Can Be A Great Ingredient for Social Activity

Candle-making can be a social activity with family and friends. You can engage them in candle making, starting only with the basic utensils and reusing candle wax. 

Playing around with colors, dyes, and shapes is a great bonding activity and can enhance your skills by teaching others how to do it. 

Reusing Candle Wax: Its Limitations and Downsides

Despite the benefits and beauty you can get from reusing candle wax, there are limitations on the outputs you can render from them.

It Yields a Different Color and Consistency

When reusing, ensure that you group the same wax type, such as soywax, beeswax, or paraffin. If combined with other types, most wax types may yield a different consistency; hence, it is better to mix the same waxes. 

You can observe color differences, especially if you are working on beeswax. You may want to consider adding color dyes or stains to correct this.

It Affects The Quality of Scent Throw

Some used candle wax has traces of residues and debris like parts of the wick, irregularly shaped, and specks of dust from burning. At the same time, some scented candles retain their scent even after burning, so some of this candle wax can still have fragrances. 

With this, it may be unideal to make scented candles if you are reusing wax because you might not be able to make the most out of your fragrance oils. However, you can still do it but be prepared to double the fragrance oils.

Another challenge you may encounter is the longer burning time it takes when melting used candles since there will be no way to ensure that all waxes are pure or altered, especially if you collect what is in your home. 

You can reuse a candle many times, but you can only burn scented candles an average of five times before the scent is gone. It takes a few burns for decorative ones before fully altering the candle design.

Remember that you are using old or leftover candle waxes, so the final product may not be as beautiful or perfect as a new candle. If using paraffin wax, be careful since it emits an irritating aroma and toxic ions that can be threatening if exposed longer.  

It Does Not Mean that You Can Save More

Recycling is frequently associated with saving money, but this is a different story for candle wax. It may be safe to say that recycling candle wax is better for practice purposes to hone your skills but not ideal for products that are meant to be marketed or displayed. 

It is best to buy new candle wax since the price difference will not be that much, and you will find brand new candle wax more enjoyable to work with than reused ones.

Yes, reusing candle wax can be a great skill for beginner candle makers, but there are many cheap candle-making kits you can try on the market if you can afford to buy them.

Of course, there are benefits when you decide to reuse candle wax. Although exemptions depend on the wax types you plan to recycle. For now, here are the best sides of the coin when you decide to continue with your wax recycling journey.

Reusing Candle Wax: Candle Ideas You Can Do

Reusing candle wax should not limit you from extracting all the creative juices in your mind. Candle wax can be transformed into other candle shapes and types if you get creative. These are some ideas you can explore.

Reshape The Candles

Candle wax-like gold can be reshaped if done properly. You can make new candles by reshaping them when working with candle wax. 

You can use new candle molds to give your candles a new look. This process will give your used candle another life simply by giving them another shape. 

Make Wax Melts

Sometimes, your candle wick will not work, or you find it hard to make a new candle from used candles. Well, worry not. Before you end up getting frustrated, you can try making wax melts instead. 

Unlike candles, these wax melts do not have a wick, so you need a wax burner or a tealight to use them. They also do not evaporate easily, so you can use them for longer periods by simply reheating them. 

Wax melts are a great alternative to reusing candle wax, but you do not have a budget to buy new wicks. You can also do them if you do not have enough wax to make a new candle. 

Making them is simple. You have to melt the wax, add fragrance oils and pour it into a mold, preferably like an ice cube tray. Let it dry, and once done, let it do its magic. 

These wax melts smell so good like candles and can surely get you addicted. Once you experience how wax melts, you will never let any old wax go to waste again.

Discover New Fragrances You Never Knew

You can discover new fragrances by mixing and matching by reusing candle wax. Since this is an experiment, you may also develop an undesirable scent, so be ready.

After trials and experiments with many scents and how it blends with used wax, you can encounter a new unique aroma that can be the perfect match for you.

If you want to know other ways to reuse candle wax aside from making new candles, here is a simple list for you. These can be your options to save and put those old candle wax to use.

Sure Firestarters for The Camping Lovers

Starting a fire during camping might be tricky, especially in damp and cold places, so here is where your melted wax will come in. You can combine lint cotton and soak them in melted wax. Let them cool, and you have on-the-go and cheap instant fire starters. 

These firestarters are a good addition to your camping essentials to keep you warm and safe.

Quick Fix to Faulty Doors and Zippers

You can also use candle wax to lubricate your doors and even faulty zippers. It functions like grease and oil that can ease stuck and jams on hinges. 

So, the next time your door or zipper gets stuck, grab wax and rub it slightly on the edges. It sure works every time. 

Instant Letter Sealers

A classy way to seal letters is to close them by using wax. It is old-fashioned but gives your letters a touch of sophistication and elegance. 

Just heat the wax, add your stamp and seal them up. You can do this every time you have an old wax you want to reuse in the most creative way you can. 

Create New Decoration Accessories

You can make endless projects from old candle wax if you let your imagination work. You can make decoration accessories by melting them on an object’s surface to take its shape. 

You can buy wax molds, but you can also try natural shapes since wax can take any form of mold, after all. You can use these as accents to your table, wall, and as a gift for your family and friends. 

Low-Cost Coloring Materials

Some coloring materials like crayons are made of wax, and you can also do it inexpensively by reusing candle wax. 

You can reheat them and add pigments to the wax once they melt. It might be laborious since you will be making DIY crayons from scratch.

A fun thing you can also do here is to add essential oils to your colors, and you can match the scents to their colors based on what you like. You can now have your personal and unique DIY crayons from reused candle wax.

Reusing Candle Wax is Definitely Worth A Try!

Candles have been a popular addition to home decorations and emergency supplies, and saving your candle wax from going to the landfill can be a piece of important knowledge to the candle makers. It is an inexpensive way of practicing your skills and has several benefits, making it worth trying once in a while. So, go ahead and put that leftover candle wax to use. 

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