Videos and supplier FAQs and tutorials.

Mainly Youtube and through trial and error. Keep a journal of what you did and make a detailed notes.
I have no specific creator to watch but I watch everyone. Happy making.

Well done on the glass cutting! I did this as Xmas gifts one year and broke 1 of 3 bottles when pouring the hot water. It was insanely frustrating!

1. soaked the bottles in soapy water overnight to remove the labels
2. Remove the labels using a butter knife/spoon
3. Use goo gone to remove any residue
4. Got an Amazon glass scoring kit to use the hot/cold water method to “cut” the bottles
5. Using sand paper at grades 180, 220, 400, 600, and over 1000 to smooth the edges
6. Used an Amazon candle making kit to hot glue the wicks down
7. Added dried rose petals
8. Followed directions for soy wax! Heat, let cool slightly to add oils then pour (I used a combination of lemon, gardenia, orange, lavender and eucalyptus essential oil)
9. Set overnight.

It took a lot of time to collect the bottles. I spent ~100$ on the kits and now have a bunch of other mini candles to give to my guests. It was cheaper than buying wine candles, which are usually 20$ each.

Edit: fixed typo. cook to cool.

Just reminder to trim your wicks! It’ll keep your burn time/wax melt more even ☺️

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Hello fellow hyperfixater! Get yourself a kit from any candle supplier! That allows you to make a few to see if you like it!! Saves you a lot of money, and takes a lot less research !

Hello! For a beginner, you should start with a candle making kit. I got mine from VCC. They also have instructions on how to build your own kit. Check it out. Hope it helps. Goodluck!

https://villagecraftandcandle.com/collections/candle-making-kits

I bought my first kit on Amazon. I think I've heard from others that Hobby Lobby sells some. I would guess Michael's Craft Store would too. Maybe try Etsy and see if there are any kits on there?

I think you should start with a kit so you don’t have to spiral into a black hole with your ADHD. It will make your life easier and scratch that ITCH! Start small and see how you like it.

I’ve been making candles for over 10 yrs. I started by watching a tutorial on Candlescience.com. I bought their candle making kit and still use them as my main supplier for soy wax. I also have ADHD! Good luck!

It's simply melting wax, pouring, and dropping a wick in before it solidifies.

A double boiler is handy, but can be easily replicated with a standard pot and stainless or glass bowl that safely sits on top (mind if you go this route, the boiling water may cause the bowl to float around a bit and can release steam in unexpected places, always use insulated gloves when you handle the bowl like this).

You can buy wicks online, or make them from natural fibers if you’re so inclined. Keep a pan/pot for melting wax,( use old candles.,Crayons , etc.) because it will be messy.

The folks at r/candlemaking can probably help you ☺️ I've been rec'd that sub a few times.

My mom used to make emergency candles out of melted crisco with a birthday candle for the wick

I am a candlemaker! It is not difficult. Please use high quality materials. Do not use crayons. One of my favorite suppliers is CandleScience because on top of really top notch materials, there are a lot of educational videos and tutorials on their website.

Wicks are very very cheap, I’m talking like 0.08¢ a pop. For wax I really recommend soy or coconut apricot but coconut apricot is really easy to use.

For your own use it’s totally fine to reuse containers you have at home (make sure you measure the diameter so you’re getting the right size wick - CandleScience has a wick guide based on wax and vessel diameter) but please be careful after using a jar a for a few different candles.

Every time a jar is reused for a candle the structure can weaken a little bit and eventually shatter. It’s why you don’t see more places take jars back and refill for customers - typically our business insurance won’t allow it or highly recommends against it.

Candlemaking takes me to my happy place - have fun!!

Read, read, read posts in groups/forums before diving in. Avoid Amazon for supplies and only use trusted candle supply retailers.

Don't get so hung up on "perfect" that it stops you from actual doing things.

A certain amount of perfectionism is good. You obviously want to make a good product, even if it's just for yourself.

But so many times I've seen people get bogged down in making a perfect product only to get disheartened, frustrated, and eventually give up. They want to test every possible variable, so they spend a ton of money on different jars, different waxes, different wicks. They make dozens (or even hundreds) of test candles before they ever light a single one. And then it turns out that there are still problems that they need to resolve. That leads to the inevitable "I just wasted so much money", which leads to frustration.

Make some candles. Burn them. Maybe they work, maybe they don't. Figure out the problem. Iterate. When you find something that works, stop iterating. Good enough is good enough. Perfect is the enemy of good. And all those other sayings.

Once you hit "good enough" just leave it for a while. You need to finish things occasionally in order to get that sense of satisfaction. If you keep chasing perfection you'll never be finished and you'll never get that dopamine hit from saying "I made this. It works".

It’s as much or more an art form than a technical process! Also, it’s addicting !!🩷💕

Add shipping costs to get your supplies to your business as part of your COGS to help calculate your costs better.

Know local laws!

YouTube

Instagram

In a pinch you can use coconut oil, but not enough to make it worth the effort imo. Why not just buy a pound or so of soy or paraffin on amazon to stretch it? It's cheap.

Do not put objects like rocks in your candles.

One of the most helpful things for me was honestly keeping one notebook of what went right and wrong. Other than that, when I was in business, I used Candle Science wax, wicks, and fragrance oil. I do recommend checking out their website. They have a lot of good advice and tutorials, and honestly, the comments/reviews for the fragrance oils often have good tips, too.

