Witchy Wicks

Candle makers blog for all your candle tips and tricks!

[altascandles]

Everything you need to know about making a candle

HI! Im back with more information on candle making. Today I will be touching on little bit of everything you need to know for candle making. It is a pretty detailed process that requires very careful steps. Everything from the kind of materials, amounts, temperatures, vessels, wick type, wax type, colors, and scents it is intricate. Something to add is that it is also super expensive to do if you follow the correct steps. Just be sure you aren't trying to use things around the house and etc to make it easier and cheaper because it is not worth the risk! 

1. There are different forms of a candle. You can make a pillar, container, or motif candle. Make sure you know the difference when looking for a vessel or mold option

2. Wax? soy, beeswax, paraffin, and recycled wax. Depending on who or what you have in your household you should be cautious. Some waxes are toxic to animals and some are toxic to you! There are certain kind that cause allergies, sinus issues, wax rings underneath the container, excess smoke, and etc. 

3. What you use to melt your wax matters. PLEASE DO NOT use your microwave it can damage it, produce toxins to be stuck inside, and completely break it or blow up the candle itself. You can use a double boiler method, or buy a wax melter tool. This is very important

4. Be aware when choosing a vessel as certain glass and material are not candle safe. 

Make sure you are testing different methods to see what works best for you and burn each kind you make first to see if it is safe and if it works correctly proceed with whichever one feels right. Definitely make sure you are being precise and i know it can be fun but it is very important to follow these safety steps, and obtain the proper items first. 

If this topic interest you, please feel free to ask questions or visit a few of these links I will add with more information. It is very important to DO YOU RESEARCH! 

+https://www.lonestarcandlesupply.com/blog/what-you-should-know-before-you-make-your-first-candle/

+https://www.fix.com/blog/making-your-own-candles/

[altascandles]

Fellow candler shoutouts

THi fellow bloggers and followers, today I would like to introduce everyone to a few of my favorite fellow candle makers. The industry it super competitive and it is important to have your own special way about things. Many candle makers have their own reason or contribution of doing things different. Whether it is making their candles vegan, sustainable, toxin free, pet friendly, recyclable, and etc. 

Each person does this for different reasons, it may be because they have kids or pets they want to protect, or a lifestyle purpose such as wanting to sport a completely vegan based life outside of just what they eat everyday, and more. I like to try to keep mine toxin free due to a multitude of reasons and safety purposes, as well as showing people that just because candles from places such as Walmart, or BBW sale the kind that send soot into out homes, does not mean that it the only option. 

First, I will introduce DWC, which stands for Downtown women center. This is based and located out of Los Angelos, California. This is a super special place as they are the first and only organization like this is LA, that serves and supports local women that have or are experiencing homelessness. They help these women find new skills and interest that they can use to help their situation and find or create a job for themselves. The candles are awesome, and have a very sleek and simple look while providing an amazing smell for your home or wherever you choose to place them, while also filling your soul with joy for supporting such a well intended business. I recommend purchasing a candle during the holiday season as you can score a gift card to hand out and tell their story to others. They also sell coffee, home goods, and merchandise for their business! Here is a link to those interested, and even if you do not love candles, check out a chance they offer to offer a gift of gratitude. 

https://madebydwc.org/collections/candles-cp/Gratitude-Gifting

Next, the homesick candle brand. It is also based online as many things are right now, and it is a candle company that supports not only its local but all over communities. For every candle they create, they are helping and speaking with anywhere from 30-100 people. They create joy for many and send wonderful scents throughout your home. They have a wonderful mission as well as products and I definitely think you should check them out. They are all natural and none toxic. They used all organic cotton wicks, as well as natural soy wax and homemade custom fragrance oils. They offer many different ways to receive their scents if you do not favor candles, they have diffusers, and even car scent throwers. The prices are also reasonable for the sizes you are receiving. Support another great company follow the link below! Please (:

https://homesick.com/collections/candles

Last but not least, coffee and motivation candle company. It is a small business ran by a few entrepreneurs out of Miami, Florida. I guess we are seeing a trend by now with the good causes and coffee. Yes, I will admit, I am a sucker for good cup of Joe as they say on the website. They provide you with motivation through every purchase. They have amazing prices and deals, as they are advertising a buy two get one free right now. Why not grab you, your mom, and your bff one all at the same time. They have quotes on each jar and you can choose what category you are interested in, such as female entrepreneur, jokes, and even job occupations like nurses/doctors and etc. As I say above, CHECK THEM OUT! Please and than you. 

https://www.coffeeandmotivation.com/collections/female-entrepreneur-candle-jars/products/just-a-girl-boss-building-her-empire-luxury-candle-jar-35-hours?variant=39374174322753

I appreciate everyone for staying until the end as it was a sorta long post but for a great cause, or three. It has bee a super tough semester as it is closing out and I believe in treating yourself every now and again. The inspiration behind these businesses and the way they came up from the bottom with their websites and little money to start is a show for the fact that we have this in the bag we just gotta keep going!

