Enjoying the smell of a favorite candle is one of life’s little pleasures. To make my rental house more homey, I’ve been using candles much more often.
Along the way, I discovered I’m a bit of a candle snob. Not only do I want my candle to smell good—I want it to look good, too.
This is a big problem because candles in beautiful containers are expensive. And I usually light a candle in my living room every day, especially when I want to make cold winter nights feel a bit more cozy.
That’s where this DIY comes in handy. If you find an inexpensive candle that smells good but has a container that isn’t so lovely—or if you have a few half-used candles that need a new life—you can recycle your favorite scent into an ice candle.
Have you ever heard of ice candles? Yes, you actually use ice! Using ice gives the candle a unique and slightly unpredictable texture.
How To Make Ice Candles
Supplies needed
– Old candles you want to recycle, new candles or soy wax if you want to start from scratch
– Cardboard containers, like milk cartons
– Wicks
– Pencils or chopsticks
– Ice chips
Step 1
To recycle an old candle in a glass container, place the candle in the freezer overnight. The wax should pop out of the container when you remove it from the freezer in the morning, but you can also use a butter knife to loosen it if needed. Then cut the wax into thick chunks.
If you don’t want to wait for the candle to freeze to remove it from the container, tie it in a plastic grocery bag and smash it until the glass breaks. The driveway works well for this.
Yes, it’s very therapeutic to break something, but be very careful! After the glass has been removed, rinse off the candle to get rid of any shards.
Step 2
Cut the top off an old milk carton and thoroughly clean and dry it. Then glue the wick to the bottom of the carton with waterproof glue. Wrap the top of the wick around a pencil or chopstick and set it on top of the carton.
Step 3
Melt the wax using a double broiler. When it’s ready to pour, fill the milk carton with ice chips. (Try not to use too many small pieces of ice or your candle might fall apart in the middle.) Then pour the melted wax into the carton and cover the ice.
Remember: you’re using ice chips not ice cubes.
Large ice cubes might cause entire caverns to form in your candles, which can lead to the candle crumbling and falling apart. Opt for medium- to large-sized ice chips instead.
When it comes to choosing the right size ice chips, it’s worth the little bit of extra effort to ensure your candles don’t have gigantic holes in them–or worse, fall apart entirely.
Step 4
Let the candle sit for a couple of hours and pour out the water from the melted ice. Then tear away the carton from the candle. Depending on how the ice melted in the milk carton, you might have some pieces missing from the candle. This adds character! Trim the wick, light your candle and enjoy.
The thing I love most about these candles is that each one turns out so differently as the ice chips work their magic.
Have you tried candle making? If you’re looking for more candle-making methods to try out, I also love these DIY slow cooker candles and these beeswax candles that you can make in the oven.
DIY Ice Candles FAQ
Can I use this DIY to make a milk carton candle without the ice?
Yes, you can leave out the ice chips and just pour the wax directly into your milk carton. You won’t get the textured effect, but you will still be able to use the carton as the mold to form your candle.
How much ice should I use to make an ice candle?
When you pour the melted wax into the carton, you will want to make sure you that you have enough wax to cover all of the ice. Your ice-to-wax ratio should skew in favor of having more wax than ice.
How can I get wax out of a candle jar if I’m using a new candle or an older candle I want to repurpose?
You can break the glass if you’re in a hurry by placing the candle in a plastic bag, tying it closed and then shattering it and rinsing off any shards of glass that remain. But if you have the time, placing your candle in the freezer overnight is a foolproof method to remove a candle from the jar.
Freezing a candle will shrink the wax. When you take it out of the freezer, you can flip it upside down. The wax should slide right out, but if it doesn’t, you can use a butter knife to lift the wax out of the container.
Can I use old candle wax to make new candles?
These DIY ice candles are a great way to repurpose old candles that you’ve mostly used or want to breathe new life into. Simply remove the candle wax from their current jars using the methods described here, cut the wax pieces into chunks and melt in the double boiler.
