Things to do · Arts and crafts
Learn to make candles
A friend has invited you to do this with them.
Candle making means choosing a wax, sizing a wick and blending a fragrance, and getting them to work together is a craft in itself. A beginners' workshop usually takes a few hours, and you go home with candles you poured yourself.
GentleUnder £100 / $130An afternoonIndoorsWith othersUK and US
Waxes, wicks and fragrance
Workshops usually work with soy wax, beeswax or paraffin. Olympic College's four-hour class covers choosing wax, blending fragrances, sizing wicks and pouring safely, and students make a travel tin candle, a votive and a pair of tapers rolled from beeswax sheets.
Fragrance needs care. Advice from the British Candlemakers Federation and Cornwall Council Trading Standards says even a small amount of fragrance can lower the flash point of the wax mixture, that fragrances with a flash point below 60C (140F) should be avoided, and that candle fires are more likely with high fragrance content.
If you later want to sell candles in the UK, the same advice sets out the labelling and product safety rules that apply.
Workshops compared
| Where | Format | Cost (as last listed) |
|---|---|---|
| RHS Garden Bridgewater, Greater Manchester | Two and a half hours; soy wax, scent blending and dried-flower decoration; garden entry included | £65 (2025) |
| Rolled Beeswax Candles, Teddington (via CraftCourses) | One and a half hours | £42 |
| Olympic College, Bremerton, Washington | Four hours; three candles including rolled beeswax tapers | $69 (2025) |
| Pitt Community College, North Carolina | Two hours; choose your own scents; all materials provided | $45 |
Prices on listing sites change often, and most workshops run a few times a year, so check a provider's own page for the next date.
How to start
- Book a beginners' workshop through a craft-course listing in the UK or a community college's continuing-education programme in the US.
- Check which waxes it uses (soy, beeswax or paraffin) and what you will take home.
- At home, melt wax in a double boiler with a thermometer, and never leave it unattended.
Where to go
- CraftCourses: candle making courses in the UK UK
- Olympic College: Introduction to Candle Making (Washington state; check for new dates) US
We opened these links on 10 November 2026 and found them to be what we say. Dates, places and prices are on the official page, where they stay up to date.
Plan this
Pick a day, or a month, and we will set out how to get ready, step by step, with a date and a reason for each. Courses and classes have start dates and can fill up, so the plan begins with finding and booking one. Kit comes after the first session, once you know what you need.
Questions people ask
What wax is best for candle making beginners?
Many beginners' workshops use soy wax, and some teach rolled beeswax candles, which need no melting. CraftCourses lists workshops in paraffin, soy and beeswax.
How long does a candle making workshop take?
The workshops compared here last between one and a half and four hours. Olympic College's class runs from 10am to 2pm.
Is it safe to make candles at home?
With care. Candle Science advises using a double boiler and a thermometer, never leaving the wax unattended and keeping a fire extinguisher within reach.
What rules apply to selling homemade candles in the UK?
Rules apply. Trading Standards advice covers general product safety law, fragrance labelling and the warning symbols a candle label must carry.
Where this comes from: CraftCourses, Candle making in-person courses; Olympic College, Introduction to Candle Making; RHS, Autumn Candle Making Workshop at RHS Garden Bridgewater; Visit Greenville NC, Intro to Candlemaking (Pitt Community College); British Candlemakers Federation and Cornwall Council Trading Standards, Candles advice pack (2024); Candle Science, How to melt wax using a double boiler. Opened 10 November 2026.
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