Once you have decided to take up candle-making, the next step is to put together the supplies and equipment you will need. That might seem a little overwhelming considering the list of supplies you may need. But, what you need to do is to determine what supplies and equipment are necessary and what might just be helpful. This article will cover the supplies and equipment that are necessary and are also helpful when you begin your candle-making career.

Two of your necessary pieces of equipment are a double boiler and a thermometer.

A double boiler is the safest and most efficient way for you to melt your wax. You can either purchase a double boiler or you can use a pitcher with a lip for pouring and a large pot for boiling water. You absolute need to have a good thermometer. The temperature of the wax is the only way you will know when it is the right time to put in additives, fragrance and dyes and exactly when the wax should be removed from the heat source. A candy thermometer will also work just as well for this process.

 The next key element is the wax. The type of wax that you will use to make your candles will be determined by the type of candles you are going to make. As you get more seasoned with the candle-making process, you can experiment. But, initially, you should use the type of wax that is specified for that particular type of candle. Container candles take a soft wax, votive candles take a medium wax and if you are making pillar candles, you need to use a hard wax.

The next necessary supply you will need is wicks. There are many different types of wicks and as you progress, you will begin to favor one type of wick over another. There are pre-tabbed wicks and un-tabbed wicks. You may want to try each one to see which one works for you. There are also different thicknesses of wicks available and the size of the wick you will use will be determined by the size of the candle that you are making. You should read the label on the wick packet and it will tell you what size wick you should use. There are also different types of wicks for paraffin wax versus soy or all natural wax. All of these things factor into what type of wick you should use. Experiment with these to find which types works for you. You may or may not want to scent your candles. If you decide to scent them, you will need to decide what type of fragrance you want to use. Again, you might need to experiment a little with different fragrances. Some are more potent or concentrated than others and some work better in paraffin wax but don’t work well in soy wax. Adjust the amount of fragrance you use based on the type of wax you are using.

You may also want to color your candles. If you do, there are many different types of dyes available. There are liquid, powdered, and dye chips. Experiment with these different dyes to see what works better in the wax that you are using. You should read the label on each of these types to see how each one is added to the candle wax.

 Here are some items that you don’t need to get started with your candle-making, but may make the process a little easier for you: wick stickers or glue dots will secure your wicks in place so that they don’t shift when you pour your wax, wick chips will keep your wicks straight for you, a digital scale is a more accurate way of weighing your wax and fragrance so that you know exactly how much to use of each, wax additives will correct a particular issue you may have with a particular wax, candle molds are needed if you are making molded candles, a heat gun comes in handy for preheating containers and correcting any imperfections you may get on the top of your candle. Again, these items are not necessary so you may want to acquire these items down the road.

As you gain more experience with your candle-making, you will see that there are many more supplies and tools available for you to make the process easier and more efficient. Part of the job of candle-making is experimenting to make your candles unique.