Candle Making

The path

1. 1
   Level 1Free

   First Pour

   Soy, wood wick and beeswax candles, and a gift set

   15 Steps, about 38 minutes each. Total beginners who want to make candles for their home or as gifts. No experience or special kitchen needed.

   1. Chapter 1: Your first candles. Your first candles poured, wicked, scented, burn tested and finished with smooth tops and a label.
   2. Chapter 2: More kinds of candle. A crackling wood wick candle, colored wax, rolled beeswax tapers, and a best-yet candle poured with your own choices.
   3. Chapter 3: Your gift set. A signature scent blended, a matching set of candles poured, cured, labeled and given away.

   1. 1
      Pour your first candle

      One unscented soy candle poured in a jar with a centered wick.

      A container candle is wax poured into a heat-safe jar around a wick. When lit, the flame melts a pool of wax, and the wick draws that liquid wax up to burn. Getting a good candle is mostly about three things: the right wax, a centered wick, and gentle, controlled heat.

      Soy container wax melts at a low temperature and is forgiving for beginners. You melt it in a pouring pitcher set inside a pan of simmering water, a double boiler. That keeps the wax from overheating. Never put a pitcher of wax directly on a burner. Wax heated too far can smoke and catch fire.

      The detail beginners miss is pour temperature. Soy wax poured too hot tends to shrink and leave rough, cracked tops. Poured too cool, it can trap air. For container soy wax, about 135°F (57°C) is a good pour temperature. A kitchen thermometer takes the guesswork out.

      Here's what it looks like. A clean 8-ounce jar with a wick stuck to the center of the bottom. About 7 ounces of wax flakes melted in the pitcher until completely clear. Off the heat, cooled to 135°F, poured slowly. The wick held upright with a clothespin or wick bar while the wax sets, at least overnight.

      Never leave melting wax alone. If wax smokes or catches fire, turn off the heat and cover it with a lid. Never use water.

      CandleScienceCandleScience
      Show your group
   2. 2
      Pick and center the wick

      Two identical jars poured with wicks one size apart, ready for a burn test.

      GloryBee
   3. 3
      Add fragrance

      Two scented candles made with weighed fragrance added at the right temperature.

      Candlewic

   See all 15 Steps

   1. 4
      Burn test

      Your test candles burned for up to 4 hours, with the melt pool, flame and smoke written down.

      Standley HandcraftedCandleScience
   2. 5
      Fix tops and finish

      Your candles with smooth tops, trimmed wicks and a simple warning label: your first finished pair.

      CandleScience
      Show your group
   3. 6
      Make a wood wick candle

      A wood wick candle poured, set and burning with a soft crackle.

      Cosy Owl CraftLone Star Candle Supply
   4. 7
      Color your wax

      Three small candles in three shades of one color, plus a note of how much dye made each.

      NI Candle Supplies
   5. 8
      Roll beeswax tapers

      A pair of rolled beeswax taper candles, tight and straight.

      Happy OrganicsLife On Summerhill
   6. 9
      Read your burn tests

      Your wick tests finished, a wick chosen for your jar, and a note of what you'd change.

      makesy
   7. 10
      Pour your best candle

      Two candles made with your chosen wick, scent and color: your best yet.

      Nature's Garden
      Show your group
   8. 11
      Blend a signature scent

      Three small scent blends tested on paper and one chosen as your signature.

      NorthWood Candle & Craft
   9. 12
      Plan and test the set

      Your gift set planned: how many candles, which jars, your blend, and one test candle poured.

      Village Craft & Candle
   10. 13
       Pour the gift set

       Your whole gift set poured from your own written recipe.

       CandleScience
   11. 14
       Label for safety

       Every candle in the set labeled with its scent and the standard safety warnings.

       CandleScience
   12. 15
       Cure and give

       Your cured gift set wrapped and given, with one candle kept for yourself.

       makesy
       Show your group
2. Level 2Unlocks after Level 1

   Scent Blending

   A signature scent line with strong hot throw

3. Level 3Unlocks after Level 2

   Small Batch Seller

   A tested, labeled line ready for a market

Where it ends: a small candle line

Free lessons in First Pour come from CandleScience, GloryBee, Candlewic, Standley Handcrafted, makesy, Cosy Owl Craft, Lone Star Candle Supply, NI Candle Supplies, Happy Organics, Life On Summerhill, Nature's Garden, NorthWood Candle & Craft, Village Craft & Candle. We link to their work and never copy it.