So you want to make candles….. An Introduction For Beginners
by Doneen St.John
Copyright  ©  1997 - Present.  All rights reserved.

Candlemaking is both an art and a science.  It can be a fun hobby or a wonderful career!  But the first thing you need to know is that it’s not as easy as you may think!  Now I’m not trying to scare you away… you don’t need a degree in rocket science to make candles.  But you do need a lot of common sense, patience, and tolerance!  This is a craft that takes years to master.  You will not become an expert overnight, and realistically you won’t even become a good candlemaker in a week or a month!  That is one of the most common mistakes new candlemakers (“newbies”) make…. Assuming that they can learn to make candles in a matter of a few days, and be ready to start selling them at a craft show next weekend.  Wrong! 

Why you ask?  Many reasons, the most important being safety.  It’s very important that you sell only a product that you are certain is a good quality, safe product.  You need to make sure your candles burn properly before selling them to the public, or you will open yourself up to liability!  Not to mention giving your new business a bad image.  If you market a product that has not been properly tested, you may end up getting complaints, returns, and a bad reputation.  Making a candle that will not burn well is not only a waste of your time, but also a waste of your money in materials.  Everyone is excited when they first venture into candlemaking, and most people are in a big hurry to make and sell their first candle.  Believe me, I remember that feeling when I first started years ago too!  But trust me… you are much better off being patient and waiting a little longer to do it right, instead of rushing things and doing it wrong. 

Now to get started!  First I recommend that you read up before jumping in.  You can learn so much from websites and books!  At least learn the basics before you start any hands-on action.  Next you will need supplies to begin experimenting with!  There are so many different types and brands of wax, wicks, fragrance, dyes, etc… so you don’t want to buy too much of one and assume you will get the results you want.  Always buy sample sizes first, and then test the product to determine if it will work for your needs!  Most supplies are not returnable, so you are better off trying a 10 pound slab of wax, rather than ending up stuck with a 60 pound case that you may not like!  Same goes with fragrances… always buy a 1 ounce sample first and test it in a candle before purchasing a full size bottle.  Not all vanillas smell the same, and not all cranberries smell alike either… there can be many different versions or formulas for the same fragrance.  One supply company’s vanilla may smell completely different than another’s… and each candlemaker has a different sense of smell and their own personal taste, so it’s not wise to trust opinions alone.  Always test for yourself!  Only YOUR nose knows ;)Sampling applies to wicks too… this is an area that requires a great amount of testing, so you will want to buy wick sample packs whenever possible.  Beginner kits are a great way to start off small and not invest a fortune.

Wax:

One of the first things you'll learn in candlemaking is that paraffin wax shrinks when it cools, so the sink hole/crater/concave in the middle is normal.  Most paraffin waxes will require a second pour, unless they are formulated specifically to be a “one pour” wax.   Each wax has it's own characteristics and performs differently, and each has a different look.  You will need to decide what type of candles you want to make, what look you want, what qualities, etc when choosing a wax.

Wicking:

You will quickly learn that you cannot use the same wick for each jar… different size jars will require different wicks to burn properly.  And each different kind of wax will burn differently with each wick, so never assume that if a CD12 wick worked good in a 2.5” diameter jar with a soy wax, that you can use that same wick with a paraffin wax… wrong.  This is where a great deal of testing comes in… you will need to test burn each and every combo of wax, scent, jar and wick you plan to use until you determine which combinations work best together.  Different diameter jars will need different size wicks.  And to complicate it further, different types of glass or metal or ceramic containers may need different wicks even if they are the same diameter!  Thick ceramic or thick glass containers may insulate and retain heat better, therefore you may not need as large of a wick as you would in a thinner glass container of the same diameter.  You may find you will need to wick differently metal containers than you do in glass too.  You can use the wick size charts  to help you choose a size for each jar, but those are just a starting point and you will still have to test burn each one to make sure.   I strongly suggest starting with a wick sampler pack for testing.

