How to Make Pillar Candles

I’ve done a couple of candle DIYs in the past (you can see more of them here), but I’m kind of surprised that I haven’t done a pillar candle option before.

Pillar candles are great because you get some nice height on your candle (and you’ve got more candle to burn than a shorter one) and they have lots of fun molds you can use to customize your look—like this whimsical flower mold!

I thought I would make a few of these for my office, and they would be really cute for an easy gift as well! Here’s how to make your own!

Related: How to Make Candles – Beginner’s Guide

Supplies:
–flower mold
–microwaveable soy wax (or other melting candle chips)
–candle dye and fragrance if desired
–coconut oil (or other oil or mold release spray) and paintbrush
–pillar candle wick
–wick centering tool
–mold sealer

First, you’ll want to oil your mold a little bit so that you can get your candle out of the mold more easily at the end. I just melt a very small amount of coconut oil and use a paintbrush to apply it in a very thing layer to the inside of the mold.

Thread your wick through the hole in your mold, leaving 1-2″ of extra wick coming out the hole in the bottom. Use your mold putty to cover the area around the wick opening so that the area is sealed from any wax coming out the hole.

Melt your wax in the microwave according to the instructions on the bag. Once the wax is fully melted, add in your candle dye (it will dry a lot lighter than it looks—I just added one drop of red for a light pink color) and stir with a popsicle stick.

Pull the top of your wick up through the wick centering tool and pour your wax into the mold. You can use a measuring cup with a spout for this (one that you use exclusively for crafts, not for cooking), but I just poured it from the corner of my container and that worked just fine.

Make sure to save a little bit of the wax in your container to remelt in case you have any “tunneling” near your wick after the first pour.

Once your wax is poured, leave your candle to completely cool (check the directions on the wax you use, but usually only takes a few hours).

Check the area near the wick once the wax is cool to see if the wax has collapsed in to create a divot in the middle of your candle. If it has, remelt the remaining wax and pour in just enough to make the top flat again and allow it to fully cool.

Once cool, pop the mold into the freezer for 5 minutes to shrink the wax just a tiny bit so you can pull gently on the wick to release the candle from the mold (give it another 5 minutes in the freezer if it won’t come out).

Trim the wick on the bottom and top of your candle and you’re ready to light ‘er up!

How cute is that? I love it next to my pink “Run Wild” print and knick-knacks. Candles make great gifts if you’re looking to DIY something special for someone and you can add some cute matches and a candle snuffer to accessorize your gift, as well.

You could also make several of these in different heights to make a staggered grouping of candles. There are so many fun molds for pillar candles and once you get the hang of it, I could totally see this as a new hobby.

You can also support a candle artist if you aren’t the DIY type (check out 5 Asian-owned candle companies we love), but it feels pretty good to make your own! xo. Laura