Candle Making - Where to start

JARS

Alternatively, you can opt to choose your own jars. The jar or vessel will be the first building block in knowing what to add to your cart.

Once you have chosen a suitable size and shape glassware for your candles, you need to read the 'description' of each one.  It is under the description we provide you with detailed information about the jar you have chosen such as  the recommended wick size to use, how much wax it will hold etc. From the product page, you can click on the link for the recommended wick size and add however many you will need to your cart.  Wicking a candle requires a lot of patience and test burning.  We recommend having a range of different sizes on hand just in case the first recommendation does not quite cut it in your test burns.  We also advise that you read the header at the top of the wicks page for information on the differences between the two wicks.

In the event that you already have a jar, you can determine the required wick size by measuring the diameter of the jar at its widest point and finding a similar glassware on our website.  You can then use the recommendations under that product as a guide.

SOY WAX

For all candlemakers, we suggest using GW 464 soy wax  as it is natural and easy to work with. We provide approximations on our jars regarding the amount of wax required, and we advise that you calculate the number of jars you require based on the amount of wax we say each glassware holds. It is advisable to obtain slightly more wax than needed.

FRAGRANCES

If you wish to fragrance your candles, you can select either fragrances or essential oils. 

Our fragrances are candle-specific and pure, with over 400 options to choose from. Fragrances tend to have a stronger throw than essential oils, as they are made of both synthetic and essential oils, which allows for chemical manipulation. Essential oils are purely natural and may not have a strong throw.  to read more on the difference between essential oils and candle fragrances please click here. To determine the appropriate amount of fragrance required per candle, you can read our blog post here.  The amount of fragrance will be specific to the size of the jar you have chosen.   It is best to purchase a small sized fragrance to test it before buying in larger quantities just in case you do not like it.

DYES
The easiest method of dyeing your candles is to use solid colour dye blocks which can be shaved and thoroughly mixed into the melted wax to achieve the desired colour. One block is highly concentrated and can dye a large amount of wax.  Alternatively, you can use concentrated liquid dyes which can be easier to calculate how much to use so you can achieve the same colour each batch of candles.

EQUIPMENT

To melt your soy wax, you can either purchase a pouring pot to use as a double boiler or use 2 saucepans you have at home. You can also use a pyrex jug in the microwave. You should melt the wax as you would chocolate, ensuring that you do not place the pouring pot directly on the heat as it may burn the wax.  It is also important to pour your wax at the correct temperature so a thermometer is a must have item.  Candy thermometers are cheap, however are easily broken if rested or knocked against the bottom of the pot.  If you intend on making candles and other products for awhile, then we recommend the small investment for an infrared thermometer.  They are the BEST!

Other equipment you will need are wick bar holders (these keep your wicks straight and still whilst pouring), measuring cups (to measure out your fragrance), wick stickums (these stick on your wicks and then on to the bottom of your glass to stop your wick from floating around and becoming off centre)

Once you have everything purchased everything you need, watch our easy to follow and informative video on  ‘ how to make a soy candle’.  This is a perfect visual aid to help you understand how to start off making your very first candle.

Basic written instructions can be found here.  Even though they relate to the beginners candle making kit, you can adapt them to your own glassware you have purchased.  You will learn more after making your first batch of candles. We have an abundance of information available on our website's help section to guide you through any issues you might encounter.