We're going to walk you through the different ways to add colour to your DIY candles. There are two main methods for colouring your wax: dye chips or liquid dyes. There are other options too, of course, and adding a stabiliser or stearin will help you achieve a more even colour.
Now that we've explored moulds, we'll take you through the pros and cons of each colouring method, along with the different products available for making coloured candles. Ready to customise your DIY candles in endless ways?
Bekro dye chips
Bekro aniline-based dye chips are organic synthetic dyes offering a wide palette of vivid colours at an affordable price. Because they blend so easily into melted wax, they make colouring your candles much simpler. This chip format works fast, gives an even burn and keeps well for your future creations. Depending on the batch and the shade, they may come as flakes or as a powder.
Thanks to their oily texture, these dye chips blend easily into your wax, making them one of the best options for your creative projects! They are compatible with every type of wax available from Terre de Bougies, giving you plenty of flexibility in what you make.
Bear in mind, however, that colours will look less intense in a plant-based wax candle than in a paraffin candle.
Once your wax has fully melted, take it off the heat and let it cool slightly to a suitable temperature for adding dye. Take your dye chips and add them to the wax gradually, a little at a time. Stir constantly to make sure the pigments disperse evenly throughout the wax.
Keep adding dye in small amounts until you reach the shade you want. This method lets you fine-tune the colour intensity while avoiding clumps of pigment or an uneven mix.
Dosing is simple and practical: you usually only need 3 g of dye per 1 kg of wax!
That said, depending on the look you're after, we recommend:
- For a pastel look: use between 0.1% and 0.2% dye relative to the weight of the wax. That's roughly 1 g to 2 g of dye per 1 kg of wax. This low dosage is ideal for soft, subtle shades.
- For an intense look: increase the dosage to 0.3% or 0.5% of the wax weight, i.e. about 3 g to 5 g of dye per 1 kg of wax. This dosage is perfect for bright, bold colours.
Always start with a small amount of dye and adjust gradually, stirring well, until you reach the shade you want.
Although these dyes are effective and versatile, they can fade over time and under UV light, which may affect how your candles look in the long run. To keep your creations looking vibrant, store them away from direct sunlight and use our additives as well.
Liquid dye
Made from oil-soluble pigments, these paraffin-free dyes blend easily into melted wax for bright, even colours, and they are remarkably easy to use.
Liquid candle dye offers the same benefits as dye chips. It's an oil that intensifies the colour of your candle! And you'll agree it goes a long way: just 15 mL can colour up to 1 kg of wax. It is particularly well suited to paraffin and gel wax, and in no way compromises your candle's burn. These oils are mineral in origin. You can now also colour your creations on the surface only or all the way through.
Liquid dye is also very convenient to use: it gives long-lasting colour and keeps for a long time for future projects. And if you're feeling really creative, you can even mix colours to create unique blends! Use them with a pipette!
And it doesn't stop at wax. Because they are solvent-based, our liquid dyes also tint the liquid in your reed diffusers and car diffusers, whether on a DPM (dipropylene glycol) base or an isopropyl myristate blend. Just a few drops will do: add them to the base once it has been mixed with the fragrance, until you get a perfectly clear solution. The colour then travels up the rattan or fibre reeds and tints the felt of car diffusers: a sought-after effect, but an irreversible one.
Marbling paint
A marble effect on the surface of your moulded candles looks stunning and can be surprisingly easy to achieve. Our candle colouring products make the job even simpler.
As it is organic solvent-based, you can use marbling paint however you like. You can also mix it with other shades. All it takes is a few minutes, a bowl, a stick and a little water to give your candle a beautiful finish.
To create a marbled effect on your moulded candles, follow these steps:
- Fill a bowl two-thirds full with water.
- Pour a few drops of marbling paint onto the surface of the water.
- Use a wooden stick to draw patterns, gently dragging it through the drops of paint.
- Hold your moulded candle upside down and gently dip it into the water until it is fully submerged.
- Before lifting the candle out, gently push aside any paint residue floating on the surface.
- Take the candle out of the water and leave it to dry at room temperature.
Can I use mica powder in my candles?
Technically yes, but we don't recommend it! A sprinkling on the surface of a container candle can give a lovely glittery finish, but we advise against going any further.
Mica is a mineral colourant that adds a touch of colour along with exceptional shimmer, making it ideal for pearlescent or glittery effects. It is non-toxic and resistant to fading.
Natural mica doesn't mix, or mixes poorly, with your wax or base. That's no problem, of course, when making soap or wax melts, but in a candle it will affect the burn. Your wick may become clogged.
A little mica on the surface won't affect how your candle performs. However, if you were to mix it into the wax of a moulded candle, for example, it would settle at the bottom of the mould, leaving an unevenly distributed finish on the surface.
Candle dye dosages at a glance
Taking into account our recommendations for each wax, here are the dosages by type of dye:
- Dye chips: 3 g of dye per 1 kg of wax
- Liquid dye: 15 mL of dye = up to 1 kg of wax.
- Natural mica: no more than 2–3 g of mica per 100 g of wax (wax melts only).
These dosages are guidelines and may vary depending on your own tests and on each batch of dye. In some cases, use stabilisers or stearin to prevent whitish deposits and colour fading in the light.
Conclusion
In short, there are several ways to colour your homemade candles. You can choose between dye chips and liquid dyes, as well as micas.
Dye chips are easy to use and compatible with all types of wax. Liquid dye is convenient and intensifies your candle's colour. However, we don't recommend using natural mica to colour your candle, as it can clog your wick as it burns. You're now ready to customise your DIY candles however you like.
