Ice Candles are amazing to look at and even more fun to make. You actually pour hot wax right over ice cubes! The ice melts away and leaves nooks and crannies inside the candle.
This candle is one of ten candle lessons we have in our Handmade Candle Course on Curious.com! Follow the steps below or watch us make the candle step-by-step on Curious.
How To Make an Ice Candle
Materials
Milk carton (32 ounce carton, bottom is 4”x4”)
Premium wax for pillars
Large bleached flat braid wicking
Mold sealer
Blue dye block
Ice cubes
Tools
Cutting board
Hammer and chisel
Double boiler
Candle making thermometer
Chopstick
Potato peeler
Pencil
Scissors
White index card
Scale
Tablespoon
Paper towels
Awl
Oven mitts
Steps
1. Preparing The Mold And The Wick
For this candle we used a recycled milk carton for a candle mold. Cut the top off the milk carton to make the mold five inches high.
Here’s a video showing how to turn the carton into a candle mold:
Make a hole in the bottom of carton with the awl. Feed the wicking through the hole at bottom of mold leaving about one inch of wick sticking out of the bottom.
Coil that end of the wick. Roll the mold sealer into a ball and press it over the coiled wick to seal the bottom of the mold. (This is important! If your wick hole is not sealed the hot wax will pour out the bottom of your mold.)
Tie the other end of the wick to a pencil and prop it across the top of the mold.
Now is a good time to prepare your work space, too. We like to cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and do all our hot wax pouring over it. That way, if our mold springs a leak or we spill any wax, it stays contained.
2. Melting The Wax
Take the volume of milk carton and divide it by two (because we are only using the bottom half of the carton). The milk carton holds 32 ounces and half of that is 16 ounces. We will use a mix of ice and wax so we will need about a half of that amount or 8 ounces. Cut the wax into small chunks using the hammer, chisel, and cutting board. Weigh out 8 ounces of wax then add 2 ounces for spillage.
3. Adding Color and Pouring the Wax
Heat the wax on a double boiler to 200-210°F. Shave a few carrot curls of color off the dye block using the potato peeler. (We think it’s funny that we call the tool a potato peeler, but we always refer to the shavings it makes as carrot curls.) Add the shavings to the melted wax and stir. Test the color by dripping a few drops onto an index card. Add more color if desired.
Drop ice cubes into the wicked mold.
Pour the hot wax into the mold right over the ice cubes. Make sure the wick is centered.
4. Unmolding And Trimming The Wick
Let the candle cool completely, about 1 to 2 hours. (This candle cools a lot faster than regular candles since the ice does so much cooling!) Remove the mold sealer from the bottom of the carton. Peel the carton away over a bowl or sink and pour off the water.
Peel off the carton.
Turn the candle over – the bottom is the top! Trim the candlewick to 1/4”. Trim the wick that is now on the bottom of the candle flush. Let the candle dry out completely before burning.
Isn’t this a fun project? Let us know if you make it! And if you have any questions, just leave us a comment. We are here to help!
Cheers,
Jennifer & Kitty
Hi, I’m new to candle making (as in I have watched like 3 videos about it and haven’t made one myself yet) and was just wondering what a mold sealer is? And where I could find one?
Hi Clara,
Mold sealer is a gray putty/clay that comes in a coil. You squish it over the opening in the bottom of the mold where you pull the wick through. It keeps the melted wax from seeping out through that hole. Here is what it looks like: https://www.amazon.com/Yaley-Enterprises-Candle-Crafting-Sealer/dp/B000YQGFE0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1472581290&sr=8-1&keywords=candle+mold+sealer (And that is also the brand we use).
Have you seen our candle making videos? We have several on our YouTube channel. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDbf-SUwm-WZk63EIWxTrmVNiHg0jgBid
Hope that helps! And remember we are here if you have any other questions. We love to help!
Jennifer & Kitty
Would this work for soy?
Hi Melanie,
Great question! Soy Wax should work fine!
J&K
Did you use whole ice cubes or crushed ice?
Great question! We used whole cubes.
J&K
Amazing tutorial.
What will happen to ice when we burn the candle ? Is it kind of reaction of water plus soy wax
Great question! The ice chills the wax quickly so the candle has holes in it the shape of the ice cubes. But the ice melts pretty quickly as the candle wax is cooling. So once the candle is set up, you pour out all the water that was the ice. And you are left with a candle that has neat holes throughout. It burns just like a regular candle.
J&K
Hi could I just melt pillar candle abd use this to pour over the ice cubes instead of buying wax I maybe never use again- great tutorial and here’s ne thinking you only made jewellery
Hi Janette, That should work and why not try it? Let us know your results. We used to do more general crafts like this candle making how-to and mosaics. But lately we have focused on jewelry making. It is really our passion!
Cheers,
Jennifer & Kitty
I remember making these as a kid with my mom. Can’t wait to make with my grandkids (ages 14 and 18). ?
They are so fun to make!
J&K
i love it
Thanks Laila!
J&K
Can you use crayons to make color . What are some items you can use to create color to avoid buying the expensive dyed?
Great question Coco! We have used crayons before but the color is not as dense so you will need to add more than we describe. Do an experiment to see how you like the colors! We’d love to hear your results!
J&K
Where did you get the candle dish in picture?
Can I layer colors with this method?
Great question Shelia! This candle is not a good candidate for layering colors of wax because the first layer you make will have holes in it and the second color will pour into those holes. Although that could be interesting, but it will no longer have the open lattice effect the ice creates.
Hope that helps!
Jennifer & Kitty
Great stuff! ? I stumbled upon this post and it brought back such wonderful childhood memories. I was a Girl Scout in the mid 70s and my troop did all sorts of things that probably aren’t done today including candle making the old fashioned way by dipping the wick in and out of the wax until it became a thick candlestick. It was a lot of fun albeit a long process; however, I did the ice candle experiment on my own at home and have always thought it was very clever. You ladies did a great job showing people how to do this and I just wanted to say thank you for passing this on so maybe younger generations can keep arts such as this alive. Again, great job!? Thanks for sharing!?
We love this old school way of making candles too! We did it in maybe fifth grade? So cool (LOL)!
Chees,
Jennifer & Kitty