How I Price My Work

Let me be direct: My candles cost more than most. A 16-ounce candle might run you $40-95 depending on the herbs. If that's out of your budget, I completely understand—there are other makers who charge less, and that's okay.

But if you're wondering why mine cost what they do, here's the full story.

The Method I Don't Use (And Why)

Most candle makers use fragrance oils. It's a legitimate craft focused on scent throw (how powerfully the fragrance fills your space) and cosmetic beauty (smooth tops, perfect appearance). Many people try that method and find it quite complicated—getting the scent throw right, achieving perfect cosmetic results requires real skill.

I tried it too. The fragrance was powerful—could fill a whole room. But it gave me headaches. The scents felt chemical, fake. I bought a "dragon blood" fragrance that somehow also had hints of frankincense and myrrh in it. Why? No idea. That's not what those three different plant resins actually smell like.

More importantly: I couldn't tell you what was actually in those fragrance oils. Trade secrets. Mystery ingredients. When I'm making tools for ritual, prayer, or magical work, that doesn't sit right with me.

What I Do Instead

I infuse real herbs directly into beeswax.

Each herb gets 30-75 minutes of temperature-controlled infusion time depending on what it needs. Cinnamon: 30 minutes. Lavender: 45 minutes. Rose: 60 minutes. Frankincense: 75 minutes. This isn't me stirring dried plants into melted wax—it's a slow process that actually transfers the herb's volatile oils and compounds into the wax itself.

Then I strain out all the plant material. Why? Fire safety. Dried herbs in wax can catch fire or pop unpredictably. After infusion, the herb's properties are in the wax—I don't need the plant matter creating hazards.

For blends, I infuse each herb separately first, then blend the waxes together.

If you infuse multiple herbs at once, the aggressive ones dominate. Basil would overrun rosemary. Frankincense would drown out rose. By infusing separately, each herb gets its full time without competition, then they work together instead of fighting.

A three-herb blend? That's nearly three hours of active infusion work before I even pour the candle.

It's Not About Scent—It's About Using the Right Thing

Here's what really sets my work apart: I don't pick ingredients for how they smell. I pick them for what they're for.

Traditional uses. Magical practices. Scientific research. When you use the right thing for the job, results follow naturally.

Example: A friend wanted a bacon candle (for a Texas roadtrip-themed limited edition). Fragrance oils existed, but they smelled sweet instead of savory and smoky. So I broke down what bacon actually is: applewood smoke and salt. Found applewood smoked sea salt. Tested it. It took longer to infuse, but it worked—and it honored the authentic intent without mystery chemicals or the safety risks from animal fats (grease fires) and shortened candle lifespan (the grease would have gone rancid).

This is what I mean by authenticity. Not "what should this smell like," but "what actually creates this, and how do I do it safely and genuinely?"

What This Means for You

When you buy my candles, you're getting:

Real herbs infused into every bit of wax (not floating in it, not just scented)
Safety-first design (herbs strained out, no unsafe oils, no mystery ingredients)
Ingredients chosen for purpose (traditional uses, not just scent profiles)
Complete transparency (I can tell you exactly what's in your candle and why)
Hours of work per candle (2-3 hours for multi-herb blends)
Organic herbs from ethical suppliers (I use a co-op based in Iowa for most herbs, hand-made hemp wicks from a small business in Florida)
Problem-solving for custom requests (like applewood smoked sea salt for bacon)

The Pricing Reality

I tried to price these fairly. I calculated costs: organic beeswax, organic herbs from a co-op in Iowa, hand-made hemp wicks from a small business in Florida, containers, my time. If I charge $25/hour for labor (what I'd make doing tech work), a multi-herb 16-ounce candle costs $65-95 in materials and time.

When I looked at the market, most beeswax ritual candles run $20-35 for similar sizes.

Here's what I realized: I'm not competing against other candle makers. Very few people do what I do—individually infusing organic herbs for 30-75 minutes each, straining for safety, choosing ingredients by purpose rather than scent. I'm creating something different.

My prices:

4-10 oz sizes: $15-25 (competitive entry point to try my work)
16 oz standard blends: $38-45 (premium but reflects 2-3 hours of infusion work)
16 oz single herbs: $40-95 (varies by herb cost and infusion time)
Custom blends: Higher (includes research, sourcing unusual herbs, formulation work)

Why I Can't Compromise

I could make these faster and cheaper. But I'd have to:

Use fragrance oils (mystery ingredients, gave me headaches)
Use essential oils (not always burn-safe)
Leave herbs in the wax (fire hazard, looks pretty though)
Infuse herbs together (saves hours, but some herbs dominate)
Pick ingredients by scent instead of purpose (faster research)
Skip the straining step (saves time, less safe)

Every one of those choices would make my candles cheaper. Every one of them goes against why I started making candles in the first place.

The Real Story

I make these candles because they're what I needed during my own spiritual journey. Career upheaval. Spiritual awakening. Times when I needed tools that were real—not pretty, not trendy, real.

I needed to light a candle and know the rose was actually there, the frankincense had been given proper time, nobody had cut corners on something I was using for sacred work. I needed authenticity, not a perfectly smooth top. I needed ingredients I could trust, not mystery chemicals in a "dragon blood" scent.

I couldn't find those candles. So I learned to make them. These are the candles I still use for my own magical work, prayer, self-care, and sanity.

You're just getting to buy them too.

Who These Are For

Some people want candles that smell nice and look pretty for their altar. The standard method works fine for them, and $20 is fair.

My candles are for people who are serious about their practice—whether that's witchcraft, prayer, meditation, or ritual work. People who want tools that actually work. People who care what's really in their candles and how they were made. People who value "the right ingredient for the purpose" over "the strongest scent throw."

If that's you, then yes—my prices are worth it. You're not paying for wax and scent. You're paying for authenticity, safety, transparency, and hours of work choosing and infusing the actual right ingredients.

If you just need a nice-smelling candle, there are cheaper options and that's perfectly fine.

The Bottom Line

Quality + Intention = Magic. Not because of supernatural forces, but because when you use quality tools with focused intention, you engage more deeply with your own work. The magic is you. My job is to give you tools worthy of that.

I make candles to my own standards—the ones I'd use for my own practice. That's why they cost what they do.

— Debra
Maker of "too-expensive" candles, professional overthinker, believer in doing things the hard way because it matters

My Candles are "Too Expensive"