The difficulty with buying for someone who loves candles is that they already have candles. Another jar joins a queue. The gifts that land are the ones that do something the shelf does not already do: give them a better vessel, give them control over the light, or give them a format they have not tried.
If they own plenty of candles already
Buy the vessel, not the candle. Finished jars are the most common thing in a candle person's cupboard, and a proper holder outlasts all of them. Our recycled glass candle holders are hand-blown and fused onto reclaimed wood, so every one is slightly different. The single holder is £11 and the triple is £30.
If they like making things their own
Buy candle sand. It is loose wax you pour into any heat-resistant vessel, wick and light, and it resets rather than running out. A 300g pouch is £12 fragranced or £9.60 unfragranced, includes four cotton wicks, and gives up to 60 hours of total burn time. It is made in England.
For a candle person specifically, the appeal is that it turns everything they own into a candle again. Pair it with a holder and you have a complete gift for around £23. There are set combinations in our candle sand gift ideas.
If they have a flame-free household
Buy wax melts. Small children, nervous pets or a rented flat with strict rules all rule out an open flame. Our MeltEaze crystal wax melts are 50g snap bars for any wax burner, each set with real gemstone chips that appear as the wax melts, and they are £3.50 a bar. Ten scents, so a set of three makes a neat gift on its own.
One nice detail to mention on the card: the chips can be rinsed and kept once the fragrance has gone, so the gift leaves something behind.
If it is a big occasion
Buy the centrepiece. Two pouches of candle sand in different colours with the triple holder comes to £54 and looks like more. For a housewarming or a milestone, that is the one that gets photographed.
What to avoid
- Another jar in a scent you like. Scent is personal and the shelf is full. If you do not know what they burn, do not guess.
- Anything with a fragrance name and no description. If you cannot tell what it smells of from the label, neither can they.
- Sets of tiny samples. They sound generous and burn out in an evening each.
- A holder that only fits one size. Tealight-only holders limit what they can do with it.
The quick answers
- Under £15: a single recycled glass candle holder at £11, or three wax melts at £10.50.
- Around £25: candle sand and a holder, at roughly £23.
- Around £30: the vase and tealight holder with a fragranced pouch, at £28.95.
- Around £55: the triple holder with two colours of sand, at £54.
Prices were correct at the time of writing and UK delivery is £4.99. If you want to browse rather than follow a recipe, start with the gift collection.