The dyes I have found to work best with gel candles are liquid dyes. Some gel candlemakers claim success using colour blocks but I found they did not mix in well with the gel, caused clumps in the candle and clouded the gel.

Most suppliers will stock liquid dyes and they are very easy to use. The amount of drops you add will depend on the look you are trying to achieve with the gel. My experience is that I have needed less than a quarter of a drop to colour a 1lb batch of gel wax. I achieve this by using a toothpick in the dye bottle and swirling it into the gel. It is much easier to add extra colour if it is too pale, but if you add too much colour you will need to add extra clear gel to dilute it.

I have found paler colours work much better with gel wax and allow the beautiful bubbles to show through.

Scenting gel candles

All good suppliers will list whether their fragrances are suitable for gel candlemaking. If they do not have a flashpoint or compatibility indication next to the fragrance oil then I would not recommend buying from them if you plan to use the fragrances in gel. To be safe to use in gel wax, a fragrance oil needs to have a flashpoint of 170°F or higher and when there are problems with gel candles, the usual culprit is the fragrance oil. For a list of the recommended amount of scent to use in gel candles, please see the main gel page.

If you want to test whether the fragrance will cloud your gel, you can do the "mineral oil test" which involves adding a little scent to a small amount of mineral oil. Shake or mix it up and leave to stand. If the mineral oil stays clear then your gel should stay clear. This is because mineral oil is one of the major ingredients in gel wax.

As with paraffin candles, add your scent just before you are ready to pour the candle and make sure it is well mixed in so you do not have pools of fragrance oil in the finished candle that could cause it to ignite.

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Colouring gel candles

Scenting gel candles

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