Skull Candle DIY
Very rarely do I come across a craft that I can’t do. I’ve been crafting my entire life and most crafts come pretty easy to me. This DIY made me question my crafting abilities. If you are a frequent viewer of Tik Tok, you may have seen the very common trend of making skull candles from Dollar Tree items. I attempted making my own using only items found at the Dollar Tree (and tools I already had at home). Keep reading and watch the video to see my process and find out if I would make this skull candle again and what I would change if I were to do so.
Materials Used
Skull
In the popular Tik Tok videos for this tutorial, you’ll notice that most people use a soft plastic skull head to make their skull candle. Unfortunately, right out of the gate I hit a snafu as there weren’t any of these available at the two stores I visited. Instead, I decided to go with what seemed to be the next best thing; a skull shaped drinking container. It was smaller than the original skull and I thought it would be nice to use less wax.
Another issue I had with the plastic mold I used was that it wasn’t level. When it was set on the surface it wobbled and wasn’t steady. I knew I had to fix this as best I could, but even my heat gun couldn’t remedy it 100%.
What I Would Do Differently
This harder plastic mold ended up being the bane of my existence for this project. Initially I had planned to cut the mold in half with a craft knife, but this hard plastic simply could not be cut with one, so I had to resort to using my Dremel. Because I had to use that tool, I ended up with a significant gap between the two pieces that I had to try and figure out how to seal. Try to find the softer plastic skull if you plan on doing this craft.
Wax
For this craft I used the altar candles that Dollar Tree often has readily available. I chose black but you can use whatever color you like. Thankfully I grabbed 3 for this project as I ended up using all of them, but my advice, if you’re using these candles, is to grab more than you think. Quickly into melting the candles, I realized how much air must be in them because as they began to melt, the wax only ended up taking half of the volume of the candle container.
What I Would Do Differently
These altar candles are AWFUL! It doesn’t take much heat at all to melt them. In fact, as you handle your finished candle, you’ll notice your hands become waxy very quickly as it begins to soften while you hold it. Use a harder wax; one with a higher melting point. I’ve seen other crafters use emergency candles with good results. Before you purchase your candle, be sure to handle the candle to see if it stays hard with your body temperature.
Hot Glue and Duct Tape
As I mentioned before, there was a significant gap formed by the Dremel cutting blade that I had to figure out how to seal up. In my mind it made sense to fill it up with hot glue and then cover that hot glue with duct tape. I understood that the hot wax might melt the glue a little, but I thought the duct tape would add protection. This did not end up working completely as you’ll notice in the video.
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What I Would Do Differently
In the first section you’ll note that I said I would not use this mold again. I think had I used the soft plastic mold this gap would not have been an issue and the use of glue and duct tape may not have been necessary.
Steps to Make A Skull Candle
1. Now that you have all of your materials, you need to start by cutting your mold. Ideally this should be a two-piece mold so that you can remove the mold from the candle in the end, as opposed to the other way around. I didn’t want a line going down the middle of the skull’s face, so I choose to cut over the top of the skull, but you can cut it however your like. You just need the candle to be easily removed when it’s cooled.
Visit Amazon to Purchase Your Cutting Tool
2. Once it is cut in half, you need to tape it back up. Ideally your piece will go together nicely and a long strip of duct tape can be used to attach them back together. Be sure there are no gaps in the duct tape and push it down to attach it firmly along the entirety of the cut.
3. Melt your wax in a pot of hot water. If your candle is in a glass container, place the glass container directly into simmering water and allow it to melt. Place your unhoused candle in a bowl or container that can safely be placed into the water. You will need to reserve one of the wicks from your candles to use in your skull candle.
If you don't want to reuse your wick, you can buy a set of wicks and wick holders by visiting Amazon to purchase. Click the photo to be taken directly to the product.
4. Using a dab of hot glue, attach the wick to the bottom center of the candle mold. Using a pencil or skewer helps to affix it to the base if you can’t get your fingers all the way inside. Center the top of the wick by running it through a clothespin and laying that horizontally across the top, or pinching the wick between two sticks and taping that across the top of the mold.
5. Your hot melted wax will be significantly easier to pour into your mold if you are using a container that has a spout. For this I used a glass Pyrex measuring cup. Start by pouring about a third of your wax into the mold. At this point, I tipped the mold forward to make sure that the wax filled all of the facial features of the skull. To aid in the removal of any bubbles, I tapped around the face with a spoon to encourage them to rise to the top. Then, fill the rest of your skull candle with the wax and let it cool. There is no need to rush this process, just let it cool at room temperature overnight.
At this point, I noticed a bit of wax had made its way out of the split in the mold. To remedy this, I re-melted the excess wax and filled the remainder of the skull mold.
6. Once the skull candle is cool, remove the wick holder and tape and gently separate the two pieces of your mold. If you scratch your candle and you want to smooth it out, gently run over the surface with the air from a heat gun. Trim your wick to ¼” and light your candle.
Final Thoughts on the Skull Candle DIY
All in all, this project turned out ok for me. It wasn’t completely enjoyable, if I’m being 100% honest, and I think it was because of the reasons I listed above. The wax that I used was really annoying to work with and I would have used a different mold if I had known better and it had been available. In the end, I’m not completely disappointed with it and I do encourage you to give it a try for yourself. Definitely take my advice into consideration and don’t try to improvise. If you do give making this skull candle a shot, be sure to tag us on any social media platform. We’d love to see what you made.
