Candle Making - Where to start

How to Start Making Candles

JARS

Alternatively, you can opt to choose your own jars. The jar or vessel will be the first building block in knowing what to add to your cart.

Choosing a candle tin is ideal for travel-sized candles or testers since it’s durable and easy to label.

Once you have chosen a suitable size and shape glassware for your candles, you need to read the 'description' of each one. Under the description, we provide you with detailed information about the jar you have chosen, such as the recommended wick size to use and how much wax it will hold. From the product page, you can click on the link for the recommended wick size and add however many you will need to your cart. Wicking a candle requires a lot of patience and test burning. We recommend having a range of different sizes on hand just in case the first recommendation does not quite cut it in your test burns. We also advise that you read the header at the top of the wicks page for information on the differences between the two wicks.

In the event that you already have a jar, you can determine the required wick size by measuring the diameter of the jar at its widest point and finding a similar glassware on our website. You can then use the recommendations under that product as a guide.

Candle Containers and Soy Wax

SOY WAX

For all candle makers, we suggest using GW 464 soy wax as it is natural and easy to work with. We provide approximations on our jars regarding the amount of wax required, and we advise that you calculate the number of jars you require based on the amount of wax we say each glassware holds. It is advisable to obtain slightly more wax than needed.

Scented Candles and Fragrance Oils

FRAGRANCES

If you wish to fragrance your candles, you can select either fragrance oils or essential oils.

Our fragrances are candle-specific and pure, with over 400 options to choose from. Fragrances tend to have a stronger scent throw than essential oils, as they are made of both synthetic and essential oils, which allows for chemical manipulation. Essential oils are purely natural and may not have a strong throw. To read more on the difference between essential oils and candle fragrances, please click here. To determine the appropriate amount of fragrance required per candle, you can read our blog post here. The amount of fragrance will be specific to the size of the jar you have chosen. It is best to purchase a small-sized fragrance to test before buying in larger quantities, just in case you do not like it.

Adding Colour to Homemade Candles

DYES
The easiest method of dyeing your candles is to use solid colour dye blocks, which can be shaved and thoroughly mixed into the melted wax to achieve the desired colour. One block is highly concentrated and can dye a large amount of wax. Alternatively, you can use concentrated liquid dyes, which can be easier to measure for consistency, so you can achieve the same colour in each batch of candles.

DIY Candles: Equipment and Tools

EQUIPMENT

To melt the wax, you can either purchase a pouring pot to use as a double boiler or use two saucepans you have at home. You can also use a Pyrex jug in the microwave. Melt the wax as you would chocolate, ensuring that you do not place the pouring pot directly on the heat as it may burn the wax. It is also important to pour the wax at the correct temperature, so a thermometer is a must-have item.

When scaling up production, using a wax melter can save time and ensure consistent results compared to melting wax in smaller batches.

Candy thermometers are cheap but easily broken if rested or knocked against the bottom of the pot. If you intend on making candles and other products for a while, then we recommend the small investment in an infrared thermometer. They are the BEST!

Other equipment you will need includes wick bar holders (these keep your wicks upright and still whilst pouring), measuring cups (to measure out your fragrance oil), and wick stickums (these stick on your wicks and then onto the bottom of your glass to stop your wick from floating around and becoming off-centre).

Learn How to Make Homemade Candles

Once you have purchased everything you need, watch our easy-to-follow and informative video on how to make a soy candle. This is a perfect visual aid to help you understand how to start making candles at home.

Basic written instructions can be found here. Even though they relate to the beginners candle making kit, you can adapt them to your own candle containers. You will learn more after making your first batch of candles. We have an abundance of information available in our website's help section to guide you through any issues you might encounter.

Enjoy your soy candle making journey!