Can you use glitter in candle-making?

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…i believe it can present a fire and burn hazard along with potential toxic fume upon burning…

It shouldn’t affect anything but might be most effective if you were able to keep it in the outer layers.

Candle supply places do sell glitter specialized for candle making but it’s usually made of either glass or metal——definitely not advised for working with children.

The main reason is because regular glitter is made from a shiny polyacrylic material which only looks metallic but really isn’t. If you were to mix this into the wax before pouring over the ice cubes it would be directly affected by the flame thus creating the potential for toxic fumes.

It might be a little more difficult than coating a solid candle but you could try painting it on the outsede once the candles are completely hard and removed from the milk carton molds. Do a few tester ones beforehand to see if you like the results.

Years ago before candle making was popular, my mother made Christmas candles every year. She would use glitter on the outside layer of the candle.

If you were to only use it on the outside layer of the candle on a larger candle (eg. pillar), the glitter will not be as much of a problem since the wax on the outside typically doesn’t get hot enough to burn off (but that does depend at least partially on the size of wick you use). It is definitely safest to use the special glass or metal glitter if you really want to use glitter.

@amanderveen The main problem with that is that she is doing this as a children’s project. Personally, I wouldn’t feel comfortable using either with kids but most particularly the glass glitter. The metal glitter would depend upon size but I just wouldn’t want the potential of some kid ending up in a possible ER trip from getting it in their eye or something. With kids you just never know.

That statement is made after many years as an Elem. school teacher and our current day and age is even more litigious than ever——just not worth the hassle, imho.

I’ve seen candles with glitter for sale in the stores. Here’s a tutorial on using Mod Podge to add glitter to the outside of a candle. This one adds glitter to the outside of some jars with Mod Podge & then add a votive candle to the jar. She talks a lot & I think it was 1:57 mark before she got to the glitter. She did it in such a way so the glitter isn’t shedding all the time which I would prefer if given one!!! This one is probably too complicated for kids; but, it might give you some ideas. So, YES it appears that you can add glitter to candles if you so desire!!!