Candle making has a famously low barrier to entry, which makes it a great hobby for complete novices and veteran hobbyists looking to expand their skill set alike. Depending on how deep you want to get into the hobby, it is possible to start making candles by hand with a time commitment as low as a couple of hours. This of course only accounts for basic proficiency rather than true mastery of the hobby, so those truly dedicated to the craft can spend months learning different techniques for crafting different styles of candles as well as experimenting with different shapes, fragrances, and aesthetic techniques like layering different waxes. Of course, this depends on several factors. Keep reading to learn about how you can learn candle making and some resources to help speed the process along.
What is Candle Making?
A candle is simply a flammable wick encased in wax that acts as a fuel source for a flame. The idea of the candle is so simple that cultures around the world have been making candles for thousands of years, and the methods used today trace their roots back to the techniques and materials used to make these earliest candles. While today we use materials like soy wax instead of tallow like the ancient Romans, use glass or plastic containers and molds rather than rice paper like the Chinese of the Qin Dynasty, or use fragrance oils instead of real cinnamon sticks like the ancient Indians, the core elements, techniques, and uses remain much the same across this span of thousands of years. At its heart, a candle is a wick encased in wax, and this simplicity provides a foundation for a hobby that is easy to get into while also offering enough depth for experimentation that sinking additional time into learning techniques is a worthwhile endeavor.
Benefits of Learning Candle Making?
Most people who get into candle making do so because they are drawn to the relaxing, meditative properties of candles. While any craft or hobby is a great outlet to promote leisurely relaxation and the sense of personal satisfaction that accompanies producing something by hand, candles are particularly appropriate for relaxation because of their demonstrated capacity to reduce stress and promote relaxation. This largely relates to the impact that scents can have on mood, which is the subject of a great deal of research, and the ability of candles to produce scents and ambiances that are shown to encourage relaxation and meditation. Candles also lend themselves to usage during other relaxing practices, further enhancing their capacity for stress relief; what sounds more soothing than a relaxing bath with an ambiance established by the dim light and soothing scents of some candles?
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While the sense of satisfaction is a matter of personal fulfillment, and relaxing activities like meditation or a bath are solitary activities, that doesn’t mean that candle making has to be a solo affair. On the contrary, candle making provides opportunities to share this personal creative outlet with friends and family by producing customized, hand-made candles as personal gifts.
Average Time It Takes to Learn Candle Making
Candle making can be as intense an endeavor as you want it to be, meaning the time it takes to learn the techniques depends on the complexity of your imagined candle.
Because the basic techniques are simple processes developed thousands of years ago, the most basic candles can be prepared with mere hours of work and preparation. Most of the candlemaking classes available on CourseHorse run between one and three hours, and boast that participants will produce one or more candles during this time and also leave with the prerequisite knowledge to continue making candles at home.
Of course, these classes typically offer instruction in making the simplest form of poured candle, so this “couple-of-hours” commitment does not account for the time it would take to learn techniques for making other candles like rolled beeswax candles or dipped candles, for instance. Moreover, a few hours is not enough to ensure that you’ve got the skills to make a perfect candle every time; candle making is largely a process of trial and error, and it is only through making many candles over a long period of time and troubleshooting issues as they arise is it possible to master the craft.
If you’re pursuing candle making for entrepreneurial purposes, expect the process to take even longer. Candle making has become a popular business enterprise because of the low barrier to entry, it canbe quick to pick up the skills and get started as a professional chandler. However, because of the time it will take to refine techniques to perfection, test a candle line, and get all the business paperwork in order, don’t be surprised months or even over a year before a true candle making business gets off the ground and becomes profitable.
Other Factors
Because candle making is easy to get into but also offers sufficient depth for further experimentation and mastery of advanced techniques, the amount of time it takes to become proficient in candle making will vary according to personal goals. Again, it is easy to pick up the techniques to start making a single type of candle in a matter of hours, but learning other methods and techniques can extend the learning process significantly. From how many types of candles you’d like to learn to your motivations for making candles, many factors will influence the amount of time sunk into the hobby.
Type of Candle
Different types of candles require different amounts of technique, attention, and time. The easiest-to-make candle, a rolled candle made from sheets of beeswax, can be crafted in a matter of minutes. Other types of candles will have more steps, like a poured candle which requires careful preparation of the wick and melting of the wax. Aesthetic work with coloring can also affect the process; complex techniques like layering involve waiting for several hours for a portion of wax to dry before adding more. Perfecting the techniques requires practice, and techniques that take a long time will limit opportunities for meaningful practice.