How to Recycle Old Candles and Make Ice Candles
Equipment
- Double boiler
- Knife
- Cutting board
- Scissors
Materials
- Old candles to recycle, new candles or soy wax (if you want to start from scratch)
- Cardboard containers, like milk cartons
- Wicks
- Pencils or chopsticks
- Waterproof glue
- Ice chips
Instructions
- Remove candle wax from glass container by placing candle in freezer overnight. The wax should pop out when you remove it from the freezer and turn it upside down, but you can use a butter knife to loosen it if needed. (You can also break the glass container and remove the wax by placing the candle it in a plastic grocery bag and smashing it until the glass breaks, but be very careful! After glass has been removed, rinse off the candle to get rid of any shards.) Cut the wax into thick chunks.
- Cut the top off an old milk carton and thoroughly clean and dry it. Then glue the wick to the bottom of the carton with waterproof glue. Wrap the top of the wick around a pencil or chopstick and set it on top of the carton.
- Melt the wax using a double broiler. When it's ready to pour, fill the milk carton with ice chips. Then pour the melted wax into the carton and cover the ice.
- Let the candle sit for a couple of hours and pour out the water from the melted ice. Then tear away the carton from the candle. Depending on how the ice melted in the milk carton, you might have some pieces missing from the candle. This adds character! Trim the wick, light your candle and enjoy.
hi, can beeswax be used to make ice candles instead of old wax candles that might have toxins in them?
i love this idea i did it with my mint and sea salt caramel candle and i loved the way it looked and smelled i wish i would have found out about this earlier
Just to be different, I’ll use heart-shaped ice cubes with cinnamon scent.
how did the design of the candle come out
I remember making these when I was a child, 50+ years ago. It was such fun then, making them with my best friend and her mother. Thanks for reviving those pleasant memories. I’m going to make one soon for old times sake. Back then we used a standard taper for a wick.
I remember mom doing this in the 50s. They were really stunning in white, and some had sprinkles of glitter.
Linda, I too remember making candles with my mom. However, the thing that is different is the sides of the candles. My mom’s candles were like a stucco on the outside not the smooth sides with holes. Does anyone know where to find how to make those kinds of candles?? I would so love to know. I have exhausted google and my mom has passed away and I have no one to ask. I can find one of the candles I am sure in the attic if anyone thinks a picture will be helpful. Thanks to anyone who can help me.
I believe that the ones you are referring to were made in stone containers
My grandmother used to make the ones that were like stucco. She used an old hand beater, mixing the hot wax til frothy. Not an electric mixer. With a little glitter. They were magical, or maybe it was spending time with my grand that was magical! Planning to try them this week.
As I recall, we used an egg beater in hot wax to make a “whipped frosting” which was then applied to finished candles.
I also made these over 50 years ago but we frosted them. I was hoping to see that part. If I remember we melted wax and then used the mixer and whipped
Hi Elizabeth Cole, can you tell me how this was done?? My mom would put glitter on them too. Did you candles come out looking like a stucco house?? Thank you…please reply…I pray. Kim
You can also melt the candle in a glass container just by putting it in a pot of water at a low temperature. Also, I have a candle warmer that melts candles in glass so you can have the scent without the fire. Got it at Michael’s half-price sale for $5.
Yes thats just what i was going to say i just did it this morning! :)
Breaking the glass of the candle holder to remove the wax is absolutely not necessary. Just pour boiling water into the candle holder to melt the wax. After a few minutes, stir the softened wax with a skewer to make sure it all rises to the surface, then let cool. Once cooled, break the wax, pour out the water and remove the wax chunks. Easy peasy!
If you put your old candle holder (container) in the freezer for several hours you can tap the bottom of the container, the candle will fall out. No boiling water or shards of glass to hurt to hurt anyone.
Instead of buying wicks, just use a tapered candle and cut the top off
This is nothing new, I have been making these type of candles since 1974. My mother made these back in the 1960’s.
Stephanie, your idea is worth trying to get textured candles, but your instructions are somewhat confusing. The bit about breaking a glass container to free wax doesn’t seem to belong in the process of making ice candles. Also, there is no intermediate step to explain how the ice cubes should be arranged at the bottom of the milk carton. I am assuming small ice cubes or broken pieces of ice are better, as the hot wax might not melt the ice right away.
I just tested your DIY Candles over at my blog. They turned out lovely. We made ours a sage green and spring scented.
my mom made these ice candles back in the 60’s! Thankyou, these are so pretty and have such a wonderful texture!
Why would you smash the glass to get the candle wax out? Can’t you just melt the wax from the beginning? And then the glass container can be used for something else. It’s kinda barbaric to just smash it… And don’t the shards of glass cut through the plastic bag or something? I don’t know. It just seems dangerous, and there are less wild and more effective alternatives.
When you have wax left in a jar and you want to reuse the jar. Simply take the jar with the candle wax in it, pop it into the freezer. Wait 20-25 minutes and the frozen wax pops rite out. The more wax in the jar the longer you leave it in the freezer.
That’s what I do with mugs and ceramic containers. Frozen wax shrinks a bit, and a frozen piece of candle just slides right off. No need to break anything to pieces.
exactly i thought that was a little dramatic
I’m confused. 1st, what is the purpose of making Ice Candle vs. regular candle? 2nd, when you can “fill the milk carton with ice cubes” then to cover the ice with melted wax, does this truly mean FILL the carton, as in to the top?
You can get wicks at stores where they have candlemaking supplies. A word of caution. The cheap (made in China) wicks have a wire in them that is made of lead. Not a healthy thing to burn. :) Yes, they make the wick stand up while you pour but you can use a good old fashioned clothes pin to hold your wick up while you pour your wax into your mold.
Weight the wax before melting it. For every pound of wax you need to add 1 oz. fragance oil. I noticed that using only 8oz of wax gives you a decent candle size using this technique. In that case you will only need to add 1/2 oz or 2 tbsp of fragance oil.
Or you may use a) one of those metal wick centering devices, or b) a piece of cardboard with a center hole to hold the wick straight.
This brings back fond memories from my childhood. My other favorite candle to make was a sand candle at the beach. When it comes to melting wax in glass jars I use my candle warmer that I got from Walmart. They are also available at Hobby Lobby, especially around the holidays. They are very inexpensive, around $5, if I remember correctly and a lot safer than some of the other methods offered by other folks out there. :) Have fun, be creative, but most of all be safe! :)
Very cool but I’m missing the part where, when and how much scent to add. Also, like Charlie from Dec. 30pm, where do I get the wicks? Can you make them from anthony around the house?
You can use cotton string. Its usually in any home improvement store. Where they sell fix-it kinda stuff.
Just coat your string (pre-cut) which will be your “wick”, in melted wax several times. Hang it to cool completely before using it to make your candle.
That’s how I’ve made wicks for my recycled wax candles. Hope that helped ya!
Question? I have a book written or the one i have,was written in1977,anyway it has 3 ways to make wicks 1. is soak in turpentin 20 min.2 borax and other stuff 3. lime and salt peter and other stuff all says 20 min.. so i can just use string and wax instead? for all types of candles?.. My Email is swtsurrender56@yahoo.com if you care to reply….Thanks LaReta… P.S on mail say you are on pintrest or i might delete:) Thanks again!!
where can I get wicks?
I recycle all types of the waxes, the scentsy wax melts can be reused for your candles also. I have found that using up my left over wax using a wax warmer has double duty the house smells good while I am melting the rest of the wax in the glass jar and when it is melted I add my favorite scent from michaels craft stores to shore it up to my favorite level of scent then you can pour it out into your “mold” for the new and improved candle then quickly wash the glass jars they are wonderful for q tips, cotton balls or even your crafting supplies.
I’m a sucker for any project that starts with, “put it in a plastic bag and hit it.” Seriously though, I’m excited to try this out.
Hello…I like this craft and I think it’s easy and beautiful…but there is no need for smashing glass containers to get out the candles, smash them in a plastic bag? This is so dangerous..you can recycle or repurpose your glass containers and still get the wax out! I saw this on a Martha Stewert show years ago…all you have to do is put any candle container, glass, copper, plates what ever into the freezer for about an hour or less….the candle will fall fright out of the container and then you can use a sharp knife to to easily scrape any wax on the container so you can reuse that container again..!
Ice candles were all the rage in the 70s. I thought everyone had a set of red and green ones for christmas.
