Tilted Layer Candles How To-Candy Cane Christmas Candles

Layered candles are pretty cool, but tilted layer candles take it to a whole new level. You can make many different patterns using this technique, using 2 or more colors and/or fragrances.

Every year around Christmas the past few years, my dad orders about a dozen candles from me so he can give them to his coworkers as gifts. There are always several candy cane candles among them and I usually make them as chunk candles. Everyone loves them!

This year I decided to try doing tilted layer candles, and not just tilted, but zigzagged.  I had ordered a certain amount of Candy Cane fragrance oil, and had only enough to do the amount of candy cane candles my dad had asked for, so I was hoping I wouldn’t mess them up! lol

They turned out great though! Below you’ll find the instructions. If you’ve never made soy container candles before, you’ll want to go to my Mason Jar Candle Recipe and see the instructions for melting the wax, adding fragrance/dye, and cooling.

How To Make Candy Cane Tilted Layer Candles

Make up two batches of wax. We’ll just do two colors here, but you can do more than two.

We’ll do two 8oz jar candles for this so you’ll want to have two pour pots with 8oz of wax in each (I used Midwest Soy 100% Container Wax).

We’ll leave one batch of wax uncolored, and the other we will dye red.

Start with the uncolored wax pour pot.

Use 1/2oz Candy Cane fragrance oil once you’ve melted the wax to 185 degrees F.

Stir a few times and then let the wax cool to 100 degrees F.

While the wax is cooling, you can set up your jars.

First add your wick. I used CD 16 in these, but Eco 10 or 12 would do well too (you’ll want to test if you haven’t already) I love the long bag clips for this because you can get them on there nice and tight so they don’t move when you tilt the jars. Other wick holders will just slide around.

I used a makeup wedge for tilting the jar since I didn’t have anything else on hand and someone in our candle making group suggested it. It worked well, but what would work even better is a bowl or box with some sand in it. That way you could tilt the jars however you want to make different effects, and the jars will be even more stable.

Once you’ve placed your wicks, set the jars on the makeup wedge (or sand).

When the first layer wax is cooled to 100 degrees F. go ahead and pour the first layer. Set that pour pot aside and wait until the first layer is completely cool. This is important. If you don’t wait till it is hardened, the second layer may bleed into it. (this could give you a cool effect too, though, so feel free to try it if you like)

Once the first layer is set and cooled, turn the jar around so that it is tilted the opposite direction.

Now melt your second layer wax, add fragrance oil and red dye at 185 degrees F. I used 1 cinnamon red diamond dye (reddi-glo from Candle Science). If you use any dye chips like this, you’ll need to make sure to stir until it is completely melted into the wax.

Let cool to 100 degrees F. and then you can pour the second layer.

Now let that layer cool and you can remelt the non-colored wax to about 100 degrees F and pour the 3rd layer.

Let cool completely, remelt the red wax and pour the last layer.  Before you pour the last layer, you can take the wedge out from under the candle so the top will be flat.

And there you go! Not difficult at all, but it does take time. Be patient, have fun and get creative!