Make your own modeling crayons — eco-friendly and money-saving by recycling old crayons!

Ta-da!Today’s tutorial isn’t about food, hey (though it really does look like it)! The other day, after sharing the party favors for Robbie’s 2nd birthday...

Don’t doubt it—this was also made by my own hands, haha. The idea came from inspiration shared by a friend. After doing some online research, I found the process is insanely simple—it’s practically foolproof, even someone with zero crafting skills can’t mess it up. Isn’t that exciting? All those crayons you get at kids’ restaurants, or the ones your child has used down to stubs or broken in half, don’t throw them away just yet. With a bit of creativity and ingenuity, mom (or dad!) can whip up this little DIY project in just 10 minutes. It makes a great handmade gift for other kids, and the making process can even be a fun activity for your child to join in on, sharing that big sense of accomplishment together. The best part? The remade crayons work just as well as new ones!

Recycling and reusing old crayons is really eco-friendly and saves money too ^^ Next, I’ll teach you two ways to make shaped crayons: the double boiler method and the oven-melting method. Both are equally simple—just choose the one that suits the tools you have at home.

If your molds can withstand high temperatures, like silicone or aluminum molds for cookies and candies, they can be used for both the oven-melting method and the double boiler method. But if you’re using something like the soap-making silicone molds or ice cube trays from the photo, and you’re not sure if they’re oven-safe, I’d recommend the double boiler method instead. Also, if you go with the double boiler method, it’s best to use an old small pot you don’t need anymore. Although I’ll explain how to clean these tools at the end, it’s way easier if you just toss them afterward!

2. First, let’s undress the crayons. Trust me, this is the most time-consuming part. Here’s a little tip: if you buy higher-quality, more “pure” crayons, you can usually just rinse them under cold water or soak them for 30 seconds, and the paper wrapper will easily peel off. Then just dry off any water on the crayons. But I’ve also seen cases where cheaper crayons, possibly due to less stable materials, start melting the moment they touch water...

3. Put the crayons into a small pot, then place that pot inside a larger one with water in it to create a double boiler setup.

4. The crayons will quickly start to soften and melt. Just stir them gently with a spare bamboo skewer or disposable chopstick, and they’ll soon turn into a smooth liquid.

5. While the wax is still hot, pour the melted liquid into your molds. Let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, or in the fridge for about 10 minutes until it hardens completely. The waiting time depends on the size of the mold you use—the bigger the mold and the more wax it holds, the longer it will take to cool.

6. Once it’s hardened, you can de-mold and package your crayons to give as gifts. But a friendly reminder, especially if you’ve made food- or candy-shaped crayons: sometimes they look so cute that little ones might mistake them for treats. So parents, please keep an eye on this, and give a heads-up if you’re giving them as presents (I added a “DO NOT EAT” sticker since I’m giving these away).

Bonus: Oven-Melting Method. This method is even simpler than the double boiler one. But you must use molds that are oven-safe. I chose the super trendy cat paw molds. Just like before, prepare your unused or leftover crayons and remove all their paper wrappers. You can preheat your oven to around 120°C (the exact temp isn’t critical—as long as it’s hot enough to melt crayons, you’re good. Preheating is optional—you can just watch and wait for them to melt. The temperature and timing mentioned here are just for reference).

Next, break the crayons into smaller pieces by hand and loosely fill your molds. You can use a single color or mix colors—go wild however you like.

Place the molds in the oven and heat for about 10–15 minutes, or until you can see the crayons have completely melted into liquid. For safety, it’s a good idea to put a baking tray under the molds so you don’t have to worry about wax spills when moving them.

Once all the crayons are melted, take out the tray and molds. If you've mixed colors, do NOT shake or stir, or the colors will blend together and ruin any chance of pretty marbled or gradient effects.

Pop the molds into the fridge to cool for 10–30 minutes until fully hardened. When cooled, the crayons may shrink a tiny bit, so you can just turn the molds upside down and pop the crayons right out. Easy peasy. And the multi-color crayons look seriously awesome—I want them myself!

★ How to Clean Your Tools. A must-read. Personally, I prefer the oven method because there's no messy pot-cleaning involved. But if you don’t have oven-safe molds, the double boiler method is definitely safer. Now, let’s talk about cleaning your tools.

The wax generally comes off molds cleanly once hardened. If there are any stubborn bits, you can just scratch them off with your fingernail. If you plan to use that mold again for food, I recommend soaking it in boiling water for about 5 minutes, then drying it thoroughly—that’s safer.

I suggest using bamboo skewers or disposable chopsticks, since they’re cheap and you can just toss them after one use. No need to bother with a cleaning tutorial for those.

And whatever you do, DO NOT think it’s okay to rinse hot water and melted wax down the drain. Wax solidifies when it cools—and that means clogged pipes. Here’s how I handle cleaning:

(1) First, put the pot in the fridge to let the leftover wax harden. Then you can use a chopstick to lift out most of the wax chunks and throw them away.

(2) For any remaining wax residue, I put the pot back on the stove and use the double boiler method again to melt the rest. Then quickly wipe it clean with kitchen paper towels. Since it solidifies again as it cools, you might need to repeat the melt-and-wipe steps a few times to get it all.

(3) Once it’s completely clean, it’s a good idea to boil the pot in hot water for a few minutes, just like the molds, to ensure there’s no wax residue left—so it’s safe to cook with in the future.

Finally, let’s take a look at our birthday party guest-favor collection.

Aren’t they adorable? ^^
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