Newbie here as well and I hope others more experienced will share some tips with you, but I will share what I've learned on my short journey so far. I'm sure my thoughts will be corrected if I'm wrong. It's been a bumpy road. The most helpful tip I can think of is to test burn your candle wax without fragrance/color or any additives. If i'd known this in the beginning it would have helped me out so, so much. After you get your wax/wick selection narrowed down to a size that is working with your wax then try with fragrance. You may have to adjust your wick up or down a size but at least you have a good starting point and you aren't trying to test loads of different sizes and then don't know what might be causing the problem if you aren't getting the result you want.

Don't be like me and want to make the strongest candle that's ever been smelled and put the very maximum fragrance the wax will hold. In my very limited experience with Soy all that's gonna do is give you an killer cold throw, and next to no hot throw unless you are within 3 feet of your candle. Unless your wick is dialed in properly already then you might have better results than I did initially. I'm still working on mine but i've had to back off on the Fragrance oil a bit and that has helped. In my limited experience more fragrance does not equal better hot throw. If the scent is weak out of the bottle, it's probably gonna be weak in wax. That may not be true for every fragrance but for the ones i've tried it is. If you really like it anyway find something that complements it and mix. Don't use mica, and if you do use a miniscule amount, it clogs wicks pretty badly. Don't buy 16oz bottles of fragrance that you've never smelled. Just because you like the name doesn't mean it's going to smell like you think it will. That's the thing i'm having the most trouble with, i'm apparently crap at picking out fragrances that I like and i've already wasted enough money that i'm getting skittish of buying more. So sample size only for me from now on even though it seemed like a waste of money initially, I need to smell things and I'd rather pay $3 to smell it than waste $30 to try it lol

Other mistakes I've made just incase anyone needs someone to roll their eyes at, I bought ALOT of no name wax off of Amazon because I simply did not know any better and the price was good so I thought it would be a good way to get started learning, it's not lol It's Soy of some sort, not manufacturers instructions. Its difficult to work with, I've since changed but now I've got all this wax and no clue what to do with it lol

Set yourself up for disappointment because your first candles will most likely have something wrong with them. You’ll have to figure it out and try again. Its ok! That’s the fun of candle making.

I’m new here and would like to see what people say today, too! Maybe some people who didn’t give their advice yet in older posts. I’ve been reading the old posts but know that in everything, there’s always somebody who learns something new through all our collective additional experimentation over time.

My 2 cents - I got an inexpensive wax heater and it’s so easy, but only melts enough wax for a 4” tall by 3” diameter pillar candle. Still good!

Search your idea for a candle on this sub FIRST! Somebody’s probably already asked and either politely or brutally been told exactly why it’s a terrible idea. Save yourself the 50/50 shot of getting the brutal response if you ask yourself in a new post LOL.

On a related note, I learned not to use thrift store containers. I decided to try candle making BECAUSE of how beautiful the antique crystal bowls filled with wax and a candle with dried rose petals sprinkled on top. But one search for “thrift” just to see people’s advice and tips on that quickly told me that not all glass can handle hot wax and that you’re basically asking for it to shatter, cut you with shards, and proceed to burn the whole place down. Well damn. But now I know that as I continue to think of ways to achieve that same aesthetic safely, I can search this sub for that technique to see people’s advice and skip some of the common problems.

Also, that the advice to make 86 candles before selling and to test them is not negotiable.

So there you go r/candlemaking oldies. You got through to one person and I won’t be starting my amazing business idea until I know I can do it safely, and I will be buying insurance when I decide if I like doing this and want to proceed. But damn, you guys are BRUTAL to idealistic creatives LOL.

Do some research to determine which wick and number used is appropriate for the size of the container. 8 to 10% FO is recommended. Add at 185, pour at approx 135. Cure for 2 weeks and test burn. Keep it up til you get it right. Keep notes. Google is your friend. Also most wholesale supply companies will have guidelines to help. Use them. Candle science is a good one. I personally prefer the flaming candle. But that’s me. Not as comprehensive but I like the fragrances. Good luck

Are you weighing the oil? Soy needs 2 weeks to cure as well.

https://candle-shack.co.uk/pages/online-fragrance-calculator-total-content-method?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=UK-PMax-Fragrance&utm_term=&campaignid=17606722754&adgroupid=&keyword=&device=m&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw_LOwBhBFEiwAmSEQAWmin7yNo6OaCes6MiS7TD_pq3EAsfjtXMtiwUHwJGgiN-Ie-RjVwhoCPssQAvD_BwE

Too cool for the scent to bond with the wax IMO. I generally always add at 185F for soy waxes and stir for a full two minutes. Also, I pack away for a minimum of 2 weeks before testing.

Looking at the listed link, it looks like it could be heated a touch more, not exceeding 90C (194F). You’re pouring into the vessels at the right temp.

Unfortunately, the link does NOT state when to add your FO. I would try adding FO at around 160F.

It also looks like you’re at a 10% fragrance load but it seems this wax does well around the 6-8% mark.

Try those and see!

Hi - scent can be a really fickle thing - it might be worth trying a couple of things -

• play around with he scent load - most work well at the max 10% but some actually work better at 8%
• give it a bit longer to cure - stictly speaking it should be a two week cure period
• look at your wick size - is it burning cleanly to the edge within a four hour burn or are you getting a lot of mushrooming - having the right wick is also a huge factor

Good luck and keep at it!

Not sure what the wax is, but oil might not have bonded with the wax.

Pouring oil at that temp will cause the 2 to not bound. Then let it cure for 14 days. Report back.