You can try it without spending an arm and a leg
I've been dying to try candles myself. I read that container candles are the easiest for a beginner.
I have been checking my local thrift stores and have come up with a few apothacary jars for under $1.00 each. There were a lot of other bowls/cups/vases there also for less than 50 cents that could have made nice containers. Ikea sells bowls that would make beautiful candles for $.99 if you have one near you. A case of jelly jars from Walmart would only be a few bucks.
I have plenty of scents from my soapmaking, and I'll bet you do too. I'm sure you also have plenty of measuring items and your scale that you use for soapmaking.
I found an eBay seller who sells the 11 lb. slabs of J-50 Astrolite wax (a single pour container candle wax) for $10. That may not be the worlds most perfect wax, I don't know. And maybe it isn't the one I would choose once I gain some knowledge/experience, but I'm sure it's fine to start with.
I will probably also find an old pot with a pour spout or an old coffee pot at the thrift store to melt wax and all I need beyond that to give it a try is some good wicks and a wick bar. Maybe I'll invest in some tealight cups and wicks so I have someplace to pour any leftover wax if I overestimate for my container.
I can pass on the color for now, although color chips do not seem to be expensive either.
I'm sure that if I decide that candle making is something I want to do a lot of I will eventually invest in more and better equipment a little at a time, but I think that by scrounging around a bit, it could be a fun thing to play around with without breaking the bank.
I would encourage you to think outside the box. Sometimes part of the game for me, and a lot of the fun, is in seeing how creative I can be about finding ways to do things without spending much money.
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