The Hand-Poured / Handmade Candle: A Buying Guide : eBay Guides

In the last 10 years, candle making has become very popular among hobbyists and small business owners. My mother and I began hand-pouring candles five years ago. When we started, our candle knowledge was limited to buying and burning them. We quickly learned that there are as many techniques for pouring candles as there are candle makers, and that the business was one of those which included almost no science and a lot of proverbial 'trial-and-error.'

Learning how to make candles has also taught me what to look for when I buy them, and that's why I decided to write this guide. There are many candle makers who rely on the ignorance of the customer in order to get more money out of their product, or in order to make their product sound better than another.

Let's examine the characteristics of a candle first. Burning time, fragrance, and quality are three concerns which affect a consumer's decision to purchase a brand. Some candles lose fragrance quickly, burn fast and unevenly, and have expensive price tags. Most major candle manufacturers scent only the wicks or the top layer of candles. Others may use very low quality wax. We'll look at all of these things.

No Such Thing as a Triple-Scented Candle?
The most confusing aspect of the candle industry is the 'triple-scented' marketing strategy which companies employ in order to make customers believe that their product is three times better than a 'normal' candle. Contrary to popular belief, there is no such thing as a 'triple-scented' candle. The very word triple implies that there is a standard amount of fragrance in a 'single-scented' candle, but there is not.

I liken candle wax to a glass of iced tea. It has a definite saturation point. Most people have seen someone pour teaspoon after teaspoon of sugar into a glass of iced tea, and then stir it in vain trying to make all of the sugar dissolve. It doesn't dissolve because the beverage has met its saturation point, so the sugar granules dance around with the spoon in the glass like a poor man's snow globe. When the tea is gone, a layer of sugar remains in the bottom of the glass.

Much like sugar with tea, over-saturating wax with fragrance oil produces a layer of leftover oil, which causes many problems. The oil separates from the wax in container candles, leaving unappealing wet spots and oily layers in the bottom and sides of the jars. The oil is also very flammable, which causes a safety hazard and makes the candle unsaleable. Unlike sugar, though, fragrance oil is very expensive, costing as much as three dollars per ounce, when bought in small quantities, so wasting it by over-saturating wax is not only dangerous but economically foolish.

Most candle wax has a saturation point between one-half an ounce of fragrance per pound and three-fourths an ounce of fragrance per pound. Softer waxes used for container candles generally have a higher absorbency. Wax additives, which alter the look and performance of finished candles, alter the saturation point slightly, but generally, almost no wax recipe will allow for a saturation point greater than one ounce per pound of wax.

The Top Off Trick
99% of the candles that you buy have been poured twice. The first pour is the pour that fills the jar or mold. Then, because of the properties of wax, there will be a shrinking time. After that time, when the candle has set, there must be a repour to fill in the shrinking hole or dip. A good candle from an honest seller will be scented the whole way through a candle. However, some people will sell you a candle that only has a scented repour, in order to save money. This is why you might love a candle at first, and then you don't smell it after a while. Much of the time, people think that this is because the candle has been uncovered and the candle has lost its fragrance. That is not true. You can leave a candle uncovered and it should not lose its scent. A good candle will smell good all the way to the bottom of the wick.

Some Scents are Stronger than Others.
Not everyone's nose works the same. Some people may be desensitized to particular smells, and some fragrances are stronger than other ones just by the nature of the candle making beast. For example, in my line, the Cool Citrus Basil is a very light scent, especially when compared to Black Cherry, which is very heavy.

Cande of a Different Color
When a candle is exposed to direct sunlight or high-intensity lighting, its color might fade. If color is important to you, either buy lighter-colored candles, or keep them away from the window and out from under the chandelier.

Wax that Sticks
When wax sticks to the sides of the jar when it is burning, this is called "wax hang up." This is bad because it can actually reduce the burn time of the candle, as well as melt eventually and drown the wick. This can be caused by the customer not breaking in the candle (allowing candle to burn until wax is melted all the way across the first time you burn it). Also, drafts or extreme room temperatures can be the culprits. It also might be an off-centered wick. If you see a wick in a candle that is not centered, always blow out the candle and reposition the wick. Wicking is a tricky thing, and many times during the candle making process, wicks will be stubborn and get off-center. If you ever get a candle in which the wick is horribly off-center when you buy it, you should ask for a replacement before you burn it. We guarantee ours to burn properly, but not all makers do.

The Hole Down the Middle
Similar to the wax hang up is the condition where the candle will burn straight down the middle. Sometimes this is caused by the consumer not properly breaking in the candle. Candles have a memory and they tend to burn the same way each time they are lit. So if you light the candle, and only let it burn a small melt pool, (the little circle with the liquid wax in it) and then extinguish it, you have created a soft spot that your candle will remember to burn in the next time you light it. Before you light the candle the first time, be sure that you have at least one hour per inch (diameter) that your candle is wide.
Candles also might burn down the middle because the wick is too small.


Turning Black
When jars turn black on the inside, it is not due to a faulty candle. This is something that happens (even with lead-free wicks!) when the wick is not kept trimmed to 1/4 of an inch. Keeping the wick trimmed also lengthens the life of the candle.

Filling the Home with Fragrance
Large rooms need large candles. Small rooms need smaller candles. Large houses need several large candles. It's that simple.

Ultimately, armed with a little bit of knowledge, a candle consumer can find something with which he or she can be happy. My advice would be to find several products you like, and then give those makers repeat business. They'll appreciate it, and you'll stop wasting time and money on products that are sub-par.