The $100 Candle vs. The $10 DIY Candle
Candles have become a big thing, and for good reason! They create a cozy and calming atmosphere, improving your mood and sleep, and help you focus more and be productive through their scent and light.
However, if we are being honest, retail candles can be quite expensive, especially when you are looking for luxurious designs and decadent scents. What if I tell you that with the right ingredients and an active imagination, you can be making candles that speak to you, in the comfort of your own home!
Why you should make your own candles
Join me as I guide you through the process of candle making. By the end of this read, you should know whether you want to explore candle making as a side hustle, create personalised candle gifts, or simply make them for yourself.
Which wax is best for candle making
Soy Wax – Top Pick
Soy wax stands out as the best choice for candle making. It is an environmentally conscious choice for candle makers. It is a biodegradable and renewable option that burns cleaner and longer than traditional alternatives. While it may produce a slightly milder scent throw compared to paraffin, properly cured soy candles deliver excellent fragrance in the atmosphere. The characteristic white frosting that sometimes appears is completely natural and doesn’t affect burn quality. To get optimal results, soy wax must be poured at 50-60°C to minimize frosting and ensure even burning.
Beeswax – Offers more natural properties
Beeswax does more than bring ambient lighting into your home. When it burns, it releases negative ions that help neutralize airborne toxins. Essentially, your Beeswax candles purify the air in your space. This natural byproduct of beekeeping creates harder candles perfect for pillars and tapers, with a subtle honey aroma that adds warmth to any room. Yes, they are more expensive than other options, but the added benefits justify the investment.
Beeswax requires a higher working temperature, about 70-85°C, to accommodate its harder consistency.
Paraffin wax – The least ideal
Paraffin wax remains commercially popular, of course! That is due to its excellent scent throw and vibrant color retention; however, it presents sustainability concerns. As a petroleum byproduct, paraffin raises questions about chemical emissions and environmental impact.
The Technical Elements of Candle Making
How to Choose the Candle Wick
The wick can make or break your candle, and we’ve seen this with most commercially produced candles. If the wick is too thin, you’ll get tunnelling, which is where only the centre melts, leaving walls of unused wax. Too thick, and you’ll face excessive soot, rapid wax consumption, and potentially dangerous oversized flames.
Most luxury and homemade candle options include 100% cotton wicks and wooden wicks, which provide a more cosy crackling sound reminiscent of a fireplace while producing less soot.
Fragrance: the most sought-after element in retail
The biggest misconception in candle making is that more fragrance equals better scent throw. In reality, that’s far from the case; adding too much fragrance oil can cause candles to “sweat” or burn improperly. The sweet spot typically falls between 6-10% fragrance oil by weight (roughly one ounce per pound of wax).
Essential oils offer natural aromatherapy benefits but can be volatile when heated, resulting in lighter, less persistent scents. While synthetic, fragrance oils often provide stronger, more consistent aromas and can be formulated without harmful chemicals like CMRs (carcinogenic, mutagenic, or reprotoxic substances) and phthalates.
For optimal scent binding, add fragrance oils to soy wax at 60-65°C (149°F), ensuring the oils integrate properly without burning off too quickly.
The Craft Process
Preparation and Safety First
Professional quality results start with meticulous preparation. Your workspace must be clean, well-ventilated, and free of flammable materials. Personal protection is not negotiable; wear long sleeves, closed-toe shoes, and safety goggles when working with hot wax. Always use a double boiler for melting wax; direct heat is a recipe for fire hazards and uneven heating that compromises quality.
The Four Critical Stages
Stage 1: Prepping for Perfection
Clean your container thoroughly and centre the wick for a professional finish. Even tiny residue particles can affect wax adhesion and burn quality. Take time to position wicks perfectly to prevent uneven burn pools.
Stage 2: Mastering the Melt and Blend
Measure components precisely for consistency and optimal scent throw. A good kitchen scale can help with this. Melt wax slowly, stirring gently. Heat to slightly above your target pouring temperature, then cool to the ideal fragrance addition. This ensures complete additive dissolution and proper scent binding.
Stage 3: The Pouring technique
Pour slowly and steadily to minimize air bubbles. If sinkholes appear, a gentle surface reheat with a heat gun or small top-up pour can smooth imperfections.
Stage 4: The Patience of Curing
This stage separates amateur from professional results. Curing allows fragrance oils to fully bind and mature within the wax matrix, like ageing wine. While paraffin may cure in days, soy typically needs 3-4 days, and beeswax can take up to 10 days. This patience improves scent throw and overall candle burning performance.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
Preventing and Fixing Problems
- Sinkholes: Usually caused by wax contraction. Pour more slowly, tap containers to release air bubbles, or do small top-up pours.
- Weak Scent Throw: Often due to incorrect fragrance ratios, wrong addition temperatures, or insufficient curing time.
- Tunnelling: Prevented by ensuring the first burn creates a full melt pool to the container edges (roughly one hour per inch of diameter).
- Mushrooming Wicks: Indicates oversized wicks or carbon buildup. Regular trimming to ¼ inch prevents this issue.
Creative Possibilities and Innovations
The creative potential in candle making continues to increase with innovative techniques gaining popularity for 2025:
- Layered Candles: Multiple colors and scents create visual and olfactory journeys
- Pressed Flower Candles: Dried botanicals adhered to clear containers for organic aesthetics
- Citrus Peel Candles: Using hollowed fruit peels as biodegradable containers
- Marbled Effects: Swirling multiple wax colors for abstract art pieces
- Crackling Wood Wicks: Providing fireplace-like ambience with cozy scents
Scaling From Passion to Profit with Candle Making
The candle market presents compelling opportunities for entrepreneurial makers. Valued at $14.06 billion in 2024, the global market is projected to grow 6.4% annually through 2030. It is driven by increasing awareness of self-care and personalized home environments.
Strategic Steps for Business Success
1. Define Your Niche
Success requires understanding your ideal customer and the unique value you provide. Are you targeting luxury seekers, budget-conscious buyers, or eco-focused consumers? Specificity makes marketing more effective and builds loyal followings.
2. Perfect Your Product
Test relentlessly until your recipes, wick-to-wax ratios, and scent throws are consistently exceptional.
3. Strategic Pricing
Many new entrepreneurs undervalue their time and skills. Factor in materials, labor, packaging, marketing costs, overhead, and a sustainable wage for yourself. Quality handmade products command premium pricing when positioned correctly.
4. Build Your Brand Develop memorable business names, compelling logos, attractive labels, and social media strategies that connect emotionally with your niche. Your brand is the emotional bridge to customers.
5. Choose Sales Channels Wisely Options range from personal online stores (Shopify) to established marketplaces (Etsy) and local craft fairs. Each channel serves different customer segments and business growth phases.
Candle making represents far more than a simple craft. It’s a sophisticated intersection of sustainability, creativity, and potential entrepreneurship.
The knowledge you’ve gained here provides the foundation for whatever direction your candle-making journey takes. From creating a single soy candle infused with organic essential oils for personal enjoyment, to crafting thoughtful handmade gifts, or developing the prototype for a candle business, the principles of quality, safety, and conscious material choices remain constant.
