I am Hillary Hušek and I am The Candle Chemist. I don't have any helpers (unless you count my 3-year-old) or fancy machines. It's just me, hand pouring every candle and wax melt in my home workshop. Can't get any more small business than that!
I started The Candle Chemist on Etsy in 2015 with just a few scented oils and a 10lb bag of soy wax. I actually used to hand paint each candle with a design matching the scent (Peony scent had a peony painting, firewood scent had a campfire painting etc.) I know, I know it’s very literal and maybe a little ridiculous, but I still have a few of these available! I moved away from the paintings when I realized most people just wanted a simple beautiful candle without the label. Now all my candles have labels on the bottom to help you get the classic look you want.
As you can imagine, getting into the candle selling market on Etsy isn't exactly the easiest thing. It's what I would call a saturated market. It wasn't until I introduced my plastic-free soy wax melts that my shop really began to make regular sales. I had several customers at craft shows ask me if I carried wax melts over the years. However, all the melts I had seen came in plastic clam shells and were made with paraffin wax. I try to avoid plastic as much as possible in my own life and definitely didn't want to sell anything wrapped in single use plastics. Thus, my plastic-free soy wax melts were born. I solved the plastic clam shell conundrum by using silicone molds instead. The paraffin wax is swapped for a pillar-blend soy wax to create a solid melt (my candle soy wax is a little too soft). Then I wrap them in biodegradable parchment paper and hemp twine, "like a little present" my daughter informs me.
Once I got some traction on Etsy with the wax melts, my candles began selling better too (also packaged plastic-free). Then my DIY candle refills (again plastic-free) followed suit. I’ve offered ship-back style candle refills from the beginning, but DIY tends to be a little more cost effective! I offer both because I understand some like it crafty and some like it easy!
I didn't open thecandlechemist.com until 2024, it's always been a dream of mine to have my own website so I'm pretty excited! I hope you all enjoy it! Feedback is always welcome and appreciated. I'm not the most tech savvy so please let me know if something on the site is amiss!
Happy Candle Shopping!
-Hillary