How to Make Soy Candles with Fragrance Oil

Short answer: to make a scented soy candle, melt soy wax, take it off the heat and let it cool to about 80–85°C. Stir in candle fragrance oil at 6–10% of the wax weight for two full minutes, then pour into a jar with a wick fixed in the centre. Let it cure for one to two weeks before you light it. That curing wait is what gives a strong scent.

We supply candle makers across Pakistan, from home hobbyists to small brands. Here’s the method we recommend, with the exact numbers.

Why soy wax?

Soy wax is made by hydrogenating soybean oil until it turns solid. It’s soft, off-white and usually sold as flakes. Candle makers like it because it burns slowly and cleanly and is easier to work with at home than paraffin.

Two things to know for our climate. First, soy gives off its scent slightly less strongly than paraffin, so a good candle-grade oil matters. Second, its lower melting point means pillar candles can soften in a Pakistani summer. That’s why we recommend container candles, in a jar or tin, for soy.

What you need

• Container soy wax (flakes)
• A candle fragrance oil. Use a candle oil, not a perfume oil. It’s made to survive hot wax.
• Heat-safe jars or tins, and cotton wicks sized for your jar’s width
• A double boiler (a steel jug in a pan of water), a kitchen thermometer and a scale
• Something to hold the wick straight while the wax sets: a clothes peg or two chopsticks

How much fragrance oil to add

Fragrance load is the oil’s weight as a percentage of the wax weight. Start at 8%. Go to 10% for a stronger throw, and drop to 6% for a softer one.

Quick way to size a jar: fill it with water and measure the millilitres, then multiply by 0.9 to get the grams of wax it holds. For example, a 200 ml jar takes about 180 g of wax, so at 8% you need about 14.4 g of oil. With a candle oil at about Rs 15 per gram in a 100g bottle, that’s roughly Rs 215 of fragrance per candle. It drops sharply once you buy 1kg.

Step by step

1. Prepare the jars. Clean and dry them. Stick a wick to the centre of each base with a wick sticker or a dab of melted wax.
2. Weigh and melt the wax. Melt it gently in the double boiler. Never put the jug directly on the flame.
3. Let it cool to 80–85°C. Adding oil to wax that’s too hot burns off the lighter notes. Adding it when too cool stops it binding properly.
4. Add the fragrance oil and stir for two minutes. Stir slowly and steadily, not hard, so you don’t whip in air bubbles. This is the step most beginners rush.
5. Pour. Let the wax cool a little more, to around 55–60°C, then pour slowly into the jar. Hold the wick upright with a peg.
6. Leave it alone. Let it set at room temperature for 24 hours, away from fans and AC drafts, which cause cracks and uneven tops.
7. Trim and cure. Trim the wick to about 5 mm. Then put the lid on and wait one to two weeks. The oil keeps binding with the wax during this time.

“Cold throw” is how the candle smells unlit. “Hot throw” is how it fills a room when burning. A candle that smells weak unlit after two days may be excellent after ten. Cure before you judge.

Fixing common problems

Wick size depends mostly on the jar’s width. Your wick supplier’s chart is the place to start, and the candle wick article explains how a wick feeds the flame. Always test-burn one candle before making a batch.

Candle oils we’d start with

• Vanilla Bean: a classic, cosy candle scent that suits almost any room.
• Oud & Amber: warm and rich, made for winter and gifting.
• Fresh Linen: clean and light, for bedrooms and summer.
• Lavender Fields, Cinnamon Spice and Sandalwood round out a starter range.

Prefer a flame-free option? See how to make a reed diffuser. Thinking of selling your candles? Read starting a fragrance brand in Pakistan, and if you’re new to oils in general, start at what is fragrance oil.

Questions we get a lot

Can I use perfume oil in candles?

We don’t recommend it. Perfume oils are made for skin, not for hot wax, so many lose their scent or burn poorly. Use an oil made for candles.

Can I use essential oils in soy candles?

You can, but most give a weak hot throw and some are flammable. Candle fragrance oils are designed to hold up in wax.

Why did my soy candle melt in summer?

Soy has a low melting point, and a sunny room in June can soften it. Keep candles in jars and away from windows, and store finished stock somewhere cool.

How long should I burn a candle the first time?

Until the melted wax reaches the edge of the jar, usually two to three hours for a medium jar. A short first burn causes tunnelling for the rest of the candle’s life.

Sources

• Soy candle: wax properties and melting range, Wikipedia.
• Candle wick, Wikipedia.
• Fragrance load, temperatures and curing times from Aroma Lab’s candle oil guide, October 2026.
• Photo: Brittani Burns on Unsplash.