Homemade Crayon Tips.

Melting old crayons and creating new ones is definitely a great way to recycle...even upcycle...and I thought I would take a few moments to write down the useful tips/tricks during this little experiment.

1. Make sure you use the same BRAND of crayons. If you mix different brands together, their varying ingredients creates different melting points. So you will have some crayons that are ready to pour, and some that just NEVER want to melt at all. Also, I have found that some brands of crayons have a creamier texture, and some have a more oily texture....so keep it in the same vein....so to speak.

2. Adding just a hint of cooking spray to your candy molds, not only makes them slip right out of their molds when cooled; but also adds a wee bit of sheen to your newly made crayons....makes them look EXTRA cool!

3. Mixing a whole bunch of different colours may LOOK cool to your final product; however, when the kids use it, they might be disappointed with the "muddy blend" when they start to color. By using different ranges of "red" for example....light, medium, dark, neon, of the same shade will create a palette of colours that they can actually use and be happy with - about how the colours are blending together.

4. Use the oven to melt the crayons. Microwaves have a tendancy to "boil" the product. By placing the crayons in individual tin foil tart shells will allow you to have better control over your batches. You can even "pinch" the side of the tart shell to create a "spout" which makes it easier to pour.

Hope this helps! Have fun!