Candle Making: Hobby or Business?

By Tania Penwell


I remember the day I made my first wax candle at home, with
supplies bought from a local store. I just couldn’t get over my
amazement at how much like a ‘real candle’ my effort looked, just
as I could not believe how relatively simple it had been.

It was my friend Charlene, an aromatherapy expert, who had
initiated me in the art of candle making, and today, I have a lot
to thank her for. It is very gratifying when friends and family
sing my candles’ praises, and blindly trust me to make them the
best-looking and sweetest-smelling candles.

Plenty of people have suggested that I start selling my products,
because from the initial wax candles, I had soon branched out to
include aromatic candles and gel candles in my repertoire. Though
I confess to being too lazy to run an organized business, I know
plenty of people who have turned their hobby of candle making
into a lucrative profession.

The money-spinning aspect of candle making has become prominent
of late, as the candle has grown in popularity to become many things
to many people. While aromatherapy enthusiasts swear by the soothing
properties of a scented candle, interior decorators declare that there is
nothing like a well-positioned set of candles to beautify a room.

Given the circumstances, it is hardly a surprise that candle making as
an art is constantly gaining in popularity. Today, there are hundreds of
books, web sites and both online and offline classes that teach the art of
making candles. For candle aficionados like Charlene, who taught candle
making before switching to aromatherapy, teaching the art is only partly
about making money. “It gives me a chance to share something I love,”
she once told me.

Why does one want to learn candle making? For me, whom not many
(including myself) thought was a particularly creative person, candle
making offered a chance to find out whether that was indeed so. Having
once begun, it was impossible to stop, despite the hours of patient effort
I had to put in. Along the way, I discovered that candle making required
great determination and discipline, not to mention time. But believe me,
once you have mastered the art, the level of satisfaction makes all the
effort worthwhile.

That is not say that all types of candles require the same degree of time
and effort. Some are also more expensive than others, but as you get better
at the craft, you will find your own little shortcuts and innovations, which will
help make your candles unique and cost-effective. I know, because I have
been there and experience, as they say, is the best teacher. But whatever
you do, please remember to adopt proper safety measures at all times, and
don’t lose heart if your initial attempts don’t bear the kind of fruit you expect!

Author Information:
Tania Penwell is a successful author who provides information on candle making and candle making supplies for Candles 4U.

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