DIY Egg Candles
These DIY egg candles are so cute! Learn how to make egg shaped candles using a real eggshell — it’s a really cool process!
Clean out eggshells and use them as a mold for these colourful Easter egg candles. It’s such a unique craft, and these homemade candles look super cute in an Easter centerpiece!
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How to Make Egg Candles
Materials:
- Egg
- Soy wax(at least 1/3 cup per egg)
- Wax dye
- Short candle wick(2-3/4 inches tall; 1/2 inch base)
Equipment:
- Ceramic egg holder(optional; or empty egg carton)
Check Out The Video Tutorial:
Instructions:
Step 1: Find what you need
- Gather your supplies and materials.
Step 2: Empty and clean the eggshells
- Carefully push a thumb tack into the top of the egg to make a hole through the shell.
- With the thumb tack inside the eggshell, push it up on an angle to break some of the shell.Repeat, using the thumb tack or your fingernail to remove just enough of the eggshell to fit the base of the candle wick.
- Use a wooden skewer to break up the yolk inside the egg so it comes out more easily.Empty the contents of the egg into a bowl or straight into a frying pan.
- Rinse the inside of the eggshell with warm water and a bit of soap. Cover the hole in the shell with your finger and shake the contents.Rinse the egg out several times and then allow to dry upside-down overnight.
- Repeat, cleaning however many eggshells for the number of candles you’d like to make.Once the eggshells are dry, place them back in an empty egg carton or egg holder.
Step 3: Prepare the candle wax
- Add a generous 1/3 cup of wax to a melting pot for each egg candle you’d like to make.If your eggs are large, use 1/2 cup instead. It’s better to have a bit of extra wax melted than to run out before the egg is full!
- Then add wax dye to the melting pot. To make a pastel coloured candle start with just a tiny piece of dye.Keep reading below the tutorial for more information on colouring candles.
- Add 1 to 2 inches of water to a pot and bring to a boil on high heat. Once the water is boiling, turn down to medium-low, maintaining a simmer.
- Insert the melting pot into the boiling water. Allow the wax to melt, stirring occasionally.
- Bring the wax to 175F.
- Remove the melting pot from the heat.At this point you can add a scent if you’d like. If you do so, stir slowly and thoroughly for 2 to 3 minutes to combine.Cool the wax to between 110F – 120F.
Step 4: Add wicks and pour the wax
- For these candles we’ll be using a short wick with a small 1/2 inch tab.Usually you’ll want to use a wick sticker (or something to make sure the wick stays centered at the bottom), but with these egg candles we found it worked best to just place them in the egg.
- Add wicks into each of the prepared eggshells. Center and straighten them as best you can.
- Pour the cooled wax into the eggshell, slowly and carefully.
- Repeat the same process with different colours of wax.Allow the wax to harden overnight.
Step 5: Remove the shell and trim the wick
- To remove the shell from the egg you’ll want to use the back of a regular tablespoon.
- Hit the eggshell with the back of the spoon. Use the back of the spoon only, since the side of the spoon will dent the candle.You’ll need to use a small amount of force to break the shell, but not too hard, or you’ll dent the candle. You’ll quickly be able to find the right balance.
- Continuing hitting the egg and peeling off the shell carefully. You can wipe the candle with a paper towel to remove any remaining shell residue.
- Repeat with your remaining egg candles.
- Trim the wicks to 1/4 inch before burning.
Step 6: Enjoy your egg candles!
- Your egg candles are complete!
- Your DIY candles can be lit after 24 hours, but ideally you want to allow the candle to “cure” for 1 to 2 weeks before burning.Soy wax will continue to harden over time, and waiting to burn the candle will improve the burn.
Helpful Tips:
- Having trouble pouring the wax cleanly into the eggshell? Make a small funnel from parchment paper to assist you!
- You can smooth out the tops of your egg candles with a heat gun. But be careful that you don’t get too close with the heat, or the hot wax will splatter.
What type of wax is used to make these egg candles?
We like to use soy wax to make our candles. It’s a natural wax that’s clean burning, and it definitely worked well for these egg candles. However, soy wax is quite soft, so you may want to combine it with beeswax.
If you have an old votive or jar candle lying around you can also melt this wax down and pour it into the eggshells.
What can I burn my egg candle in?
Make sure you burn your egg candle in a ceramic egg cup, egg holder, or a small bowl or round candle holder — something that’s fireproof and will support the egg shape, keeping it from being knocked over.
How much dye is needed to make egg candles?
The amount of candle dye needed will really depend on the brand of the dye, the colour of the dye, and how pastel or brightly coloured you’d like your candle to be.
To make a lighter purple candle, for example, we only needed a tiny pinch of dye per egg candle. But to make a light pink colour we needed to add about 6 times as much dye!
Therefore we definitely recommend adding a small bit of dye at a time, especially if you’re just making 1 candle of each colour.
The liquid wax will be darker than what the actual candle looks like. To know the true colour of the candle add a small drop of wax onto a piece of parchment paper. Allow it to dry (this should happen quickly) and you’ll see the real colour of the wax!
Can I use crayon to colour my candle Easter eggs?
A lot of people use leftover crayons to colour their wax, but using crayon is more just for fun than for actual, functioning candles.
The wax in crayons is totally different from candle wax, and it clogs wicks, preventing them from burning properly. They also contain pigments that aren’t intended to be burned. If you’re already going to the effort of making egg candles, we recommend sticking to wax or liquid dye meant specifically for candles.
Can I add a scent to my egg candles?
Yes, you can definitely add a scent to your candles! We like using essential oils, but you can also use synthetic fragrance oil. The recommended “fragrance load” for soy wax is about 5 – 10% of the weight of the wax used.
Do I have to use a real egg shell to make an egg candle?
Recycling and using an eggshell to make a candle is such a fun idea, but it can take a lot of time to prepare the shell. So if you want to make an egg shaped candle without the prep work you can also buy an Easter egg silicone candle mold.
Can I microwave wax to make egg shaped candles?
We generally don’t recommend microwaving soy wax. You can’t control temperature in the microwave as well as you can on a double boiler.
This leads to hot spots in the wax, which can be dangerous. Microwaving wax is a lot easier, though, so if you really want to do it make sure you melt the wax at low power using short bursts of time. Monitor the temperature carefully each time you remove the wax from the microwave.
These egg candles are so adorable! They make such a fun handmade Easter gift for hostesses or friends and family.
This spring activity takes a bit of planning, with the need to clean out the eggshells and allow them to dry, but it’s so worth it to see how pretty they loo
Here’s even more spring craft ideas:
Our book Low-Mess Crafts for Kids is loaded with 72 fun and simple craft ideas for kids! The projects are fun, easy and most importantly low-mess, so the clean up is simple!
