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Use this natural massage candle recipe for sensual at-home massages and romantic gifts. The ingredients include low-temperature burning wax, nourishing oils, and beautifully scented essential oils. Massage candles are lit like ordinary candles, but you use the melted oils directly on the skin as a warm massage oil. The melted oil is not hot like ordinary candle wax – it’s warm and relaxing – and the combination of ingredients in this recipe is great for your skin.
If you’ve not seen massage oil candles before, you and your partner are in for a sensual treat. Though they can look like traditional candles, they’re solid body oil. Once you light them, the oils melt into a pool that you pour directly into your hand and use for massage. It doesn’t burn but feels warm and decadent poured onto your back by the one you love. Though you can use the massage candle oil for a warm massage, you can also use it as a personal lubricant. A caveat discussed further on.
Massage candles use a combination of hard oils, such as shea butter and cocoa butter, melted together with vegetable wax. You typically use soy wax, which burns at a low temperature. The liquid oil in this recipe helps lower the melting temperature even more and speeds up how quickly the massage oil melts. That means the oil pool that forms when the candle is lit will be warm, not hot, like ordinary candles. You may hesitate to pour the melted oil into your hand the first time, but you’ll be pleasantly surprised at its comfortable temperature.
Making Massage Candles
The tutorial below will teach you how to make massage candles and how to use them. The process of making them is very quick, and once all of your ingredients are assembled, it’s a matter of minutes before each massage candle is poured and cooling. After that, it’s a matter of waiting overnight for them to harden up, and then you can label them if you wish. Massage candles are a great bachelorette party gift, but you could save them for Valentine’s Day or your anniversary or use them immediately. Maybe several of those occasions.
The video at the end shows you how it’s done and how you’d pour the massage candle wax into your hand. Honestly, the oil will be warm, not hot. A massage candle may look similar to a normal candle, but they’re completely different. On that note, you should avoid using beeswax or paraffin wax in any massage candle project. Both melt at hot temperatures, so their melted wax will also be very hot. So stick with the ingredients listed, and if you use food-grade ingredients, massage candle wax can be edible, too.
Massage Candle Recipe
Massage candles are very easy to make. It’s a matter of gently melting the main oils, preparing the wick, pouring, cooling, and using them on a romantic evening. You can use massage candles the very day you make them if you wish! You do need to have the right ingredients, though, including pure oils, the proper wick, and the container.
In the original video (see below) and recipe, I included 1/4 tsp of vitamin E oil. I’ve left it out as it’s unnecessary, but you could still choose to add it. I used to use it as an antioxidant but learned later that most vitamin E oils are not strong enough to work as one. Work with ingredients well within their best-by date; you don’t need an antioxidant anyway.
One thing to remember is that candles that you burn to scent the home are different from massage candles. They are skincare, so you need to ensure that all of the ingredients you use are safe for the skin. To make a massage candle with oil that’s safe to eat, choose food-grade oils and leave out the essential oils. Instead, flavor the massage candle with cosmetic flavor oil such as vanilla, strawberry, or coconut.
If you plan on using massage candles as a personal lubricant, please also avoid essential oils and be aware that oil can compromise latex. Oil and condoms are not a recipe for safe play.
Massage Candle Wicks
Now that the ingredients are cleared up, you should also ensure that the wick you choose is either raw or primed with soy wax, not paraffin. I recommend getting raw wick, and I will show how to prime it in the instructions below. With raw wick, you can cut the length that you need, and that’s important for non-standard containers like ceramic pourers. You should also choose your candle wick type with care. Get wicks suitable for natural waxes and the diameter of the container you’re using. If in doubt about the wick, check with a candle ingredients supplier.
Containers for Massage Candles
Two types of containers are shown in the photos for this massage candle recipe. The first is standard steel candle tins, which are easy to find online in different sizes. You can find them in silver, black, and other colors, as well as square or round tins. You may also use glass candle containers or ceramic pourers. Whichever you use is up to you. Because massage candles burn at lower temperatures and aren’t lit for very long, the container doesn’t get hot. When the candle is empty, you can even reuse the container. It washes out easily with hot, soapy water.
