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Many people (myself included) have found that there is a large amount of hemp left in their house. So what can you do with all that? One of the best, easiest, and simplest things you can do is make your own hemp candle wicks. How do you do it?

First, a quick explanation of how you make a wick a wick (as opposed to string or whatever). It’s just a thread of something flammable that’s coated with something else that’s flammable. Although this sounds strange, it actually makes it burn slower. However, there are a few things you must do to properly transform your hemp into a wick. Normally with cotton you have to soak it with water, salt and acid. Since hemp is already much drier than cotton, you can do this step or skip it, it’s up to you.

If you decide to soak the hemp in this solution, be sure to allow it to dry completely before the next step. Once it’s completely dry, melt some wax in a water bath to submerge. You can use paraffin wax, soy wax, beeswax, or just use an old candle that has burned out (a great way to save money and the rest of the candle!). The ideal is to heat the wax between 160 and 170 degrees. (Fahrenheit) before starting to wet the wick.

If possible, you want to dip the wick while keeping it perfectly straight. The easiest way to do this is to tie a weight to the bottom of the string (anything will work, like a quarter) and then hang it from something while it dries so it stays straight. If you want to do more than one at a time, you can buy specially made shelves (a bit expensive for my taste), or you can glue clips (the thick ones) to a dowel rod for a much cheaper alternative.

After dipping it into the melted wax, hang it up straight and allow it to dry and cool completely. If you really want to make your own hemp candle wicks burn evenly, you can dip them a second time and let them dry completely. This will give them a thick, even coat that will burn slowly and consistently, plus they won’t need to be trimmed very often. Once you have covered and dried it, you are ready to make your wick into a candle. What is the easiest and cheapest way to do it without buying supplies?

Use something around your house as a mold, but we’ll talk about that in a minute. First, we need to get or make a wick tab. A wick tab is just a small piece of metal at the bottom of the candle that prevents the wick from burning all the way down which would overheat the bottom of the container if it is a container candle or burn whatever it is that the candle is sitting. Now, truth be told, wick tabs are so unbelievably inexpensive (about 10 cents each) that if you think you’re going to make more than 3 candles, just buy a pack. However, if you’re impulsive like me and can’t wait to get one, you can make one with a thumbtack. I eat?

Just insert the tack through the wick and place it in the bottom of your mold, that’s it. So now that we have a wick ready to go, and it’s on a wick tab for safety, we’re ready to find a mold to make our candle. Just about anything will work, you can use a soup can, a coffee can, or even a soda can. I personally like the soda can because I can unmold the candle (soup cans have ridges so the candle stays in the can). Simply cut the top of the soda can very carefully, being careful of any sharp edges, and place the ‘wick tab’ in the bottom center of the mold. To keep the wick centered and straight, hang it from something until the candle has cooled.

Once you’re all set, simply pour the 170 degree wax into the mold and let it cool for several hours. It will sink a bit in the middle, you can either leave it like that or cover it with some slightly warmer (about 175 degree) wax. Once completely cooled, cut the wick to a quarter inch, unmold the candle, and you’re ready to go! Now that you know how to make your own hemp candle wicks, you can make as many candles as you want!