January is National Hobby Month, and what better time to learn the hobby of making candles than at the beginning of a new year? It’s time for new resolutions, new beginnings, and new hobbies. Candlemaking can be fun – something that you do just to relax and unleash your creative side – or you can hone your craft to start selling to family, friends, and the public. One of the quickest ways to determine if candlemaking is even for you is to use a candlemaking kit. But not all kits are made equal. We’ll run down some of the best candlemaking kits that you can buy, giving you pros and cons of each so that you can find the best kit (or kits) for you!
Why Make Your Own Candles
Is that even a question? First and foremost, there is the fun factor! Candlemaking is something that can be done with the entire family. As we are now having to shelter in place more, we have to learn how to be more creative to keep boredom from settling in. Pull out a kit and read the instructions together as a family, then get to making candles!
There is also the benefit of a cost savings. This candle-loving hobby of ours can be expensive. One of the best ways to control some of your costs on this hobby is to start making your own. You’ll get to create just the scents that you like, spend the amount of money you want to spend, and have fun in the process.
We also find that making candles is a good way to zen out and relax. You’re putting your creative juices to the test but at the same time you’re not stressing over that pile of laundry or broken lamp. You’re just going with the flow and coming out with something you can kick back and relax with in the end.
What To Expect in a Candlemaking Kit
While all kits are not created equal, there are some basics you should be looking for when shopping for a candle making kit.
- Wax: The vast majority of the kits come with soy wax, but you can find kits with paraffin, beeswax, or even coconut wax if that’s your interest. Try to find a kit that has enough wax for you to make at least 3-4 candles.
- Melting Pot: Not all kits contain a melting pot, but try to find one that does. We prefer the ones made of aluminum.
- Wicks: When wicks are included, they are truthfully not the best in the industry. However, they most often suffice for your beginning candlemaking adventures. The best kits will have more wicks than you originally need, encouraging you to keep going with your hobby.
- Glue Dots: You’ll need these to keep your wicks in place, so check if your kit includes them.
- Wick Holders: You’ll need something to keep your wicks centered while your wax sets – this can be as simple as wooden popsicle sticks. We prefer the bow tie clips, though, because they last longer and no chance of catching a splinter.
- Fragrance Oils: Not all kits come with fragrance oils, but many do. Again, this is where you’ll want to look outside for better quality products most of the time. The fragrance oils included, though, should be good enough to get you started and to get a feel for how to add fragrance to your candles.
- Wax Dye: This is a bonus that is not found in all kits. If you want to color your wax, these wax dyes are a fun way to experiment. You might have blocks or bags of chips. In any case, a little tends to go a long way.
- Candle Containers: We favor the kits that already come with some type of candle containers. You can always find your own – used mason jars, old jar candles, etc., but the most complete kits will get you started with a few containers.
- Thermometer: You’ll need a thermometer to gauge your wax temperature. If the kit includes one, that’s fantastic!
Now without further adieu, here are our current picks for the best candle making kits you can buy!
Table of Contents
Best Barebones Kit
DINGPAI Candle Making Kit
The DINGPAI Candle Making Kit Supplies is a bare-bones kit that is very affordable, allowing for you to get your feet wet with candlemaking. The thing to keep in mind with this kit is that there are no containers, oils, or dyes. The wax will allow you to make about 2-3 candles, and then you will need to get more. Still, we think this kit is a great price for what you get:
- Melting pot (holds 31oz)
- 50 cotton wicks
- 12.4oz of soy wax
- Stainless steel stirring spoon
- 2 bow tie clips
- 50 glue dots
Pros:
- Very affordable
- Stainless steel stirring spoon is great for reusability
- Plenty of wicks & glue dots for more candles
Cons:
- No containers, dyes, or oils
- Only enough wax to make 2-3 candles
Best Candle Variety
DilaBee Candle Making Starter Set
This is an amazing candlemaking kit that allows for quite a bit of customization – not something you find often in these beginner kits. You can make four candles with this particular kit, and it comes with everything that you need:
- Melting pot (holds 1lb of wax)
- 4 8-oz bags of soy wax
- 4 dye blocks (red, orange, lavender, green). There are 2 of each dye block, allowing you to choose the color intensity.
- Thermometer
- 2 round candle tins with lids
- 2 square candle tins with lids
- 4 1oz fragrance oil bottles (Clean Cotton, Lavender, Coconut Lime and Cinnamon Vanilla)
- 4 cotton wicks
- 4 glue dots
- 4 warning labels
- 4 stirring sticks
- 4 bow tie clips
- Set of instructions
As you can see, this candle making kit is chock full of things, making it worth the higher cost. One downside is that there are not any “extras” included to account for mistakes or mishaps, which are bound to happen when first learning how to make candles. You can always purchase extra items if needed, but we would have liked to see a few supplemental items. The instructions aren’t the best, so be sure to research how to make candles and not rely solely on the included instructions.
Pros:
- Comes with everything needed to get started
- Allows for customization
Cons:
- Instructions not very clear.
