5 Tips to Help You Master Candle Making

Sorry to burst your bubble, but candle making is not nearly as easy as one may think. Making mistakes is part of the learning process. With this blog I am hoping to help identify what might be going wrong, help avoid common misconceptions, and ultimately steer you in the right direction so that your candle making journey will continue to thrive.

Tip 1. Test, Test, Test

No one wakes up and just knows how to create the perfect candle.

There are a multitude of factors that could be causing your candle to not burn correctly. One of the most important things you need to do prior to ever making a sale is proper testing. This includes power burns. Warning labels on candles state that your candle should not burn for more than 4 hours at a time, but guess what? People rarely listen or read them. Making sure your product does not set someone’s home on fire should be your number one priority. So, test, test, test until you can produce a safe and consistent product. No excuses.

Tip 2. It Takes Time

Cure time that is.

Candles need a minimum of 3-5 days of cure time prior to test burning. Ideally, you should let a candle cure for 1-2 weeks before lighting those wicks. The type of wax and oil used will factor in the length of time needed and the strength of your candle. Paraffin wax can create a stronger hot throw and needs less cure time than soy wax, but soy wax produces less soot and can create an equally strong throw if properly cured.  Not allowing enough time for your candle to properly cure will influence your test results and leave you feeling frustrated.  

Tip 3. Write Down Everything

Take good notes. Trust me on this one. You will not remember everything. It is impossible.

I like to compare candle making to baking. Take careful notes on the ingredients used, measurements, and the temperature. All of these are incredibly important when replicating a passing candle. Just like baking, if you have too much, too little, are missing an ingredient, or the oven temp is too hot or cold, your product will not set the same. Same goes for test burning. You typically will not burn your candle the same way as someone else or for the same length of time. While test burning your candle, record how long you let the candle burn, how it smelled, how the wicks looked, depth of the melt pool, whether the wicks were trimmed or untrimmed, and keep track of the temperature of the glass. Evaluate what is working and what is not, adjust accordingly, and retest. Keeping detailed notes can also help save you in a legal battle if a customer misuses their candle and tries to sue you for negligence.

Tip 4. Size Matters

The size of your, um, wick matters.

There is not a One Size Fits All wick. There are over a dozen types of wicks to choose from, and I will admit that finding the right one can be a bit overwhelming. The type of wick and wick size you will need will vary depending on the wax you are using, the fragrance oil, the vessel you are using, and any other additives that may affect the burn of your candle. The diameter of your vessel will also impact your wick size in a big way. Vessels larger than three inches will typically need a larger wick or need to be double or triple wicked to achieve a proper burn and hot throw.

Having your candle properly wicked will give you the candle burn trifecta every maker strives for:

• Strong Hot Throw
• Clean Burning
• Long Lasting

Tip 5. Do Not Believe Everything You Read on the Internet

What works for someone else does not mean it will necessarily work for you. Also, people lie.

One costly mistake I made early on in my candle making journey was taking advice from fellow candle makers on the internet. There are hundreds of Candle Communities on social media, and my drug of choice was Facebook. Now I am not saying all of the advice is bad, but when it comes to seeking advice about testing your product, please do not rely on a stranger to give you the golden ticket you have so been yearning for. Because remember, these are not just peers with the same hobby as you. These individuals are also fellow business owners, and you are their up-and-coming competitor. In other words, take their advice with a grain of salt.

Now, I say this not because I am bitter with the lack of results I have achieved from the advice I have been given, but because of how gullible I was at the time for thinking novice candle makers were giving me the key to their candle making castle. You have to put in the work. Do not rely on strangers to do it for you.

These tips were designed to help guide you, rather than tell you how your candle making should be done. Some may think the tips are pretty vague, but candle making is not linear. Whether you use soy, coconut, paraffin, or beeswax, these tips are for all candle makers.

I hope they help guide you on your journey to greatness.