Make Homemade Scented Candles in 5 Easy Steps

Homemade scented candles are a great way to add wonderful light and ambiance to any room in your house. Even making homemade candles as a gift for someone else is a perfect way to give a friend or family member a personalized and unique present that comes from you with care and love.

Knowing where to start can be a little daunting at first, however, here we provide some simple and effective tips to get you started on your candle making journey.

Candle Making Equipment:

Before you can get started, you will need to gather all the essential tools required to make your own scented candles from home. Regardless of the type of candle you are making, below are the basic equipment you will need to get started:

candle making supplies, candle making equipment

  • Wax
  • Wick
  • Container or Mould
  • Double boiler
  • Scales
  • Thermometer
  • Color
  • Fragrance

For more information on required candle making equipment, you can check out our more detailed articles here.

Prepare your Candle Making Workstation:

The first steps is to prepare your candle making workstation. To do this you will need a flat solid surface to work from. The kitchen bench is usually nice and easy to work from. However, whatever you are using as your workstation, this surface must be able to withstand heat. You could protect this surface by using old sheets, tarps, or even garbage bags.

Next, you will want to prepare your containers. Ensure the container surface is clean of any dust, dirt or residue. If using a glass container, you can use hot soapy water to clean. Once you have cleaned your containers make sure they are nice and dry before you start making your candles.

Making Your Homemade Scented Candles:

The following are our five simple steps to follow to make your own homemade scented candles.

Step One: Melt Your Wax

Firstly, measure out the amount of wax you will need using your scales. Each wax type weighs a little differently, and we provide guidance on these measurements in our EBook.

Melt this wax gently over the stove using your double boiler and monitor the temperature of your wax using your thermometer as you do not want to overheat your wax. Different wax types have different melt points, so be sure to monitor based on the type of wax you are using.

Step Two: Place Your Candle Wick

Your candle wick will need to be placed firmly to the bottom of your container or mold. An easy way to achieve this is to use a metal wick tab at the bottom of your wick. Some wicks will come pre-tabbed. However, if it does not you can tab your wick by treading the end of your wick through the tab hold and secure firmly with a pair of pliers.

Step Three: Add Candle Scent and Color

To make your Scented Candle you will need to add your fragrance to the melted wax. It is important to use a fragrance that is designed to be used in candle wax and can withstand high heat without combusting.

A general guide is to use approximately 8% fragrance to wax loading, depending on the strength of scent you wish to achieve. You do not want to use too much fragrance otherwise it might separate from your wax.

If you wish to add color to your candle, you can also do this now by adding it to your melted wax.

Gently stir your fragrance and color into your wax.

Step Four: Pour the Wax

Once your wax has melted and you have added your candle fragrance, it is now time to pour your wax into your containers. If making multiple candles, ensure to place your containers far enough apart so that there will be an even flow of air circulation around your jars as they cool.

Slowly pour your wax into your containers. Once you have poured your wax, you will want ensure your wicks are pulled nice and tight and are held firmly in the center of your jar. This will ensure the wick is set in the center of your candle. You can do this by wrapping the end of the wick around a peg, pencil or paddle pop stick.

Step Five: Set the Wax

Ideally you will want to allow your candle to set for at least 24 hours. Once set you can then trim the excess wick, leaving approximately quarter inch from the top of where the wax has set in your scented candle.

Homemade scented candles

Finished product

Now you will have a beautifully finished homemade scented candle that you can either use for yourself or provide as a gift to someone else. Seeing the finished product is truly rewarding! We provide more details on making your own homemade candles and more on our Candle Advice site. If you would love to learn more, request your free report today.

5 Tips to Establishing a Successful Candle Making Business

If you have been making candles for a while, and are looking for that next step, perhaps now is time to start thinking about establishing your own candle making business. This type of business is perfect for creating a second source of income, and allows you to make money doing something that you love!

There are many factors that should be considered when starting your own candle making business and we wanted to give you our top five tips to consider when starting this new venture.

Tip One: Define your Candle Product

There are so many different types of candle products that are available and that you can make for your business. We discuss popular types of candles throughout our site, but if you made all types of candle products for all types of purposes it can actually end up being very confusing for your customers. It is important to be clear on what product or service you will be offering to your clients. Define what will make you unique and special to your competitors in the marketplace.

Tip Two: Know your Costs

Whilst you enjoy making candles, if you decide you want to start a candle making business it’s important that you make sure you’re making money! It is important to be realistic and know the costs of running your business, making your products (or supplying your services), and any miscellaneous expenses.

Firstly determine how much it will cost you to make your candle. Make a list of all the supplies and equipment you will need. To get you started, we have a number of essential candle making equipment articles you can read here. Document this in a workbook and spreadsheet to accurately calculate the true cost of making each product you intend to sell.

Tip Three: Determine Your Prices

When determining how much to sell homemade candles for, a good starting point is your competitor’s prices. Believe it or not, if you offer a product too cheaply then people may not buy them as they’re perceived as having little value. At the same time however, you do not want to price too high above your competitors (unless you have a good unique edge) otherwise you may price yourself out of the market. Do not be afraid to charge for your product or service – just remember that people are willing to pay for a product that they perceive to be of quality and value. The quality of your product or service is important as well as how you market that to the marketplace.

Once you have determined the price you are willing to charge for your product, then compare this to your calculated expenses to ensure you will make a profit.

Tip Four: Create a Business Plan

The old saying goes: “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail”. Regardless of whether you intend for your business to be part-time to create a second source of income, or full-time to build your candle making empire, it is essential to plan out your business. Elements to consider in a business plan include:

  • Scoping your marketplace
  • Researching your competitors
  • Determining the product or service will you offer
  • How and where do you intend to sell
  • How and where you will you market your product or service
  • What your business goals and time-frames are

Tip Five: Put it into Action!

Whilst these four tips are all very important to set the foundations for you starting your own candle making business, this fifth tip is where the magic happens – pulling it all together and putting everything into action! You don’t want to buy a whole bunch of supplies and set up your workstation just to have it sit there and do nothing with it! The exciting time is when you put everything together and start driving your homemade candle business.

As you establish your business, also consider important elements that are relevant to your marketplace, state or region such as:

  • Registering a Business Name
  • Establishing a business structure (relevant to your state or region)
  • Business insurance
  • Accounting practices

These top five tips should help to provide you with guidance to both create and establish your business. For more tips and resources on building your own candle making business, please look at our eBook here, where we provide you more details as well as templates and guidance on establishing your own business plan.

Good luck with the launch of your own candle making business!