- No extra supplies to allow for mishaps
Best Kit for Colorful Candles
Etienne Alair
This DIY candle making kit comes with an array of colors that you can mix and match for some pretty unique candles. The Etienne Alair candle making kit is full of everything that you need to make four beautiful candles. This kit comes with:
- 16 color dye blocks
- 4 8oz bags of soy wax
- 4 fragrance oils (clean cotton, coconut lime, cinnamon, lavender)
- 2 square candle tins with lids
- 2 round candle tins with lids
- 4 cotton wicks
- 4 glue dots
- 4 stirring sticks
- 4 warning labels
- 4 wooden wick holders
- 1 bow tie clip
- Melting pot
- Thermometer
- 3 silicone finger protectors
- Instruction manual
While this kit does come with a ton of colors to use, many of the items can be viewed to be on the cheap side. If going for this kit, we recommend investing in some better quality oils at the very least.
Pros:
- Large array of colors
- Kit comes with just about everything you need to get started
- Bonus silicone finger protectors
Cons:
- Items included can seem a little cheap
- Melting pot only holds 1 pound of wax
- Fragrance oils are not the best quality
Best Beeswax Kit
Kiss of Death DIY Candle Making Kit
If you want to try your hand at beeswax candles instead, you really can’t go wrong with the Kiss of Death DIY kit. It is jam-packed with supplies and is a very reasonable price. The instructions are not the best, but you can always look online for better step by step instructions. Here’s what you get in this kit:
- 6 fragrance oils (rose, spearmint, lemon, lavender, ocean, eucalyptus)
- Melting pot (500ml)
- Thermometer
- 4 7oz bags of beeswax
- 6 decorative candle tins with lids
- 10 glue dots
- 10 cotton wicks
- 6 dye packs (yellow, orange, green, purple, blue, red)
- 4 wooden sticks
- 2 centering devices (some pictures show bow tie clips, but we had wooden sticks)
- 2 droppers
- 6 warning labels
- Canvas storage bag
Pros:
- Lots of supplies for your money
- Decorative tins are perfect for gift giving
- Comes in a nice gift box for storage
Cons:
- Instruction manual fairly vague
- Centering devices are wooden sticks (we prefer bow tie clips)
Most Stylish Candle Making Kit
Scandinavian Candle Co. Store Luxury Candle Making Kit
If you’re looking to create some more luxurious candles and love the all-natural look, this candle kit will fit the bill. This huge kit has enough for you to make 6 candles! What’s more, it even comes with 2 gift bags so that you can gift your new creations.
- Melting pot (holds 2lbs of wax)
- 6 candle tins with lids (4oz, 6oz, and 8oz)
- 3 8oz bags of soy wax
- 2 fragrance oils (lime basil &mandarin, wood sage & sea salt)
- Thermometer
- 6 cotton wicks
- 6 glue dots
- 6 stirring sticks
- 6 centering devices
- 2 gift bags
- 12 designer labels
- 6 warning labels
- Instruction booklet
This kit does not come with any coloring blocks or dyes, so if you want color in your candles, you’ll need to purchase that separately. The fragrance oils are unique, but there are only two selections. Still, this is an awesome kit for beginners and allows you to dabble in luxury candle making without too much of an upfront expense.
Pros:
- Everything included to make 6 natural candles
- Includes 2 gift bags
- The melting pitcher holds up to 2 lbs of wax and is stylish
Cons:
- No dyes included
- Centering devices are wooden sticks (we prefer the bowtie clips)
Best For Gift Giving
Pebbles & Stem DIY Candle Making Kit
This is an amazingly luxurious kit perfect for beginning chandlers. It comes with just about everything you need to make such cute candles that you’ll be excited to give them as gifts! This massive set includes:
- Total of 9 candle tins with lids (2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 ounces)
- 4 fragrance oils (sea salt & orchid, mango & coconut milk, cinnamon & roasted pear, white sage & lavender)
- Melting pot (1.2L)
- Thermometer
- 5 bags of soy wax
- 2 gift bags
- 9 stirring sticks
- 9 wooden wick holders
- 9 cotton wicks
- 9 glue dots
- 9 warning stickers
- 8 colorful labels for your tins
- 5 wax color blocks
- Instruction manual
As you can see, this particular kit just about has it all! It’s fun and the candles you create are ready for gift-giving.
Pros:
- Well rounded kit
- Candle containers are perfect for customizing and gifting
Cons:
- Stick wick holders (we prefer bow tie clips)
- Fragrance choices are more mild; may want to supplement your kit
Best Overall
JIWINNER DIY Candle Making Kit
This is a fun candlemaking kit that contains enough supplies to make 7 small candles using essential oils for fragrance. While this is a great beginner’s kit, you should be aware that the melting pot is rather small and the decorative tins are very thin and dent easily.
- Melting pot
- Thermometer
- 2.6 lbs of soy wax
- 20 stickers
- 20 wicks
- Mixing spoon
- 5 candle dyes (pink, purple, yellow, green, blue)
- 7 candle containers with lids (2 amber jars and 5 decorative tins)
- Glue dots
- Bow tie clips
- 4 essential oils (tea tree, lavender, sweet orange, peppermint)
- Storage bag
While this is a great beginner’s kit, keep in mind that pure essential oil candles can be tricky to get right. You may want to supplement this kit with some fragrance oils if you’re just starting out. Still, we think this is a great one overall when you consider the price and what you’re getting.
Pros:
- Lots included to make several candles
- Great set of essential oils
Cons:
- Candle tins are cheap and can dent easily
- Essential oil candles can be tricky
There you have it. We think you can’t go wrong with one of these kits. Just check them out and see which one might suit your needs best. Give more than one a try so you can compare and contrast! We’ll be covering specific candle kits in the future, if you want more in depth looks at a kit before purchasing. In the meantime, get out there and candle make!
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