Incorporating Layered Blooms into Your Candles

Adding petals to a candle creates a tremendous amount of texture and visual interest that can add a sense of narrative to an otherwise inanimate object. It’s all about timing: You want each layer of wax to cool long enough to hold its shape so the petals don’t float or get pushed to the side of the candle. If you let the wax set a little, it forms a ledge for the petals to sit on, and when you light the candle, the flame shines through the petals. Newbies might create a double layer: You pour a little clear wax in the bottom of the candle, place a circle of petals around the wick, and then pour in another layer of wax to suspend them. The translucent wax showcases the petals’ intricate details, making them seem to pulse as the flame moves.

It is all about the temperature: If the wax is too hot, the rose petals will float or release their color into the wax and create streaks. If the wax is too cold, it won’t blend with the previous layer and the layers will be seen. Soy wax, which has a cleaner burn and whiter color than other types of wax, is excellent for layering because it remains liquid for a longer period of time but is solid when it hardens. Beeswax burns well and has a honey-colored hue that works well with the browns and tans of the rose petals, but it sets more quickly than soy wax, so it requires a faster technique. Playing around with wax temperatures allows a maker to gauge how high to pour the wax, to center the wick, or even what temperature the room should be to have the wax be clear and the rose petals to settle properly.

Incorporating contrasting elements in the layers opens the possibilities for visuals. Going from tightly packed layers of red rose petals on the bottom to layers of sparse lavender on white wax looks like the rose bush has bloomed from the earth up. You can play off seasonal motifs such as moving from the bottom of the candle to the top using blossoming cherry blossoms fading into white and green for spring. In the winter pressed pine needles with a hint of silver eucalyptus to look frosty. A color fade can be created through the candle by the selection of petals, since it’s best if they don’t get too hot. You can also use layers to tell a story, where the bottom layer could be the germination of a thought, moving up the candle through the different steps to the culmination at the top. A waxing autobiography.

Sometimes, issues present themselves, but these are really just exercises in technique. For example, air bubbles can be removed by rapping the sides of the mold after every fill. Any irregularities on the surface of each layer can be melted smooth with a heat gun prior to pouring the next layer. Tweezers and skewers can be used to place elements where they can’t easily be reached. Practice helps and once you get a feel for it, it isn’t as scary. When the candle is burned, new combinations of petals will be revealed as the layers of wax burn down.

Ultimately, petal layering is an exercise in patience, deliberate action and the ephemeral. The process encourages us to slow down in a fast-paced society, to notice the strength found in dainty components when properly reinforced, and to honor impermanence with a craft that results in artifacts destined to dissolve into light and scent. Each resulting flower bears witness to innumerable conscious decisions, a testament to the maker and viewer alike that perfection is not the goal, but rather a collection of gentle actions fossilized into radiance.