If you are making just one or two jar candles, create a double boiler by putting the canning jar ring on the bottom of a saucepan. Place your tin can or glass measuring cup on the ring. Fill the saucepan with warm water so that it’s halfway up the side of the tin can or cup. This is your double boiler.

If you are making 3 to 6 jar candles you’ll want to create a double boiler using a large melting pot and a stock pot as the double boiler. Never melt wax in a pot placed directly on a heat source. Wax is highly flammable. The double boiler ensures that the wax never reaches the flash point, which is 400°F for beeswax. Never leave melting wax unattended.

Fill the cup or melting pot with a ½ pound of beeswax for each candle you are making. Beeswax pastilles melt faster than solid beeswax. If you are using a solid block of beeswax it will take some time to melt the wax. Simmer the water in the saucepan until the beeswax is fully melted. You can leave the melted beeswax in the double boiler, retaining the heat to keep the wax melted.

While the beeswax is melting prepare your jars. Clean the jars and dry thoroughly. Insert the wick tabs into the bottom of the jar by dipping the wick tabs into the melted wax and quickly pressing the tab into the bottom of each jar with your fingers. The beeswax will act as a temporary glue to hold the wick in place. If your jar is narrow or deep use a chopstick to center the tab and press it down firmly.

Center the wick in the top of the jar using two chopsticks and a bobby pin.

Beeswax has its own sweet honey scent and no additional fragrance is necessary for beeswax candles. However, if desired you can add essential oils to the wax just before pouring it into the candle mold.

Use 1 ½ to 2 teaspoons (8 to 10 ml) per candle for a light fragrance. Too much essential oil will clog the wick of the candle and prevent the uptake of wax to the candle flame, causing the candle to snuff prematurely, so limit your essential oil enthusiasm to the recommended amount.

Pour the beeswax into the jar, keeping the wick centered. Reserve a small amount of wax in the melting pot. Keep the melting pot warm in the hot water for topping up the candle wax.

As the candle is cooling, keep the candle away from drafts and cold air. If the candle cools too quickly it could crack. By cooling it slowly, the wax will crystallize forming a smooth surface at the top of the candle.

Should you experience cracking of the candle as it cools, use a heat gun about 6 inches away from the wax to gently melt the wax on the surface of the candle.  Allow it to cool again away from drafts and cold air.

As the candle is cooling the top and sides of the candle will cool while the area around the wick remains liquid. When you see this it’s time to top up the candle to ensure that a solid wax core remains close to the wick, to allow even burning of the candle.

Take a chopstick and poke the top of the candle closest to the wick. It will be dimpled. Poke down the side of the wick until you reach soft or liquid wax. Pour the wax that you reserved into the hole you just made and let it pool on the top of the candle in an even, but thin, pool of wax. If necessary straighten the wick so that it remains above the surface of the wax.

Allow the candle to cool naturally. Trim the wick so that it is no more than a ¼ inch above the wax. Allow the candle to set for at least 48 hours to let the crystalline structure of the wax to re-establish.