Candle making for beginners

Everything you need to make your first soy candle at home — what to buy, the step-by-step process, what goes wrong and why, and how to progress from there.

J Jo King

Find a candle making class

Quick answer: A container candle in a glass jar using soy wax is the easiest first project — completes in under an hour. A first-batch kit costs £25–£45 and makes 3–5 candles. A workshop (from £38) teaches scent blending and troubleshooting with an expert on hand. Browse our curated candle making workshops →

✅ Low startup cost

A first batch kit costs £20–£35. Enough to make 4–6 candles and learn the fundamentals.

✅ No specialist equipment

A pouring jug, thermometer, and kitchen scales — most people already have what they need.

✅ Immediately useful result

Your first candle can be burning the next day. Makes genuinely good gifts once you've found your scent combinations.

What to buy for your first batch

Item	What to get	Cost
Soy wax	464 soy container wax flakes, 500g — enough for 3–4 medium jars	£6–£10
Fragrance oil	1–2 fragrance oils, 30ml each — choose pre-tested candle-safe oils	£4–£8 each
Wicks	Pre-tabbed cotton wicks matched to your jar diameter — pack of 10–20	£4–£7
Containers	3–4 glass jars (200ml) — jam jars work; purpose-made candle jars are neater	£5–£12
Pouring jug	Heatproof jug with spout — dedicated metal one is best	£5–£10
Thermometer	Digital kitchen thermometer — critical for knowing when to add fragrance	£5–£10
Kitchen scales	Any scales accurate to 1g — for measuring wax and fragrance	£0–£15
Wick centring tool	Wick bar or two pencils taped together across the jar mouth	£2–£4 (or DIY)

Total first batch cost: approximately £25–£45. This makes 3–5 candles and teaches you the full process.

Before spending £25–£45 on kit, a candle making workshop lets you learn the process with all materials provided — from £38.

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How to make your first soy candle

Follow these steps exactly for the first batch. Once you understand why each step matters, you can start experimenting.

Weigh your wax

Fill your jar with water, then weigh the water — that's roughly how much wax you need in grams (wax is lighter than water but it's a useful estimate). For a 200ml jar, expect to use ~160–170g of wax flakes.

Melt the wax

Use a double boiler (heatproof jug in a pan of simmering water) or microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between each. Heat to 75–80°C. Don't rush this with high heat — scorched wax smells wrong.

Prepare wicks and containers

While the wax melts: stick a wick tab to the centre of each jar base (adhesive tabs or a small blob of melted wax works). Thread the wick through your wick bar or lay pencils across the jar mouth to hold it centred.

Add fragrance at 60°C

Let the wax cool to exactly 60°C before adding fragrance oil. Too hot and the fragrance evaporates; too cool and it won't bind properly. Add 6–8% fragrance by weight (12–16g per 200g wax). Stir slowly for 2 minutes.

Pour at 55–60°C

Pour slowly into your prepared jars. Leave 1cm gap at the top. Avoid draughts — rapid cooling causes surface cracking and sinkholes. Place in a room-temperature spot, not a cold windowsill.

Let cool fully — 24–48 hours

Don't touch, move, or burn the candle until it's fully set and cured. Soy wax needs time to bind with the fragrance properly — a candle burned too soon will have poor scent throw.

Trim the wick

Trim to 5mm before the first burn. A long wick causes mushrooming (black carbon ball on the tip), excess smoke, and uneven burning. Trim every time you relight.

Avoid the common mistakes from your first batch — a workshop gives you expert guidance on fragrance ratios, wick sizing, and temperature control.

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Common problems and how to fix them

Problem	Likely cause	Fix
Rough / bumpy top	Cooled too quickly or poured too hot	Avoid draughts. Pour at 55–60°C. Second pour to top up.
Sinkhole in centre	Wax contracted on cooling	Normal with soy wax. Top up with a small second pour once cooled.
Poor scent throw	Added fragrance too hot or too much	Add at exactly 60°C. Use 6–8% fragrance load. Cure 48 hours before burning.
Tunnelling (only centre burns)	First burn too short	First burn must reach the full diameter — typically 2–3 hours. Trim wick to 5mm each time.
Mushrooming wick	Wick too long	Trim to 5mm before every burn. Switch to a smaller wick size if it persists.
Cracked surface	Temperature shock on cooling	Cool at room temperature away from draughts. Avoid placing on cold surfaces.

Skip the troubleshooting — a workshop teaches you the right ratios and temperatures from the start.

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FAQs

Everything you need to know before you book.

What is the easiest type of candle for beginners to make?

A container candle in a glass jar using soy wax. Container candles don't need moulds, the jar holds the wax in shape, and soy wax is the most forgiving for beginners — it has a wide working temperature range and re-melts easily if you make a mistake. A simple jar candle with one fragrance can be completed in under an hour. Browse candle making workshops →

What is the best wax for beginners?

Soy wax — specifically soy container wax flakes (not pillar wax). It melts evenly in a microwave or double boiler, adheres well to glass containers, burns cleanly, and has a good fragrance throw. It's also easier to clean up than paraffin. Start with 464 soy wax or similar — it's widely available and well-documented online. A workshop uses pre-measured soy wax so you can focus on technique — find a candle making class →

How much fragrance oil do I add to soy wax?

The standard fragrance load for soy container wax is 6–10% by weight — so for 200g of wax, add 12–20g of fragrance oil. Going above 10% can cause fragrance to pool on the surface or create fire hazards. Use a kitchen scale, not volume measurements. Add fragrance at 60°C for best binding.

Why does my candle have a rough or bumpy top after cooling?

Soy wax naturally shrinks and can create sinkholes or bumpy tops — this is normal, not a fault. Causes include: cooling too quickly (avoid cold draughts), pouring too hot, or wax contracting away from the container sides. You can do a second pour to top up the surface, or gently warm the top with a heat gun.

How do I choose the right wick size for my candle?

Wick size is determined by container diameter — an undersized wick causes tunnelling (a hole down the centre); an oversized wick causes excessive smoke and soot. Most wick suppliers provide diameter charts — a 6–7cm diameter jar typically needs a CD-14 or ECO-6 wick in soy wax. Always test burn before gifting or selling.