Coloring Soy Wax with Natural Dyes
Originally posted on 3 July 2019
Infusions
For natural color, soy wax can be infused with natural dyes, then made into candles. The following is a list of plant-based dyes that can be used to pigment soy wax, and the colors they produce.
Annatto Seeds: mango yellow
Alkanet Root: coral pink
Madder Root: pale peach
Spirulina: spring green
Nettles: light olive
Indigo: cornflower blue
To infuse: Fill a heat-sealable tea bag or tie up a coffee filter with 2 tsp. of any of the above dyes. Leave enough room for the herbs to agitate inside the bag. Melt wax in a double boiler (as instructed in steps 1 - 3 on your recipe card, if you are working from a Revival Candle Kit). Add bagged dye to the melted wax and stir. Maintain water at a simmer and stir occasionally for 1 - 6 hours. A longer infusion will result in stronger color. Remove bag and use your dyed wax to make some candles (step 4).
Don't have the kit? Learn how to make soy container candles on our blog here or purchase a kit here.
other methods for coloring candles
So you want colored candles, but you don't have natural dyes handy, or you don't feel like infusing wax for 1 - 6 hours. I get it.
CANDLEMAKER’S COLOR CHIPS
Commercial candles are most commonly colored with paraffin-based color chips. These are concentrated blocks of colored wax that can be purchased from any candlemaking supplier. This is the quickest, simplest, most effective way to color candles.
To use: Add number of chips based on manufacturers suggestion. Stir color chips into wax when it reaches 185°F. Heat and stir until color is fully dispersed. Continue to step 5.
CRAYONS
Crayons are a more accessible, easy-to-get-your-hands-on way to color your candles. Unfortunately, using lots of crayon to get a saturated color may prevent proper burning, as the pigment in crayons can clog candle wicks.
To use: Add up to 1 crayon broken into pieces 1” or smaller. Stir crayons into wax when it reaches 185°F. Heat and stir until color is fully dispersed. Continue to step 5.