[altascandles]

HEADLINES: candle blogger missing

Hi everyone! As you may have noticed, I have indeed missed a couple of blogs recently. I have had some personal stuff going on explaining why a pin had been put in my progress. Fortunately, I am back and here to touch on a few things.

As everyone may know, running a business is hard hence why everyone is not able to do so. Good thing we have Walmart, and Target right? Even on the days we just can't seem to be mentally there enough to keep up with ourselves much less our school work, new projects and launches, family events, new work schedules, and more we still have backup plans. Just a reminder that your mental and physical health are always the number one priority regardless of what else is happening behind the scenes. 

My issue with my candle business lately has been that, with full time school, and full time work, it seems close to impossible to keep up with something else. That is where you have to come in, and say look a break is much needed and just let your customers know that you are taking a much needed few days off and you will resume orders very shortly and if they need a refund or something else to help the situation, you will be glad to assist them in such. 

I know this is not my usual topic on candle making, or resources, but i think it is important to throw in there that not everyone gets the reminders they need on a normal basis. This is why i would like to take this weeks blogging space to help do just that. If any one has any questions on how you should approach a customer, or put a temporary quick pause on business, please feel free to comment below!

I have purchased a few new supplies for Christmas, such as boxes, ribbons, wax warmers, and more to add to my gift boxes and to give as gifts to friends this holiday season. I will be resuming my business next Monday as i will be off of work Tuesday through Thursday for Thanksgiving, so I will update everyone next week if you or anyone you may is interested in Candles or wax melts. 

With the holidays coming up, I think it is very nice to be able to learn a new hobby, and maybe even share it with the family. A lot of times, we are out more often from school and work due to this. Why not get started on learning a new project? That is how I got started with candles in the first place believe it or not! I was craving a new hobby, and it turned into something I was able to hopefully use for a main income someday. Also, this is the best time for business, because of Christmas gifts, and holiday scents. Who does not love sugar cookie, vanilla, pine, peppermint, hot cocoa, cinnamon, and all of those special seasonal scents. I meant besides candles, even the seasonal coffee alone makes the holidays my favorite.

Thanks for sticking around for this sorta longer than usual blog post today and remember always take care of your self and happy holidays! 

[altascandles]

Latest supply haul

Hi fellow bloggers and watchers! Yesterday I decided to purchase a few new materials in between classes and headed over to Michaels as i heard they had some sort of sale going on. I walked in and of course picked up multiple things that i absolutely did NOT need. I grabbed a few new tags to add to my candles and melts when purchased and a stamp block and color to add to the tags to let my customers know I am most thankful for them supporting my business. I hit the halloween section to see if there were any cute jars or vessels because everything was 50% of original prices since it is this weekend, and I failed to find anything that way. I went into the baking section and found a few new silicone molds on sale for 3 to 5$. I also got some new mod lodge to apply sprinkles and what not to the inner rim of my vessels.

After checking out and signing up for the new rewards program, I headed home. Later on that evening, i hopped on Amazon and scanned my cart deleting a few things and checked out with multiple new molds including some to make chocolate shapes, fruit loop/ donut shapes, and flowers. I also grabbed  up some crystals for intention candles, a few new scents that had good prices, some wax melter protectors that you can throw your melt in and pick the entire thing up with afterwards so you do not make a mess! It is very convenient. 

Funny story, my grandmother and I share an Amazon prime account and I very accidentally used her card instead of mine so i am heading there after work to give her the money I used (oops). Make sure to double check is the moral of that story. 

Any how everyone, I am on the search for new scents and better wick quality so I will probably end up ordering a wick sampler box off of one of my fav sites to test because I want to make sure the quality is A1 so no one inhales any toxins or it just malfunctions altogether since I want to sale only the best to my lovely customers. 

Thank you guys for viewing today and I hope you all have a bootiful Halloween weekend. Feel free to comment with suggestions for wick purchases or even to just update me on your week. 

[altascandles]

MEET YOUR BLOGGER:

Hi every one just a quick meet and greet!

I haven't said much about myself so I'm dropping a selfie to let you meet your blogger. Hope all is well. Small update, Im still in college graduating in a few weeks! My candle business has not blossomed yet as I am still learning and am busy with work and school so after December I will be hoping to do a few pop up shops and etc.

I am also going to give a quick over view of a few things I've done and am focusing on. I have tried dried flowers, gold leaf, dried fruits, pumpkin toppers, and more. I am practicing using more novelty items are safe and non toxic of course! Here are a few examples. Also pictures : small cinnamon sticks but I have yet to burn these they are still sitting to gain a better stick to scent and hot throw. I will be adding crystals with intentions set into them and candles, more wooden wick options, Christmas scents, glitter, brighter colors, more creative name play, and etc. I am excited so I hope you are too!

I hope everyone is excited for Halloween as it's one of my favorite holidays besides Christmas of course so stay tuned for some holiday goodies I will be sharing with you guys! Thanks for the support and have a great rest of your week (:

[altascandles]

Vessels

Hi everyone!

I will be discussing where to find vessels and information on what to look out for!

