If I had known any of these things before I started making candles, I could have saved a lot of time and money. If you are just starting out, here are 7 beginner candle making tips I think you need to know.
1. To save money, order candle wax from the supplier that is located closest to you.
Wax is heavy so shipping will be a huge factor in the price you pay. Pick a candle supplier that is close to where you live if you want to save some money. Just Google ‘candle supplies near me’ to see which option is best for you.
I live in Houston so I typically order from CandleScience because they have a Dallas warehouse. Here’s a quick comparison between how much it would cost for me to buy a 10 pound bag of soy wax from CandleScience (Dallas, TX) versus Flaming Candle (Hiram, GA). Even though the wax from Flaming Candle is $1 cheaper, the shipping makes it more expensive overall. If you order as much wax as I do, this really adds up over time.
BONUS TIP: If you’re lucky enough to live in the same city as a candle supply company, you can usually pick up your wax in person to avoid shipping costs entirely.
2. Buy a heat gun. It’s a game changer.
Heat guns can fix so many candle making issues and they are not an expensive investment. This is the heat gun I use. It’s only $25 and it’s worth every penny. Here are some of the things I use my heat gun for:
- Smooth tops: If you need to fix surface imperfections, you can hit the tops of your candles with a heat gun.
- Pre-heating vessels: You can use a heat gun to pre-heat candle jars or molds before pouring.
- Sink hole prevention / correction: You can prevent sink holes from forming by pre-heating as I’ve already mentioned, but you can also fix sink holes by re-melting the top layer with a heat gun to fill in the gaps.
- Cleaning up leftover wax: When I have a little bit of leftover candle wax at the bottom of a melting pitcher, I use my heat gun to quickly melt it so that I can wipe the pitcher clean with a paper towel.
You can technically use a blow dryer to do all of the things I’ve listed here, but my recommendation is to just invest in a heat gun. It is my most frequently used candle making tool hands down.
3. For easy cleanup, use silicone mats to cover your workspace.
Candle making is a messy process and I’m a very clumsy candle maker. I have multiple silicone mats spread out on top of my candle making space so that I can catch spills of melted wax, fragrance oil, or candle dye. After a spill, just wait until the wax hardens and then you can peel it off of the mat very easily. These are the silicone mats I use.
4. You can figure out how much wax to put in any candle jar using water.
You don’t have to guess how much wax to use in a candle jar. There’s an easy trick to help figure it out and all you need is water and a digital scale. Here’s how to do it:
- Place the candle jar on a scale and tare the scale so you’re starting at 0.
- Fill the candle jar up with water to the line where you want the wax to go.
- Note the weight of the water (in ounces or grams). Multiply this water weight by 0.86. The answer is your total wax weight.
For more details on how this water to wax conversion works, you can check out this post. I even built a calculator that will tell you the correct ratio of wax to fragrance oil to use in any candle.
5. Add stearic acid to candle wax to improve burn time, harden the wax, and enhance the color.
Stearic acid is my favorite candle additive. Here are just a few of the benefits of using stearic acid to make candles:
- Stearic acid extends the burn time of candles. It does this by making the wax more dense which helps to slow the rate at which the wax burns.
- Stearic acid hardens candle wax so it’s very helpful for candles made in molds. You’ll be less likely to damage the candle during the de-molding process and more likely to get a candle that maintains its shape while burning.
- Stearic acid improves the opacity and color of candle wax. If you’ve ever added dye to a candle and been disappointed by the results, you need to try stearic acid. It enhances colors really well. Instead of looking slightly translucent, it gives the wax a more solid, opaque appearance. You might not need it if you’re making plain white candles, but if you’re adding color, stearic acid is a must have.
I use it in my paraffin and soy candles. I do not use it in beeswax candles because beeswax is hard enough on its own (and because I don’t generally dye my beeswax candles so I don’t need it to boost the color).
My rule of thumb is to use about 5% of the wax weight – if my wax weight is 10 ounces, I will add about 0.5 ounces of stearic acid. I’ve tried multiple brands and this is the stearic acid that I like to use. One bag is less than 10 bucks and will last me a couple of months (and I make a lot of candles!).
6. There are 3 easy things you can do to prevent sink holes: pre-heat your vessel, pour cooler, and double pour.
Sink holes form because wax contracts as it cools. If you get one, the candle was probably forced to cool down too quickly. So, here’s 3 ways to prevent that from happening:
- Always pre-heat your vessel: The goal is to have the candle wax cool down as gradually and as evenly as possible so don’t pour hot wax into a cool vessel. If you’re making a large batch, pop the vessels into an oven on low heat for several minutes before you pour. If you’re only making a few, you can blast them with a heat gun before you pour.
- Pour at a cooler temperature: Pouring temperature matters. You should never pour piping hot wax into a candle jar or mold. Wax contracts as it cools and the hotter it is when you pour, the more it is likely to contract. After you’re done melting the wax and adding any fragrance oil/dye, remove the pouring pitcher from your heat source and let it cool down for a few minutes. How much you let it cool will depend on the wax type. As an example: I heat paraffin to 180-185 degrees Fahrenheit, but generally pour around 145-155 degrees. Without knowing which wax type you are using, I can’t tell you exactly what pouring temperature to choose, but you can experiment to see what works best for you if your candle supplier doesn’t indicate the best temperature on their website/packaging.
- Do a double pour. I like to save a little bit of candle wax to do a second pour. Basically, I’ll pour about 95% of the melted wax into the candle jar or mold. Then I’ll place the melting pitcher back on my heat source for a few minutes to keep it warm. After 5-10 minutes, I’ll do a second pour with the rest of the wax. That second pour should be slightly warmer than your first pour. It should fill in any holes that were forming in the center.
Sink holes are a candlemaker’s worst nightmare, but they can be prevented. I wrote a detailed guide to avoiding sink holes that you can check out here!
7. If you use candle molds, spray the inside with mold release spray to prevent candles from getting stuck.
I did not know that mold release spray existed when I started making candles. I make a lot of molded candles and in the beginning, so many of them would get stuck. In the process of de-molding, I would have to bang the mold against something hard to get the candle out and would usually damage the candle in the process. Then I discovered mold release spray. All you have to do is spray the inside of the mold before you pour. That, combined with pre-heating will make the de-molding process so much easier. I never have issues with stuck candles anymore.
Here’s the brand I use. If I run out of mold release spray, I’ll use a cooking spray like coconut oil or olive oil spray. The goal is just to lubricate the mold before you pour so that the candle slips out more easily.
More Candle Making Resources!
I hope these beginner candle making tips were helpful. If you’re looking for more beginner candle making tips, I have so much candle content on this blog and here is where you should start:
I created a full tutorial on how to make a scented candle from start to finish. It is super detailed and beginner friendly!
You should bookmark my fragrance oil calculator for an easy way to calculate exactly how much wax and fragrance oil to use in any candle.
And if you found this post helpful, you may also want to check these out:
