If you're a lover of scented candles, then you probably already know just how expensive they are, but is it cheaper to make your candles at home?
It is cheaper to make candles at home if you already have candle making equipment, however, if you have to buy everything like a melting jug and buy less than 5 candles a year, you might be at a loss.
We've discussed in more detail below if candle making is a profitable business as well as costs to consider when making candles down below in our short guide.
If you want to turn candle making into a small business rather than just a side hobby, candle making can be very profitable, with an average store-bought candle costing between £5-£30 depending on the size.
Once you've brought all of the equipment, buying wax, fragrance oil and wicks can be quite cheap. For example, for 1kg of wax, you will spend about £5, this could make up to 6 candles, costing just 80p a candle, candle glass containers are about 80p each and wicks are 12p each.
If you are making fragrance candles, you can expect on average to spend £3.50, consider the average small scented candle is about £5 onwards, it is cheaper and profitable, but that's once you've invested in your candle making equipment too such as a melting jug.
If you are planning to make your candles for fun or as a business then there are lots of costs to consider, we've listed the main ones down below to help you out.
Candle wax has different costs according to the type you choose, the main types are beeswax, soy wax and paraffin wax.
Soy wax costs about £10 for a kilo, beeswax costs about £18 for a kilo while paraffin wax is the cheapest at around £8 a kilo, but it is the most toxic, so isn't the ideal choice for making natural candles.
When it comes to fragrances, prices will vary according to if you choose essential oils or fragrance oils, fragrance oils are often stronger. You will need about an ounce of fragrance for every pound of wax you use.
For example, a 30ml essential oil can cost around £1.50 while a 30ml fragrance oil costs about £2, you can get these in bulk to save money too.
Wicks are very cheap, a pack of 100 cotton wicks will only cost you about £8, which works out at 80 p per one, making it very profitable, the bigger the pack you buy, the better the profit you will be able to make.
Candle containers by standard size cost 50p each, making them very cheap, buying these in packs will reduce the price even further.
Candle dyes have varying costs according to the quality of the dye that you choose, most dyes cost about £1.30 each making them quite expensive, so we would recommend picking certain colours and buying in bulk to help save costs.
This is the most expensive part about making candles, the tools. For candle making, you will need a double boiler, a big saucepan, string, a spatula and a pencil. This is doing it the budget way, if you want to invest in proper equipment this will raise the cost significantly.
Labour costs are up to you, you will need to work out how much you want to be paid per hour and then time this by the hours worked, so if it takes you 4 hours to make a candle, and you want £5 hours, labour costs for a candle would be £20.
Overall, scented candles are cheaper to make than buying store-bought candles, however, this is only once you've invested in the initial equipment. Considering candles can be sold for up to £30, this is a great initial investment.
To save money when making candles we suggest buying materials in bulk since the costs will be cheaper when split between candles.
Find out here what are The Best Selling Candle Scents today!
