I’d like to talk about something important that’s also very near and dear to me: candle safety, in magical practice AND from a business/maker’s standpoint.
Some background: I make candles and beauty products for a living. I’ve made thousands and thousands of candles, in all sorts of containers and with all kinds of waxes, for several years now. Candle divination via wax, flame, or smoke interpretation has been a favored method of mine before I even got into this business. Every day I see beautiful and creative takes I’ve never seen before, and I am always amazed by other makers.
This is not a post to say you can’t just do it casually. You absolutely can, and I encourage it as a hobby or rainy day fun project, or even as a devotional act or offering. But I really, really want to stress why safety and observance of warnings and data sheets is of utmost importance.
This post is not meant to make you afraid or discourage you, or discourage your purchases from other makers. This is solely an informative post that I hope sheds some light on certain practices within candle-making.
🗝 You can put a candle in almost anything, but I don’t always recommend it. There are glass, concrete, and metal containers that are certified appropriate for candle usage. Please seek these out when you can, especially if you intend to burn the candle and not just use it for decoration. Improper vessels can crack, burn, melt, and otherwise explode. Painted or varnished items can emit harmful fumes or ignite and scorch.
🗡 NOT ALL GLASS IS THE SAME. There are some glass varieties that are too thin, or have terrible heat distribution. Concentration of heat from the wick in the wrong spot can, and will, crack your vessel. I do not recommend using tapered, shaped, or fluted containers unless you are extremely familiar with wick sizes. I do not recommend using antique glassware unless you have tested again and again and again, and familiarized yourself with wicking or wax types.
⚰️ Over-wicking candles can cause anything from vessel failure to an outright fire. Over-wicking means you have chosen a wick that is too hot for the size vessel you are using. There are wick size recommendations for both container sizes and wax types, and this matters a lot more than you might think it does. I’d rather you choose a wick that’s too small than one that’s too large, as a small wick will usually put itself out via tunneling. Most hobby kits come with wicks appropriate for the containers they include.
⚔️ There are popular items circulating around the internet that people are embedding in candles or using as embellishments. You can affect both the structure of the candle, how it burns, and the safety of your candle by including these embellishments improperly. This includes crystals and dried herbs. I highly recommend researching this extensively before putting ANY stones or herbs in a candle and following all instructions that may be included with embeds and embellishments. As a disclaimer, I do not personally encourage including anything in a candle beyond wick, wax, and certified fragrance oil. Please research as much as possible.
🥀 Herbs, oils, and flowers do not generally smell good when outright burnt. It’s not like incense. On top of this, they can ignite and burn very quickly, and catch either your melt pool on fire or cause excess and damaging heat. I have seen “dressed” candles crack and fail catastrophically. The most recent times I’ve been asked about have been due to improper vessel choice (a narrow, very tapered glass) and inclusion of dried herbs in excess. Most times, the items are never pulled up into the wick during burning, but in the event they are, it can result in a bad smell or a fire hazard.
If you are a maker or wish to be one, it’s important to consider this, both for your client’s safety and for your business. You are responsible for the product, and a warning label does not automatically absolve you of responsibility if your product hurts someone or damages a home. I understand a lot of you have tested and experimented and that’s good, you can never test too much. There are many people who sell candles with herbs and crystals in special containers who have good products and I greatly admire them. This is absolutely not to discourage you purchasing from them or to dunk on their products, this is solely about how important it is to research and learn before throwing a candle in a coffee mug with a handful of rose petals. I am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice. I just care deeply about this craft and your well-being. Including items that aren’t certified for use in candles can affect insurance coverage for those of you who seek it.
🍂 Adding too much fragrance oil for your wax can result in a candle that won’t set, or your fragrance oil separating from the wax. Do not burn fragrance oil directly. It can be highly flammable and toxic.
🌾 Fragrance oils SHOULD come with IFRA (International Fragrance Association) safety sheets that detail how much of that oil can be used in which products. Not all fragrance oils can be put in all products. Some are not body-safe, and some are not meant to burn in a candle.
🌙 Please do not use items like eyeshadow or mica powder to color the entirety of your candle. Eyeshadow often has additives not meant to be burnt, and mica powder can literally clog your wick and cause your candle to stop burning. Candle colorants are meant to dissolve and disperse in wax. Mica remains a physical pigment that does not bind or bond, and is pulled up into the wick over time, blocking the flow of fuel and fragrance. Imagine pouring fine sand into a candle; that’s the best comparison I have. Wooden Wick Co. recommends 1/32 of a teaspoon per 8oz of wax by weight to prevent wick clogging. That’s literally like a thumbnail of mica at a maximum, but it’s more than enough to add a little shimmer to a melt pool or to brush the top of a finished candle with. Plastic glitter should always be a no for obvious reasons, and too much glitter or mica can quite literally destabilize wax and make a slush of nastiness.
Again, I want to iterate that there are fantastic makers out there who upcycle antique containers, dress candles, and do all sorts of amazing things with stones and herbs. Those makers have likely tested time and time again to ensure the product is safe, clean, and effective. If you’re ever unsure, YouTube has several professional candlemakers who love to talk about their process and even review home kits on occasion.
