Containers used for making gel candles should be thick and solid glass. Candle gel is hotter than wax once it starts burning and can crack thin glass. Candles made in delicate wine glasses or martini glasses may look nice, but may not be that safe. So keep your candles safe by using quality heavy glassware. You can use the same types of wicks used in wax candles.

What makes gel candles unique is that other decorations can be embedded in the clear gel, making very realistic aquarium and other water scenes. So a very important gel candle supply would be these little decorations, usually just called “embeds”. For safety sake, only use embeds that are glass, wax or stone. Seashells would work also. Anything flammable like herbs, flowers (real or silk) or plastic must be avoided.

Some companies offer gel candle making kits, so you can get all the appropriate supplies together. A nice option if you are new to making gel candles. Some are themed, so you can make a certain type of candle. There are also more generic kits available which would allow you to be a bit more creative and design something yourself.

The gel used in making these types of candles is a new product, created by a company called Penreco. The brand name is Versagel, and it comes in low, medium and high density.

Look for the product name so you know you are getting authentic and safe candle gel. Bitter Creek has a good selection of Versagel and other gel candle supplies. More and more craft stores that carry candle supplies are starting to also carry candle gel. You might want to ask about it, if they don’t.