How to Make Seascape Gel Candles

By Heather Long

Are you looking for instructions on how to make seascape gel candles? Seascape candles are ideal creations for gifts and decorations.

How to Make Seascape Gel Candles

Creating seascape candles requires creativity, patience and a love for oceans, sand, fish and other articles that bring to mind the sea.

Before you get started, you need to gather your supplies. You'll need a medium density gel wax, a prepped zinc core wick (preferably one that is long enough for your container), a fragrance (if desired), a dye (if desired), glitter sand, hot glue gun and sea items such as seashells and starfish.

Step One

Prep your container and wick. Take your chosen container and place a dab of hot glue on the base of the prepped zinc core wick. You'll glue the wick to the center of the container and fix it firmly. You want the wick in place and the length of it high enough to be out of the container so you can control it during the rest of the prep. Remember when choosing your candle shape that fatter containers give you more real estate to decorate.

Step Two

Take your glitter sand and carefully pour it around the base of the wick and across the bottom layer of your container. You can use different colors of sand, but the glitter sand actually adds to the sparkling effect when you add the gel wax in a later step. Be sure to add a few seashells and other sea decorations away from the wick towards the edges of the glass.

Step Three

Now that your container is prepped, you need to liquefy your solid gel wax. Be sure to follow the instructions in How to Make a Gel Candle and use the proper safety measures when melting your gel wax. You can add the dye and fragrance if desired. Some people enjoy the addition of an ocean scent with a hint of blue to their seascape candles. Once you have the wax melted, pour a small layer along the side of the wick into the container. Be careful not to pour it directly onto the sandy bottom which can cause cloudiness. Drizzling the wax down the wick can let the gel wax pool along the bottom and set up nicely.

Step Four

Once the layer of gel wax is rubbery to the touch, you can add more sand and shells and then another layer of wax. You will repeat this process until you've filled your container, creating a dazzling effect of a sandy bottomed, tropical ocean or other panoramic sea scene. Be sure to let each layer attain a rubbery coolness before continuing.

Layering the gel wax allows you to use heavier objects at different layers and keeping them suspended in the candle.

Seascape Suggestions

When you experiment with how to make seascape gel candles, you can add a variety of items, styles and containers to create beautiful scenes from hot oranges and yellows to briny blues and greens. Be sure to never use flammable items in your candle set up. You can create images of shipwrecks on the ocean floor, lost treasure and even a mermaid or two as long as the items are arranged carefully (far away from the wick) and are not flammable.

Just remember that when you create a candle, any candle, it must be safe to burn.