Article courtesy of the Northside Sun, reporter Nell Floyd.
The bell that signals the start and end of class at Jackson Academy structures workdays for Roxie Hood.
On the weekends and during school holidays, candle-making takes Hood out of that structure and into a creative world.
“When I’m making candles, I lose track of time,” said Hood, a graduate of Millsaps College and Mississippi College who teaches honors geometry, honors algebra II and Advanced Placement statistics at JA.
A serial crafter who owned an embroidery machine, a Cricut machine for making personalized items and supplies for creating hairbows, Hood decided to try her hand at candle-making during covid when the schools were shut down and life seemed uncertain.
“It became a fun escape when the kids had gone to bed,” said the Madison resident and mother of two children.
She soon became engaged in not just pouring melted wax into containers and adding wicks and fragrance oils but studying what would produce the best results. Various kinds of wax, the type and size of wick and percentage of fragrance oil can make a difference in how a candle burns.
“I’ve poured over 1,000 batches of candles,” Hood said. “My goal is to have my candles burn perfectly.”
Now, Hood’s candle-making is a hobby that provides gifts for family, friends and happies for teachers and members of organizations of which she is a member. She also provides candles such as one named “Bright Minds” for the JA Store located on campus.
Hood takes a scientific approach and keeps spread sheets of notes so she can remember combinations of ingredients and make changes according to how a candle performs or how strong the fragrance smells. “I can look back and tell you the candles I made in 2020,” she said.
All of the research has helped her streamline her efforts. She now has 15-20 scents she uses, depending upon the season of the year.
Hood creates candles mostly in cooler months when many people seek their warmth and enjoy having the light keep them company. “Nobody wants to burn a candle when its 100 degrees outside,” she said.
This month, Hood plans to pour candles that will be among small gifts adjudicators at the Mississippi Theatre Association’s 2026 state festival in Oxford receive. Hood, who has performed with the Center Players Community Theatre based at the Madison Square Center for the Arts, is a member of the association’s board.
She has also provided candles for a “Love Your Leaders” Sunday at Pinelake Church in Madison. She is a member of the church’s worship team and children’s ministry team.
Hood has also shared the fruits of her labor with her co-workers at JA. “At the beginning of the year, I left two or three dozen apple-scented candles for my co-workers in the lounge,” she said.
Along the way, the time Hood has poured into her hobby has led to insights about herself.
“Candle-making helps keep me balanced,” Hood said. “I grew up as a perfectionist, and everything had to be just right. When you make candles, mistakes are guaranteed but you can melt your mistakes and try again.”
