One of my favorite and most popular soap recipes is my Citrus Honey Bock. It's made with honey, a blend of citrus essential oils and of course, dark "bock" beer. Does the beer really add anything to the soap? Well...probably just a little bit of extra lather from the sugar content (which the honey does as well.) But it certainly captured the imagination of shoppers and was an excellent soap for men!
Now candle makers don't quite have this as an option. I don't know of any waxes or wicks that benefit from the addition of beer. But you can certainly use beer as an inspiration for your candles! Candle makers make candles that look like apples and cinnamon rolls and pies, so why not make ones that look like beer? The beer candle project uses a combination of candle gel and candle wax. I like the gel better for these because it stays clear and actually does look like beer - bubbles and all. Substitute in a little green candle color for the amber - and you've got green beer candles - in honor of St. Patrick's Day - or any Irish or otherwise green-loving person you know.
Chunk Candles - whether votives, pillars, or containers - are fun and easy to make - and one of the most popular variations of votive and pillar candle makers. I decided to make some chunk candles with a twist. Rather than cut the chunks into uniform cubes, I left them as rods and placed them standing up into the mold - leaving them as sort of stripes in the candle. I did some monochromatic ones...and some rainbow colored ones. The effects were really cool. As always, the only limit is your imagination.
I know the snow has barely melted in much of the country, but it actually is time to start planning for spring and summer candles. Here's an article that gives