Donita Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 I made money....but because I was one of the first to do hurricane candles. About 18 years ago. No one had seen them so I got the business. Started at farmer's market and then some great craft shows. So....my little hobby did become a retail business. But....my husband ran the store and I was the candle slave at home. We sold other things besides candles too. Then we went wholesale and that was a different story. Before the customers came to us.....then we had to find them. Still made money but it wasn't as much. Same thing happened with soap. I was one of the first doing soap. Then it seems everyone was making it. The candle and soap boards had a gazillion members....now they have dropped off. There is so much competition now you have to be the best and work your butt off. And yes....you have to test. After all of these years I poured a new wax last night and took it out of the mold this morning. Wow....it doesn't look like what I expected. The experimenting goes on and one. Good luck to you. I still love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HorseScentS Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 It will take a while and we are willing to do the dirty work. I have just read a lot about soy being apparently better than paraffin wax..toxins and soot issues. I personally like both but I am thinking that paraffin candles would be cheaper to make than soy.I read the same thing when I first started researching candle making, but now I know it's all hype, soy is not cleaner burning, not greener, not more non-toxic, and not better than paraffin at all. Also, it's way more expensive to learn to use it because it's very temperamental and hard to work with, so some people on here say they spent thousands of dollars testing to get it right. Paraffin has the best hot throw, and I think it's prettier. If people like soy, that's fine, but none of the hype is true, it's not "better" than paraffin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella1952 Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 The best wax to use is that one that works best for you. Some people love soy wax and wouldn't use anything else; others prefer paraffin; still others prefer palm wax or beeswax. Despite all the hype and disinformation, the only natural wax is beeswax, but even that presents challenges. You just have to start somewhere and go from there. Testing takes a long time, so be prepared to enjoy your hobby for a while so that you can gain experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coconut Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 Since you want to sell your product some day, you may want to find out what sells in your area and test with that. No sense in testing a wax nobody wants to buy unless the candles are only for you. In some parts of the country, people I have chatted with say only soy or palm will sell. In other parts, people do not care what kind of wax is in the candle as long as it smells good. As far as making money, I have made a little but I only do candles part time. I put all my profits right back into more wax and FO! My tip for keeping your initial costs down is to start out testing small candles. They seem to sell pretty well from what I have read on this board so I think it is a good place to start. Since a small candle uses less wax and FO, it costs a lot less to test. I can get three candles from 8 oz. of wax and 1/2 oz. of FO, so that's good bang for my buck. If you start out testing 16 oz. candles, you can only get one candle for a pound of wax and an ounce of FO, and it takes a long time to test since you need to burn it all the way down. Also, buy samplers. Get 10 lb. of wax instead of a case, until you find out what wax you like. Buy 1 oz. of FO instead of a pound. I also try to focus on suppliers that are willing to ship via the post office, but that is not my only criteria for a supplier. Don't waste money on cheap wax or oils. If you have to use more of a cheap FO, it is not a savings.And be patient! I have tested for years now (it never ends). Some scents I have tested more than 20 different formulas of wax, % of FO, and wicks before I hit the formula that gave me the burn I was looking for. Good luck to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nitewing Posted September 10, 2011 Share Posted September 10, 2011 I think you would be better off trying to build ships in bottles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella1952 Posted September 10, 2011 Share Posted September 10, 2011 i think you would be better off trying to build ships in bottles.gotta love it!!! :laugh2::laugh2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spark-me-up Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 a ha ha ha!!! SO true... & far less frustrating let me tell you!Anyway, Good Luck... it's not as easy as it seems =) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella1952 Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 Good Luck... it's not as easy as it seems =)Nor as difficult as it appears.Ommmmmm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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