Teach Soap

Hello,

1a. Can anyone please tell me if regular Food Coloring or Crayons (regular coloring crayons) can be used to add color to (dye) homemade candles?

1b. Food Coloring: If yes, what brand do you recommend that works best?

1c. Crayons: If yes, is there a particular brand that works best?



Thanks
RAM

I'm not 100% sure but I don't think either of them would work too well for candles. Food colouring is water based, so I doubt it'd be to happy to mix with the wax. As for crayons, the colours aren't very strong and the wax is different. What sort of wax are you using? I especially doubt the crayons would be ok in the natural type waxes eg soy or palm. I've found the liquid candle dyes to be the easiest to use, however they can be more expensive if you're not making many candles. If you're only making a few and want several colours the dye blocks or chips would be pretty good at getting you a range of colours at a smaller price, they just don't dye as much wax (although that also depends on which colour dye clock. Some are stronger than others). The dye blocks are a bit like crayons but are a much more concentrated colour already suspended in wax. You simply shave off as much as you need, stir it into your hot wax and wait for it to melt. You should be able to buy either the liquid dyes or dye blocks from the same place you buy your wax.
Sorry if I've just told you a whole bunch of stuff you already knew. Hope that helped somehow.

Adding food coloring to candles will create a fire hazard. Can I ask where you got this information?

_________________
Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

Thank you all for answering my questions. I really appreciate it!

Here is the answers to your questions:

1. I will be using a Parrifin Wax.

NOTE: I DID purchase Dye Chips to color my candles. I was just doing some more research to find a more affordable way to color candles and read about using Crayons. From what I read at this website some people have done this and it works. They said cheap crayons don't have the same color intensity, takes much longer to melt, & are difficult to mix thru the candle wax. They said it is better to use Crayola Crayons.
You can do an Internet search for: using crayons to color candles and a lot of websites come up. There are some mixed reviews about this.

2. The website I visited DID NOT say you could use Food Coloring for candles. A person had asked can food coloring be used for candles and ALL the people who replied said NO. The people who replied recommended using Crayons instead. I posted my questions here to verify what they had already said.

I'm just going to use the Dye Chips I purchased since I know for sure that they are used to color Candles.

Thanks Again.
RAM


Thanks

You don't want to use either in your candlemaking. Crayons will clog the wick and food coloring won't mix becausse its water based. If you want to dye your candles use candlemaking dyes only. They come in the form of color blocks, dye chips, liquid, and powder. Buy them from a refutable candle supply store.

If you are going to start making candles you will find you have to shell out some money. Candle making is not cheap. However, you can save money by purchasing a good candle making kit from a candle supplier. Many candle suppliers carry them. Cheaper than buying from a local craft store but that is also another option.