Where do you get affordable scented candles?
My wife and I love scented candles but the cheap ones burn like shit and tunnel really bad, where the expensive ones are...expensive. we use scented waxes sometimes but we like having the flame.
Is there some little-known marketplace or website that I can get good candles at, affordable?
Typically a hole on the middle means your candle isn't used long enough. Are you using them less than 2 hours?
Honestly, we normally burn them for ~6-7 hours at a time when we light them. We both work from home and I'll usually light it up the first time I get up from the computer. It doesn't happen with nicer candles, but some of the cheaper 1 wick ones we get from Walmart or Aldi will tunnel like that even with the long burns.
You can buy some pre-waxed wicks and melt the remainder of tunneled candles to make smaller ones with the leftover wax.
Also, check out Etsy, many more price points available on there than I see in stores.
I don't know what your definition of expensive is, but I suggest https://www.pureintegrity.com/
I think their candles are worth it. Also, if you're local, you can return the wooden tops for a discount on your next purchase.
We are very much not local, but I see they have some stuff 20% out so we might check it out! Thank you!
I get most of mine from the grocery store. When they're on sale, they're usually almost half off, so I buy several and stock up.
This is the route that we go too actually, I just hate having to wait for sales haha
TJMaxx, TKMaxx, whatever it's called where you are. Also good for fancy hand soap.
Not somewhere I had considered looking but we have one nearby, I'll check it out
Here’s a terrible rec for price considerations: Penrose.
They make the best-smelling waxes I have ever encountered. If you’re someone who is sensitive to the complexities and subtleties of smells, their waxes are god tier. You will find something to adore.
But, they’re not cheap, so a poor answer to your question.
Make your own
I was actually looking in to that last night. I'll probably try it once but I do wonder if the time it would take would be worth the money saved.
It depends on a lot of factors. How serious you are into candles, how much money you make/have/want to save, and if there are any scents you want that are hard to find as candles but available as oils
There's also verifying that you have the right oils. There are some scented oils that aren't meant to be burnt
To fix tunnelled candles, maybe try wrapping them in foil to help heat the outer edges and level them out
This is a neat idea, I'll give it a shot next time we have some!
Not candles but have you thought about a diffuser with aromatherapy oils?
I've experienced that at a friend's house and I don't prefer it over just using our existing wax burner, if we are going to do something flameless. They were very pleasant smelling though!