Gel candles are made from gelled mineral oils or gelled synthetic hydrocarbons to produce a transparent candle, often with wax figurines suspended within the gel substance. A gel candle will also contain a thickening agent to make the gel more rigid, and is contained in a glass vessel to hold the shape.

There are some extraordinarily beautiful gel candles available and they are more and more popular as gift items. The figurines within the gel can be anything from seashells to herbs to more personalized specialty figurines like a wedding couple or a person's favourite animal or sea creature.

The gel effect can be reminiscent of those little glass 'snowballs' that had winter scenes and 'snowed' when you shook them. The effect can be tinted and glittery or plainly transparent.

Aromatherapy gel candles are a very popular gift. These candles will have some of the actual herbs or plants suspended in the wax, for a nice visual pot pourri effect as well as the aromatherapy effects of the essential oils that are released as the candle burns.

Gel candles will have a cored wick. Cored wicks are generally a paper and cotton mix with a core of tin or zinc to help it remain straight and rigid. To ensure the core is not made of lead, rub a white piece of paper over the unburned wick. If a pencil-like mark appears, the wick contains lead, and should not be burned.

When buying candles online, it is a good practice to look for manufacturers who clearly state that their candles are lead-free.

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