The 5 Best Candle Making Kits

For better or worse, nothing makes an impression upon our senses more than scent. In a split second, a lovely fragrance can heighten your mood, capture your imagination, or evoke the past. But on the other hand, aromas can easily cross into the territory of the obnoxious, overpowering, or downright repulsive. When it comes to your home, it's natural to be extra vigilant in promoting good scents and quelling bad ones. This is why many have chosen to take up candle-making. Rather than relying on others to choose what your candles smell like, the kits we've included allow you to take matters into your own hands to craft a candle that smells the way you want it to.

Dilabee Complete DIY Kit

You Complete Me

Featuring everything you'd need (and then some), the DilaBee Complete DIY Kit offers the best blend of value and quality.

Best Overall

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Everyone likes a product that deftly maneuvers the balance between cost and quality. Dilabee’s Complete DIY kit does just this. For the price of a few crummy, store-bought candles, you can be the proud owner of a kit replete with enough dye blocks, fragrances, soy, and candle tins to make you four lovely candles. This kit also includes the hardware you’ll need for the process itself, including candle wicks, glue dots, stirring sticks, a melting pot, a thermometer, and more. Further, this one makes no assumptions about your familiarity with the process. If you’re new, fret not: Dilabee’s foolproof instructions are written with the beginner in mind, and by all accounts, they’re very easy to follow.

Pros:

Great gift for a crafty loved one
Interesting scent blends like lime coconut

Cons:

Although convenient, a bit overpriced
Scent throw isn’t very strong

Nature’s Blossom DIY

May I Speak Candle-y?

This American-made kit by Nature's Blossom is more or less comparable to its costlier counterparts without sacrificing quality.

Best Value

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Sometimes there’s a good deal, and sometimes there’s a good deal. This is the latter. While the other mid-tier kits on our list are already well-priced, this one (which is offered at a discount rate) delivers more or less the same thing as most other kits on the market for less money. It includes 1.5 lbs of wax made from soy, three different scents, and all the hardware you’ll utilize. We’ve realized that this one makes for a great family activity to get your kids engaged in a DIY process. Showing your young cubs how to create something (with your supervision, of course) is empowering, true; but doing so without having to break the bank is even better.

Pros:

Lavender, chamomile and lemon scents
Great project kit
Each tin can fit two wicks

Cons:

No thermometer included

Burning Wick Candles Large Kit

Burning the Midnight Oil

This jumbo-sized kit offers the candle-making enthusiast enough wax to supply a year-long vigil.

Best Jumbo Kit

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So let’s say that you’re more than certain you’re going to enjoy the art of candlemaking. You’re eager to dive head-first into the process, and you’re not expecting to get bored after the first or second go. If that sounds like you, then you might want to look into Burning Wick Candle’s large kit, which includes enough soy to keep you crafting until the cows come home. Aside from being a great present to yourself, this kit would make an ideal gift for the DIY-minded crafter in your life.

Featured scents include lavender, clean cotton, vanilla, “seaside escape”, and “love spell”. True, most of these are pretty standard (and to some noses, boring) but others would argue that that’s because they’re so universally yummy.

Pros:

Good value for the price
Thermometer included

Cons:

Packaging makes the kit vulnerable in transit
Some find the colors and scents underwhelming

Dingpai Candle-Making Kit

We're Not Burning Money Here

For just a few dollars, you can get yourself a full set of tools to start candle-making. Such a minimal investment allows you to dip your toes in the water, so to speak, before fully committing to this hobby.

Best Budget

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Candle-making isn’t just practical – it’s also fun. But between raising a family, paying bills, and saving for that vacation, not everybody has the money (nor the desire) to spend upwards of $50 on a candle-making kit. Especially if they’re not sure they’ll even enjoy it. For that reason, we’ve chosen Dingpai’s candle-making kit, which costs about as much as a pizza pie. Although you’ll have to buy your essential oils and wax elsewhere, this one includes everything else you’ll need, including a heavy-duty stainless steel melting pot, 50 candle wicks and wick stickers, and 2 candle-wick holders.

Pros:

One month full satisfaction guarantee
Ideal for making small batches

Cons:

Can’t make multiple candles at once
Doesn’t include instructions

Candlewic Coconut & Apricot Wax

Coconut & Apricot: The Fruit of Your Labor

Though you may not have known it, some candle wax is made from apricot and coconut, which both are superior in performance to soy wax.

Best Soy Wax Alternative

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Perhaps you’ve scoured the web for a candle-making set only to find that nearly every kit features the same recurring scent blends: lavender, lemon, etc. What if you’re looking for something unique, something distinct, something like… coconut and apricot? Yum. While not all moms feel the pleasure I do as I say those words aloud – coconut and apricot – for many of us, this blend captures our curiosity and draws our interest. But wait! Read a bit closer and you’ll realize that the plot thickens. It is not the scent itself that comes from coconut and apricot, but rather the wax. When compared with traditional soy wax, coconut and apricot wax makes for a much better-performing candle both in longevity and scent throw. Add to that the fact that it makes a viscerally pleasing crackling sound as it burns, and, well, we think it’s clear why it’s one of our five favorites.

Pros:

Interesting aromas like red pineapple and agave nectar
Instructions are easy to read

Cons:

Included tins are quite small
Ingredients are expensive because of their quality

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the candle-making process consist of?

The process goes like this, roughly: first, you’ll measure out the amount of wax (soy or otherwise) that you’ll need. You’ll pour it into your wax melting pot, let it melt while stirring for about 15 minutes, and then add fragrance oils, once the wax has turned to liquid. You’ll tir it together and let it set. Meanwhile, you’ll prepare your candle’s wick and container. You’ll attach the wick (either with a sticker or by using hot wax to stick it to the candle tin’s surface) and wait for it to settle. Meanwhile, you’ll monitor the liquid wax’s temperature. Once it hits around 140 degrees Fahrenheit, you’ll pour the wax into your candle tin. Meanwhile, you’ll hold the wick in place to ensure it doesn’t lose its straight, even line through the middle of the candle. Once the wax hardens, you may want to add another final layer on wax on top to beautify and smooth an otherwise rough surface. Finally, you’ll cut the wick, and voila! Your candle is finished!

How do I know if the candles I’m making are safe to use in my house?

There has been scholarly debate over whether soy/paraffin wax (which is the kind most commonly used in candles) is harmful when burned. A study from 2009 suggested that this might be the case, but other academics have contested the validity of the study, claiming there were problems with the study’s design and conclusions.

Other matters of concern include particulate matter (the particles that linger in the air after combustion) and whether or not fragrances can be dangerous when burned and inhaled. When it comes to these DIY kits, the fragrances are made from essential oils rather than synthetic chemicals, so they’re likely safer than traditional chemicals, but it’s not totally harmless. As far as particular matter is concerned, this is always an issue when any compound is burned, but by all accounts, it’s mostly harmless unless you have asthma or another respiratory condition. To minimize your risk, keep your house well-ventilated.