Scented Palm Wax Candle Experiment

Ok, I think palm wax might be my favorite wax yet, which is too bad because it costs almost twice as much as paraffin or soy.

Either that or I’m just getting better at this. I didn’t add any additives, the candles burn well and they’re the strongest smelling candles I have made.

This is “feather” palm wax which means it makes a feathered pattern when it hardens. It’s beautiful and sparkly and i love the effect. If you’re looking for a smooth shiny one tone color you might not like the feathered mottled look.

The votives and the smaller pillar were all made with one pound of palm wax, 2 tablespoons (or 30 ml) of lavender essential oil, half a blue dye chip and half a red.

I was going for purple but it turned out pink. Next time i will throw a whole blue chip in there.

I also made a large pillar (3 x 6 inch) with fresh cut flowers scented oil. This is not an essential oil but it truly smells like fresh cut flowers. I’m glad I made a big one because I don’t want to raid my garden anymore.

As if Diwali weren’t colorful and fun enough, The Festival of Lights: A Lift-the-flap Diwali Celebration by Namita Moolani Mehra, illustrated by Darshika Varm, makes it even more fun to read about with flaps and things to lift and pull to see more information or details in the illustrations.

The book is a story about a family getting ready for Diwali and what happens on the different days of the five-day celebration. There’s cleaning, shopping, crafting, food preparation and getting the home altar ready for the big day.

It covers decorating the outside of the house with rangoli, diyas and lanterns, buying sweets to share with family and friends, the sights and scents of the mandir (home temple), getting dressed up in new fancy clothes, the story of Diwali and celebrations with relatives.

Flaps (there are more than 140 in all) give you vocabulary words for different foods and definitions, as well as fun things like what’s inside the shopping basket or where the cat is hanging out. They also help illuminate the story of Diwali, which is the triumph of good over evil as Lord Ram defeated the demon Ravana to save his wife, Sita.

This pretty and colorful book helps kids understand what Diwali is and how it is celebrated, regardless of whether they practice it at home. This would be a nice book to keep in a classroom (it’s rated for kids ages 3-7) or to have at home to teach kids about Diwali even if it’s not something you celebrate. Where I live there are a lot of people from India so we are probably exposed to Diwali more than some other regions of America, but it’s a nice holiday to know about wherever you live.

Combine with the book Diwali and check out some fun lantern crafts and printables for kids to round out your experience.

About the book: 24 pages, hardcover, published 2025 by Wide Eyed Editions. Suggested retail prices $22.99.

Have you read?