Home > Learning Center > Gel Candles
Gel Candles
Gel candles are primarily used as decoration, but can also be used to hold fragrances and serve as scented candles. They are a mixture of mineral oil or gelled synthetic hydrocarbons and little bit of polymer resin. When the two are mixed together in makes the mineral oil more solid, similar to the consistency of Jell-O. “Soft” gels are poured into a container to maintain the shape while “hard” gels are solid enough to maintain the shape on their own.
For decorative purposes, small items are often dropped into the gel before it cools. Items like seashells, marbles, glass figures, rocks and hard wax embeds work great. When making a gel candle however, know that items that may be flammable such as cinnamon sticks, dried fruit, plastic figures or flowers are not safe to drop in the hot gel. Also keep in mind that gel absorbs color very easily, so if using dye to tint the color of the gel, very little is required.
Gel burns approximately two to three times longer than most waxes, including the most common paraffin wax, making gel candles last much longer when used as scented candles. The thicker the gel is the more fragrance it is able to hold. In order for a fragrance oil to be used safely in gel it must be non-polar, meaning it will mix well in mineral oil. There are testing kits designed to test the polarity of a fragrance oil if you don’t know.
Scented Candles | Wedding | Learning Center | Site Map | Links | Contact | Home
Copyright © 2009