DIY: How To Make Crisco Candles

DIY: Crisco Candle Making

For this DIY, I will show you how to make your own homemade candles out of Crisco! It is quite easier than it looks, and you'll impress your friends and family. For the items needed to make this project, you can purchase them online or at your local crafts store. Hobby Lobby is my go-to choice.

Fun Fact: Before electricity was invented, people used to make a type of vegetable shorting as a source of light. It could burn for up to 8 hours/45 days straight. With that in mind, you'll be happy to know that your candle will burn up to 5x longer than a typical candle at your preferred candle store.

For this project, you would need:

48 oz. can of Crisco vegetable shortening

Essential Oil/Candle oil

Crayons

Wicks

Glass container 

Glue gun/glue (a strong type that will work on glass or porcelain)

1. Depending the type of glass container you will be using, you will need about 1 to 2 cups of Crisco. You can melt your Crisco either by microwave or over the stove. Before melting, remove the paper around the crayon color that you would like your candle to be and add it to the Crisco. (I usually place the crayon is some warm water for a minute, and it comes off easily)

2. Now you can star by preparing your candle container. With a glue gun (or strong glue), glue the bottom of your wick inside your glass container. (This wick should have a metal anchor to make this easier). Once dry, you want to wrap the excess wick around a wooden stick (or pen, lollipop stick). This will keep your candle wick centered for when you add the melted Crisco.

3. You will now begin melting the Crisco either by stove or microwave. If you use the microwave, it should take around 2 or 3 minutes. If you use the stove, it is preferred to use a double boiler system, but I usually just melt mine in a pot on medium-low heat until the Crisco is fully liquefied.

4. Once the Crisco is completely melted, you will add the essential oil. This should only take a few drops, depending on how fragrant you would like it to smell. Stir it together. By now, you should have the color and scent of your candle melted.

5. Carefully (it will be VERY hot) pour your melted candle mixture into your container, and just wait for it to cool. If you don't want to wait, it will be much faster if you put it in the fridge for a couple hours.

6. If you would like to decorate your candle, glue some lace around the edges or for a summer look, I glued star fish to the outside of my candle. (the star fish are at Hobby Lobby)

The finished candle should look something like this! I hope anyone who tries this enjoys themselves. To watch an easy how-to video of how to make these types of candles go to Lisa Pullano's DIY YouTube page. Chow!

This post was for the purpose of Lone Star College--CyFair.