GLITTER CANDLE OPTIONS

This page offers some tips on glittering candles. As with all our project pages, please be sure to test, test, test your materials!  We cannot control the mix of glues, glitters and other environmental factors when you do your project.

MODGE PODGE

If you are creating a candle that is decorative only (not for burning) then the old Mod Podge favorite may be the way to go. You have a couple of choices. 
1. You can apply Mod Podge to the candle and then either roll it in glitter or sprinkle glitter over the glued area. You can leave it as is and some flakes will come off OR you can over coat the glitter with more Mod Podge. Just make sure you to let the glitter layer dry before you do.
2. You can mix the glitter into the Mod Podge and then apply that mixture to the outside of the candle. You can apply multiple layers to make the glitter has thick as you like.
Note: Keep in mind that glitter that has had many coatings will get duller with every coat you apply.
Craft Glitter: OK for non-burning candles. Larger flakes offer bigger sparkles. Finer glitter flakes offer more detail. Craft Glitter cannot go over 280 degrees of heat.
Polyester Glitter: OK for most candle applications. It can take heat up to 350 degrees.
Safety: Burning Mod Podge is not recommended. Please contact the manufacturer with any concerns you may have around this issue.

HEAT IT METHOD

If  you want a truly stunning candle then we recommend the heat method.  Using a heat tool, you simply heat the candle until you just start to see the wax get glossy and melt. You then quickly roll that area of the candle in glitter. The hot wax grabs the glitter and as the candle cools it completely sticks.  You can do the entire candle or use a mask (we use vinyl) to isolate the area being heated.

Once you have coated the candle with glitter, you can lightly brush off any extra glitter. Then heat the glittered area again for a bit. This makes the wax grab the glitter even more and adds a glossy wax finish to the glitter. The glitter does not flake off if you have done this correctly.

Tip: Finer glitters work better for this type of application 0.008- 0.015 is best.

Craft Glitter: Not a great choice unless you are very careful with your second heating. Max heat for craft glitter is 280 degrees.

Polyester Glitter: Perfect choice for the most part. They can be heated up to 350 degrees (the iridescent glitters and the cosmetics really cannot go above 225 degrees). They are also super sparkly!

Project: We posted this technique as a step-by-step project on the Glitter Project Blog on this website.

GLITTER MIXED IN

This is a question we get asked a lot. "Can your glitters be used to put into candles". There is no blanket answer we can give. What we can tell candle makers is that our Polyester Glitters can handle heat up to 350 degrees (except for the Cosmetics and the Iridescents which can go up to 225 max).  Craft Glitters can be heated to 280 degrees.


So that means that most of the Polyester Glitters will work in your candles. The glitter will hold up and look great. Always test for color bleeding!

That being said- do you want to burn PET films?  Glitter is made from films and burning a film is never a great idea for your health.

The choice is yours on this one. Here are the facts and you can make the decision.