How to Use Massage Candles
To use the candle, light it and leave it to burn for 5-15 minutes or until a sizable pool of warm wax has formed. During this time, you’ll be able to smell the essential oils. Now blow out the flame, pour the warm oil directly into your hand, and immediately massage it into the skin with your fingertips. The first time you do this, you’ll be surprised at how pleasant the oil temperature is.
Please be aware that the tin can get warm if you leave the candle burning for more than half an hour. Be careful when picking it up, and also make sure that the temperature of the oil isn’t too hot. If kept sealed, the candles will have a shelf life of up to two years.Have a fun time making and using these romantic candles. And if you’d like to explore more candle ideas, here’s some further inspiration:
- Make Wine Bottle Candles
- How to make Soy Candles
- Make Ombre Candles in Pink, Blue, and Yellow
- Make a Glowing Sea Glass Candle
Massage Candle Recipe
Tanya Anderson
Use all-natural ingredients to make massage candles for you and your partner or for romantic gifts. Massage candles are lit like ordinary candles, but you use the melted wax directly on the skin as a warm massage oil.
5 from 6 votes
Print Project Pin Idea
Author Tanya Anderson
Cost $20
Equipment
Pliers
Two sets of wooden chopsticks (not broken apart)
wooden skewer
Two stainless steel pans, one being smaller than the other (or a double boiler)
Materials
- 45 g Shea butter 1.6 oz
- 40 g soy wax 1.4 oz
- 40 g Cocoa butter 1.4 oz
- 40 g sweet almond oil 1.4 oz
- 1/8 tsp rose geranium essential oil 0.6 ml / optional
- 1/4 tsp ylang ylang essential oil 1.2 ml / optional
- 2 candle containers 3.4 oz (100 ml)*
- 2 Wicks For natural wax and for the diameter of your container
- 2 candle sustainers metal bits for the end of the wick
Instructions
Assemble the Wicks
Cut lengths of wick that when measured from the bottom of your candle container will stick out by 1/2".
After the lengths are cut, feed the wick through the hole of a metal sustainer using a wooden skewer. The sustainer helps hold the wick in place and you should choose a standard or slightly larger size for this project.
Slide it all the way down to the end of the wick so that no wick is sticking out of its bottom. Using pliers, squeeze the metal feed on the top of the sustainer over the wick so that the wick is held in place.
Melt the Oils
Place the butters, sweet almond oil, and soy wax in the saucepan and heat on low until completely melted. It's better to do this using the double boiler method but you can heat directly on a hob if you keep an eye on it and are stirring the entire time.
If you're using raw wicks that you've assembled yourself, place them into the oil so that they can absorb some of it – this primes the wicks and will help the wicks to burn cleaner. There's no need to put pre-made commercial wicks in the oil.
When the oils are fully melted, take the pan off the heat and set it aside to cool. Before you add the rest of the ingredients the oil will need to cool down to about 130°F / 54°C.While it's cooling, continue to the next step.
Get the containers ready
Using the wooden chopsticks, center your wicks inside your containers. If you've used raw wick and had it floating around in the oils, fish them out with your spatula and wring the extra oil out.
Add the essential oil
When the oils have cooled down, add the essential oils and stir well. The blend of rose-geranium and ylang-ylang is beautifully floral and relaxing.
Now gently pour the melted oil into your containers, using the spatula to scrape out every last drop. Fill the oil to 1/4" (6 mm) from the top of the container. If the wick bottom moves around during this time, use the wooden skewer to push it back into place. Leave the candles to sit for at least 12 hours to harden and cool. The oils will solidify to a creamy tone
Finishing up
Trim the wick when the containers are no longer warm to the touch and the oils have hardened. Remove the chopsticks and use a pair of scissors to cut the wick flush with the top of the container.
Clean the tins (and lids) with a clean, dry cloth and then fit the pieces together. You can decorate it simply with a ribbon or go all out and print labels. The pink label on my tin is printed using this design on a sheet of pink card paper. The labels are 1" (2.5 cm) tall and fit around the round tins perfectly. Secure them with a small piece of clear tape.
Video
Notes
* It’s better to use a few smaller containers than one large jar. Why? Ease of use, reduction in dirt and potential contaminants over a period of time, and weird oil hardening. If you pour this entire batch into a large jar, you’ll probably find that it doesn’t solidify with a smooth surface. There will likely be a big pit in the middle. It doesn’t affect the product, but it doesn’t look great either.
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