We’ve made ice candles for years. If you do it in winter and put the candles outside in the snow as soon as the wax is poured, the wax will harden before the ice can melt much. It makes more fantastic designs. Also if you have uncolored wax, or want to change the color, just add a bit of color crayon when melting the wax. You can even make them with several layers of different colors by doing one layer at a time.
No need to break the glass container. Just stick the candle in your freezer for about an hour. The wax will shrink and then you can just break it up inside the container and dump out (I use a butter knife. Then you can reuse your candle jar to store all kinds of things!
That is brilliant! Thanks for sharing Sarah!
Another way to get wax out of a glass container, you can pour boiling water into the container an leave it over night. The wax will harden at the top of the water and you can just pick it up.
Amber: I’m having a hard time imagining this process of pouring boiling water into the glass container with part of a candle left in it, right? Then after leaving it overnight, what happens to the water? Somehow wax rises to the top it sounds like, and then hardens? And then the rest of it all shrinks enough that it can be pulled out of the jar? Is that what you’re saying?
Wouldn’t wax harder on its own with out ice?Or is for the design left in the wax we need ice?
Harden not harder
Yep, the ice melts which leaves the design in the candle. You can definitely do them without ice if you want!
the ice is what gives the candle a specific feature.
Instead of breaking a glass candle jar, get out your electric skillet, add a couple inches of water, and set to simmer. When the wax is melted, pour into prepared containers with wicks. I’ve used my electric skillet instead of a double boiler for several recipes, including melting chocolate for candy-making.
I still have some my mom made years ago. A fun project!!!
Nothing new to me. Made these with Cub Scouts more than 40 years ago. Still like making them esp. for Christmas candles.
Ice candles? It’s the first time i have heard of it. What a great idea! With the steps here, i can give my own candles a new and different look. I can’t wait to get started on my own ice candles.
This is such a good idea! I can be a little bit weird about lighting candles because I love them but I never want to “waste them.” Now that I know I can recycle the candle after I use it maybe I will start lighting candles more often!
this is amazing–I don’t know where you get your ideas, this one I love since I also love candles. Think we get that from our mom, the vanilla and coconut smells remind me of her too :)
You are a genius! I always find candles that smell amazing but are in the tackiest containers and then I don’t buy them. It never occurred to me that I could upcycle them like this. Such a good idea!
You AND your ideas are just too cool for school!! Pinning this for future reference. I had never heard of ice candles before!
Really cool idea!
What a great idea! I am also a candle snob, haha! They need to smell nice AND look nice! Love these!
Wow Stephanie I never knew you could do that! I also didn’t consider using milk cartons for making candles, what a brilliant idea!
Whoo! Very, very pretty! I’ve never heard of iced candles before. Super excited to try this out sometime.
I remember making these in Jr. High! Here’s a tip I learned from a very frugal lady: place your glass candle jars on a cookie sheet and place in a 200 degree oven to melt the leftover wax. When melted, CAREFULLY (perhaps using tongs or potholers) pour out the melted wax. If you’d like to then clean the glass candle holders, just immediately wipe them out with a paper towel. It works, I’ve done this many times. Just remember that the glass containers will be hot from the oven heat!
What I do to melt the wax from the old container is fill a small pot with water and heat it on the cooker; put the old candle (if in a glass container, for example) in the hot water, making sure the wax is above the water :).
The trick with wiping the glass with paper works like magic, indeed. :)
Stephanie, I am again speechless at your DIY ability and creativity. You are my inspiration.
I did this with my kids and they loved it! We added some crayon wax for more color but never did end up burning them.
You always have the best ideas! I so need to do this.
This looks like so much fun!
Oh I love this DIY project – looks simple enough for me! Although I’m not really a candle snob (don’t mind how it looks as long as it smells good) .. I am fussy over smells so I reuse my old candles in a burner and when its cooled I have my very own wax melts/tarts. This method of recycling is much more stylish, I’ll give it a try :o).
Oh Stephanie, these are gorgeous! Did you add a colour to these? I could imagine how pretty an ombre coloured candle would look done this way.
Anne xx
Ohhh, ombre is a fun idea!! But the color came from the old candle – it already had some color in it.