Make These Herb Candles for Effortless Cold Weather Aromatherapy
Now is the time of year when the cold is really setting in– you can no longer get away with bringing along a flimsy jacket and hoping you can hold it shut while you hurry between central heating. Scarves, hats, and puffy jackets are all par for the course. With daylight savings though, it’s also the time of year when the dark, the cold, and the lack of green start to get everyone down. Fortunately, nature has a solution.
Herb gardens are easy to keep alive in the cold weather months, as using herbs in homemade candles is an easy way to keep nature close at hand. This project is a fun and easy nature activity for kids, even when it’s too cold to spend much time outside. Have Lil’ Sprouts explore what scents they find comforting. Is cinnamon the ultimate comforting scent to them? Throw a handful in and offset it with a bit of nutmeg. Are they feeling the stress of homework? Add some lavender. Seasonal depression got you down? Zest in your favorite citrus rind. Check out the directions for our DIY herb candles below and let your light in!
Materials
- beeswax
- dried or fresh lavender buds
- essential oil of choice
- candle wick
- jar (you can also use old pots that are going empty for wintertime– just make sure to place a stone at the bottom if there’s a hole)
Directions
- Melt beeswax in a bowl over boiling water.
- Using a clothes pin, suspend the wick in the center of the jar.
- Pour in lavender buds and .5 oz of essential oil for every 2 lbs of wax.
- Then add the melted beeswax, and let dry and harden overnight.
- Remove the clothes pin and trim wick to 1/4″ above wax.
- Light it up!