History of Candle Making - 1000BC to Scentsy

By: Stephanie McClellan

The skill of creating candles has been around since primitive times. Of course, as time went by candles became quite different in design than what they were back in the caveman days.. In the beginning, candles were a essential need for heat and light. Now they serve as decorations, wonderfully smelling in our homes, and offer light for dreamy dinners and baths.

The original known use of candles is not totally known. The remains of clay candle holders that date back to 4 BC have given us the realization that they have been in use since the beginning of time. Those clay candle holders were found in Egypt.

Candles were also used in the earliest times in both Japan and China. The candles in China and Japan candles were made out of of wax extracted from insects and seeds. Taper candles, made in India were created from the wax extracted from boiled cinnamon. Candle making are not known to exist in American until 1 AD. It is believed Native American’s took and burned oily fish and the back of the Cerio tree. When settlers arrived in New England, they used similar techniques to remove wax from bayberries. Many current candle creators still use that method to make bayberry candles. However, it is quite costly to do so.

Tallow was the product used to make candles in the 1600’s and 1700’s. This is a derivative from animal fat. The product worked well but had a rank odor, in particular when it was burning. Bees wax and paraffin wax both were introduced in the early 1800’s, and tallow stopped being used.

The dipping procedure for taper candles as we know it in our day began in 13 AD. Traveler merchants went door to door from town to town. While there, they made taper candles for individuals in their homes. Around 15 AD the idea to use molds for a number of types of candles was introduced in Paris. While this greatly improved the candle making process, there were still issues with getting the candles to burn correctly.

In the 1800’s, candle makers felt the weakest part of the candle was the wick as well as the cause for defective burning patterns. A braided wick was created in 1825 that seemed to seriously improve the burning of several types of candles. By 1830, a process was in place to make candles using paraffin wax and molds. These candles were of good quality and burned well.

As gas and electricity became more common place, the candle making procedure continued to evolve. It became much easier and faster to melt the paraffin wax. It is believed that the reason so many of the elements of candle making stayed the same, including the hand dipping process is because the popularity of candles diminished with the introduction of electricity.

Today, candle making is a well known skill form. There are many companies who manufacture wonderful candles with some very unique fragrances. There are also small businesses that still make their candles by home in their kitchen. Candle making is a great hobby and fun activity for the whole family to be involved in.

Candles are now used more for extravagance and enjoyment than for light or warmth. The candle industry continues to grow with new types of candle making being introduced all the time. The quantity of colors, fragrances, and types of candles to choose from in the marketplace are absolutely outstanding.

Candles are a very common home decorating item. They are used to accent any room in your house. They are a common centerpiece for dinner parties and formal occasions. Unity candles that are presided over at many marriages hold a deep sense of tradition in the American culture.

One of the newest Candle businesses to create incredible smelling wickless candles, or flameless candles, is a Company called Scentsy.

Inspired by an Oprah episode on “Millionaire Moms,” stay-at-home mom Kara Egan was seized with the urge to start a venture of her own. Then, during lunch one day, her sister-in-law Colette Gunnell mentioned this amusing thing her neighbor did, breaking scented candles into pieces and melting them in an old potpourri warmer.

Something clicked for Kara. “I heard the words in my mind saying Kara, this is it.” She called Colette that same day and asked, “Why don’t we start a business together selling candle chunks in a warmer?”

The art of making candles has definitely changed over time. If you are interested in trying your hand at it, choose a candle that is fairly easy to make such as the container candle or the votive. This will allow you the chance to get used to the process. There are several good candle creating kits available for a low price as well as books to give you tips and support along the way.

Article Source: https://www.collectibles-articles.com

Stephanie McClellan is an Independant Scentsy Consultant. Scentsy produces the most outstanding smelling candle warmers, or wickless candles, in the world. Scentsy candles are safe and sound, wonderful looking, and wonderful smelling. You can look over the many different styles and scents on Stephanie's Scentsy site. FlamelessCandleWarmers.Scentsy.com

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