Back in August, we ran a workshop led by Georgia from Ohros in her studio in Hackney that was attended by Asiyo, Barbra and Yousif; 3 young people who are currently being supported by our London refugee services.
The day started off with Georgia melting down an impressive amount of soy-wax whilst chatting through how she recently made the leap to become a full-time candle maker.
The workshop was an opportunity for Asiyo, Barbra and Yousif not only to learn how to make candles, but to learn more about what goes on behind the scenes at a small business.
Essential oils like Neroli, Eucalyptus and Bergamot were laid out on the table, with Georgia running through some tips and tricks on scent pairing.
After chatting through the different scents that reminded us of home and happy memories, Asiyo, Barbra and Yousif were able to play around with the different scents and work out what they thought worked well together - and what didn't!
Asiyo and Georgia chatting through her pairings for her, 'Spicy Orange' candle with notes of orange, cranberry, cinnamon and frankincense. The top note of oranges was picked as it reminded Asiyo of the orange trees from her home country Somalia.
Yousif, mixing together his scents into the soy-wax for his Fresh Lemongrass candle. Yousif choose to focus on the lemongrass scent, as the smell reminded him of drinking fresh lemon juice in Sudan.
Barbra and Georgia smelling her Sweet Vanilla scent, with notes of amber, bergamot and vanilla. Barba wanted to recreate the joy of eating a deliciously sweet cake and make the candle a reminder to enjoy the little moments in life.
After mixing the scents it was then time to add them into the melted wax. Making sure that the wax was at the right temperature before pouring into the beautiful Ohros signature amber glass jars, labelling and of course making time for a group photo!
You can support young refugees like Barba, Yousif and Asiyo by purchasing from our range of products supporting refugees - all profits go towards our refugee services. Which means that not only can the British Red Cross be there with essentials like food parcels, hygiene packs and case-work support for refugees and asylum seekers arriving into the UK, but we can hold more empowering, educational and fun workshops like this.