Fragrance:

You can use up to 1.5 oz of fragrance per pound of wax if necessary, it just depends on the scent.  Some scents are strong enough at 1 oz, and some lighter ones you may want to add more.  Some oils may not blend with the wax if you add more, so it will take experimenting and keeping good notes.

Another thing that's important to know is, different scents can affect the burn... a 51z wick might burn perfectly with one scent, but that same wick in the same wax might not burn to the edges with a different scent!  Frustrating, I know, but unfortunately this is just part of candlemaking. There's alot of "science" to this craft, and it takes quite a long time to learn it all.  It also takes a whole lot of time and testing to perfect your products before they are ready to sell to the public. Many people think candlemaking is easy and they can just learn it overnite and sell them in a week, but that's not true at all.  You need to test burn each new combo (wax, scent, wick & jar) and make sure it burns good before marketing them.  Otherwise you'll just get customers wanting their money back if your candles don't burn right, and that won't give your business a good name.  Plus it wastes your money too.  Or worse... if you sell a candle that is a potential fire hazard you could cause injury to your customer and/or their property!  How?  Here's one example... a poorly made, untested candle could potentially have fragrance oil that is not completely blended within the wax, which could flare up and cause the glass to shatter and catch fire to anything surrounding it.  I cannot stress enough how important testing is!  It's always best to make a small test batch when trying a new scent or wax. Test them in the size jar you want to use, with your regular wax, and burn one. That way if it doesn't burn good, you haven't made a bunch of them and wasted all that time and money!  Plus you need to consider the liability involved, so you always want to test products before selling them to be safe.

Summary:

If you're a beginner, I'd recommend buying a good book or two on candlemaking and study up. You'll be surprised how much there is to this craft, and you can learn so much from books!  I'd recommend Candlemaking For Fun & Profit by Michelle Espino, and The Candlemaker's Companion by Betty Oppenheimer. We sell both of those at www.candlesupply.com and both are excellent.  I'd also recommend taking some time and reading up on this site, The Candle Cauldron.  Here you can learn most of the basics, get some great ideas, learn tips & tricks that have helped other candlemakers, etc.  You can also learn alot just from all the product info on the Bitter Creek sites too!  And of course the message board here and at Bitter Creek are great places to ask advice and learn some great tips from fellow candlemakers   But it's best to study and learn all the basics first, and then use the message boards when you have specific questions.   Also remember to try using the board's search feature to search for answers to your question before posting a new question... many times the same question has already been asked several times and you can save others time by doing a search.  Most of the candlemakers on the boards are very nice and willing to help, but they have all worked hard at this too and won't just hand over all of their hard earned secrets, so they expect you to do your homework too ;)  Also remember, what works for one person may not work the same for another... so never count solely on someone else's advice, test and be sure!  Just because another candlemaker may tell you that this size wick worked great for them, that doesn't mean you should just take their word for it... take it as a suggestion and test it out. 

Once you have studied, experimented, thoroughly tested your products and know you have a good quality properly burning candle, you need to look into product liability insurance for your business.  Insurance is costly, but it’s very important to have it to protect yourself!  Chances are you may never be sued, BUT it CAN and DOES happen!  It’s better to cover yourself just in case, rather than ending up in hot water!  Check out the insurance page here on this site for some listings of companies in different states that insure candlemaking businesses.  If you don’t find one in your area, there is some good advice on that page on how to find one.   And ALWAYS use warning/caution labels on your candles!  You may want to look into incorporating your business as well, you can find lots of info and advice on the web and on the message boards too.  Try checking out the Small Business Administration site at www.sba.gov for help in setting up a new business.  I know this may all sound so complicated or overwhelming at first, but if you plan to make this into a successful business or career, you will be better off taking your time and doing it right.  Be patient, don’t rush into things, do your homework, test, test and test some more… you will be glad you did!

Best wishes and happy candlemaking!