An important factor in finding vessels is to know that not all vessels are able to maintain the proper heat capabilities. Such as some of the cute new to you jars and bowls you may find a craft store, dollar tree, walmart/target, and online stores. This is because those vessels were not made for candle wax. 

If you find one you really like, check to see if it says microwave or dishwasher safe, because in that case it is safe for high temperatures and can be used to store candle wax or maintain burning on inside of it.

I typically try to stick with vessels from online stores, however you can always use an old candle jar that you liked and wait for it to burn down and remove that old wax and make your own candle in that specific jar. 

Some of the things that can happen if you burn candles in a jar unsafe to do so

1. The jar can blow up

2. The jar can crack 

3. The candle can burn incorrectly

These are some of the most common mishaps. 

I suggest some of the following places to find your candle safe vessels:

the wooden wick

bulk apothecary

sixteen seventeen

dream vessels

These are a few of my favorite, they can be pricey anywhere if you are buying the correct materials as they have to have the correct materials to maintain heat and withhold certain chemicals. 

Please also consider shopping local if you have any local candle dispensaries nearby and looking into small shops on etsy because you can find great stuff on there that is usually sustainable and reusable!

Stay around for next weeks blog, as i up my inventory i will be adding information for the ability to look at my items! Thank you guys and stay tuned 

[altascandles]

Beginners candle making tutorials

Hi everyone! I hope all is well. I am doing something somewhat different this week as i will be attaching a video with a tutorial to spice things up and give everyone a visual idea of what needs to be done with detail steps with one of my favorite videos from Youtube. Please enjoy and give feedback on anything you would like to see next week, or if you have any questions or concerns drop those below. I appreciate everyone for staying around. 

Another Fun fact before this video if you hear anyone say hot or cold throw it is referring to the scent before burned, say if you pick up a candle and take the lid off and it fills the room with a nice scent before even lit then it has a nice “cold throw”, and if they say hot throw they are referring to when it is being burned!

ALRIGHT see the video link below please the link will be imbedded, have a nice day (;

[altascandles]

Hi! As anticipated today I will be talking about what to stay away from during candle making!!

1. Crayons- pretty colors but not attainable for actually burning and smell bad as they are also toxic

2. Incorrect wifi sizes wick sizes are very specific to which size vessel you are using please be educated beforehand

3. Paraffin waxes are very toxic and not biodegradable

4. Oils not specified for candle scent usage such as different aromatherapy oils, body oils, lip oils, and etc. perfume is a big no no

5. Do not use a microwave PLEASE AND THANK YOU!

[altascandles]

What NOT to do

Hi everyone! I will be sharing a few tips today on what not to do when handmaking a candle. Like I said previously in last weeks blog, it is very important to follow precise and safe directions as not doing so can really put you in a bind. 

Follow me >>>>

First things first DO NOT hurt yourself obviously.

How do we do that? Well we are going to need safety gloves, glasses, and let’s not wear open toed shoes just in case we drop a candle we do not want it to break on us or burn us if the wax is not fully set yet. 

Also, It is so important to NOT buy the wrong items and if you read last weeks blog, you know what to get and what NOT to get. Please if you have not yet gotten to last weeks informational post, do so now so you can get caught up and see what materials are best for that. 

It is very useful if you are making several either for yourself, gifts, or just as a hobby to order in bulk because purchasing from places like Hobby Lobby will just have you spending so much unnecessary money. Even if you are not buying 5 plus pounds at a time, places like Amazon, bulk apothecaries and specialties shops will not only save you a few bucks but usually helps small businesses which is always a plus!

With that being said, I hope that you have reviewed last weeks but if not another thing to do would e to get to correct vessel which is the container for your candle. I know we all love to thrift, the less $$ the better right? However, we have to be careful because not all glass is safe to use when applying the correct measurements and temperatures needed to make a great candle. 

If you are selling these candles, DO NOT hand anyone a candle without #1 trimming the wick to appropriate length and #2 not applying a warning label for insurance purposes and safety of that individual. 

We want to make sure we are thinking about other safety along with our profit it may be exciting to give or sell your first candle up but it is very selfish to not consider every aspect to ensure the same fairness to each person and candle. DO NOT BE SELFISH..

Please do not use crayons, or art products when coloring the candles. Also do not use aromatherapy oils, perfumes, body oils, food, lotions, or etc to make a fragrance for your candle.

Please do not try to speed up the cooling/setting process by freezing, or  refrigerating the candle wax or vessel. Also, do NOT forget to weigh your items. Every step counts. Please reach out if you have any further questions. Thanks for reading guys! Stick around for next weeks blog to find out what materials to steer away from.

[altascandles]

Hi! I am Alta, a senior in design at RU. I will be blogging about handmade candles. I'm interested in the topic because candles are so popular however not a lot of people know what is in a candle or the different forms you can get them in. Some can be toxic for babies and pets and that's something people need to know. Candles have a broad spectrum of different waxes, kinda of scents, vessels, and etc. Please stay tuned for these next few months in order to learn more! You may even decide to look deeper into the subject as I also make candles able to be purchased 🤳🏼