Techniques Used
As a general rule, the more complex the candle, the more time it will take to troubleshoot any potential difficulties. While the most basic candles are made by simply melting and pouring wax, aspiring candle makers drawn to fragrances and colors will need more time and practice to pick up additional techniques. With each additional step comes a potential issue, so it is a good idea to practice one technique at a time. Instead of adding both fragrance oils and dyes to a candle, for instance, consider experimenting with just the fragrance oils to get a hand for how much oil to add to the wax.
Business or Pleasure
Personal motivations will have a surprising impact on how long it takes to learn candle making. As mentioned above, making candles as a business venture involves many additional steps. Expect to spend time focusing on secondary matters like branding, labeling, and marketing, not to mention the extra effort of testing and refining a candle line into a consistent product. For a hobbyist, any candle made is a finished product, but for a business many candles are tests and trial runs on the longer road to the final product.
Handiness
Some people just have a knack for arts, crafts, and other DIY activities. While candle making is simple enough that hands-on craft skills won’t make a massive difference, those who aren’t already artsy may have some growing pains and may go a bit slower.
What to Know Before Learning Candle Making
The techniques for candle making are simple enough that they were discovered thousands of years ago and remain the same today. There are always advanced techniques like layering that more experienced candle makers might pursue, but the basic techniques are such a low level of difficulty that candle making is a phenomenal hobbyist outlet for novices without any prior craft experience.
No prior knowledge is necessary, which means that even complete novices can try their hand at candle making. While it is possible to jump into the hobby completely blind, it is often a good idea to take a class or follow a guide to help smooth out the learning process. Even without a guide, it is useful to do some research into different types of wax and different wick sizes to help build foundational knowledge that can help avoid some common pitfalls that arise from wax selection, the interaction of waxes with fragrance oils, and wick sizes leading to burn issues.
Candle making is a cheap and easy hobby to get into. Online vendors like Etsy and local crafts shops sell many pre-made candle making DIY kits that can be purchased for as little as $15, and compile all of the necessary supplies to start making candles at home. The price of these kits will vary depending on the type of wax used and whether they include fragrance oils or dyes, so there are more expensive options, but you can expect that even a high-end kit will cost somewhere in the realm of $50 to $60.
If you opt to secure the materials individually rather than as an all-in-one kit, the type of wax is the major determining factor in calculating cost. As a general rule, paraffin wax is the cheapest option, plant-based waxes are a mid-range choice, and beeswax is the most expensive. As a point of comparison, if you purchase a one-pound block of candle making wax, there are options to purchase paraffin wax for $8.99, an organic soy wax for $11.99, or beeswax pellets for $19.99.
As you can see, even opting for the “luxury” option of beeswax will not break the bank.
Adding optional materials like fragrance oils and dyes will augment the cost, but only slightly. Even buying the most expensive materials and incorporating both fragrance oils and dyes, you would be hard-pressed to spend more than $100 to get started.
Can I Learn Candle Making for Free / on My Own?
Unlike many other hobbies that carry a prohibitively expensive startup cost, candle making is a very accessible hobby with a low barrier to entry, meaning it’s possible to get started with minimal investments of time and money. As shown above, the essential materials can be secured for less than $20. Materials aside, the next major component is learning the proper technique, which you can absolutely learn in a self-directed manner. There are many hobbyist blogs that outline the process step-by-step, often with pictures to help visualize each step, as well as free video tutorials on sites like YouTube that can teach the basic techniques of candle making. However, those who are truly serious about their candle making are advised to consider enrolling in a formal class. While the free resources readily available on the internet are a great way to get started, formal classes are shown to be the fastest, most effective way of picking up new techniques by learning from an experienced chandler.
Key Takeaways
- Candle making has a very low barrier to entry. With a time investment of merely a couple of hours, you can get started in the hobby for as little as $15. True mastery of the techniques can take weeks to months, and more expensive materials will up the monetary costs, but getting started is easy.
- Online resources like DIY hobbyist blogs are a great resource to learn candle making for free, but formal classes tend to make the learning process go more smoothly.
- CourseHorse can help you find options for online or in-person training, and can even schedule private group sessions.