Making toy candles for children is easy, fun, and inexpensive. Unlike the method of making toy candles that require a cooking process, homemade toy candles that do not require cooking are more time-consuming, require less parental supervision, and are great for children's craft activities because toy wax can dry out over time.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Mixing Dry Ingredients and Oil
Step 1. Pour 2 cups of flour into a large bowl
Use all-purpose flour.
Step 2. Add cup of salt
Pour into a bowl of flour.
Step 3. Add 2 tbsp cream of tartar
Add cream of tartar to a bowl of flour and salt. Cream of tartar provides an elastic consistency that makes toy wax pliable and malleable.
If you don't have cream of tartar, you may want to skip it, but your toy wax will likely be more difficult to shape
Step 4. Mix all dry ingredients
Mix flour, salt, and cream of tartar until smooth with a whisk or wooden spoon.
Step 5. Add 2 tbsp vegetable oil
Add vegetable oil to a bowl of dry ingredients and mix with a whisk or spoon.
Part 2 of 3: Adding Color
Step 1. Boil 1 cups of water
Use the microwave or stove to bring the water to a boil, but do so under parental supervision.
Step 2. Add a few drops of food coloring to the boiling water
Use traditional liquid coloring, or gel food coloring, or natural dyes. Use whatever color you like.
- Remember that a few drops of dye will suffice. You can add more dye later if needed.
- If you want to make toy candles in different colors, separate the dough into as many containers as you want, and do the same with the water after it boils before adding the color to each one.
- You can make your own coloring using fruits and vegetables by extracting the juice or boiling them. Raspberries, pure pomegranate juice, or roasted beets can be used to create the red. For yellowing, try using raw carrots or mangoes. To make the color blue, use radicchio and red cabbage.
Step 3. Pour the colored water into the bowl
Slowly pour in the water while stirring it with the other ingredients. The mixture can reach the right consistency even before you add all or half of the water.
Part 3 of 3: Kneading and Adding Other Ingredients
Step 1. Let the dough cool
Let the dough cool in the bowl.
Step 2. Knead the dough
Once cool, take the toy wax dough out of the bowl and knead it by hand for a few minutes.
To get the right consistency, you need to knead it well. Therefore, keep kneading until the dough is no longer sticky
Step 3. Add flour, oil or coloring if needed
If the dough is still too sticky after kneading, sprinkle some flour and knead again. Do the same but with oil if the dough is too dry, or with food coloring if you want a more vibrant or bold color.
Step 4. Add glycerol or glitter powder (optional)
A few drops of glycerol can make your toy wax shiny. Add glitter powder to make it sparkle!
Step 5. Roll the toy wax into a ball shape to store or play with
Toy candles should not be left outside the container for too long and should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
- If you live in a hot or humid climate, keep toy candles out of the sun or in the refrigerator.
- If you make toy candles using natural food coloring from fruits or vegetables, you can store them in the refrigerator to preserve the quality of the toy wax.
Tips
- Toy candles can last for several weeks if stored in an airtight container.
- Toy candles made without cooking are great for craft projects that only need to be partially or completely dried, such as baking soda volcanoes.
- If the toy wax dough is too dry, add a little oil. If the dough is too wet, add a little all-purpose flour.
Warning
- Note that uncooked toy wax will harden if left outside for several hours. If you want a toy candle that can be left in the open air, try making cooked toy candles.
- Make sure children have parental supervision when using cooking ingredients and handling boiling water.
