Our 11 Favorite Hand-poured Candles for 2021

If you have been reading our blogs for a while you already know that here at The Lamp Stand, we are pretty serious about our candles.

We sell candles from 4oz to 9lbs; scented and unscented; traditional glass jars and wooden ones. Pretty much any sort of candle you can dream up, we probably have it.

However, today we are specifically going to talk about one type of candle; hand-poured candles. These candles come from some of our favorite brands, including Milkhouse and Swan Creek.

Keep reading to see all of our favorite hand-poured candle brands and maybe find a new favorite!

What does hand-poured mean?

We’re glad you asked. Hand-poured refers to how candles are made.

According to the National Candle Association, to be classified as hand-poured candle wax must be just that, poured by hand into its vessel. Traditionally, these candles are made in smaller batches than machine-poured candles.

In the case of our brands, many of them are smaller, family-owned businesses. All of our hand-poured brands are based in the US. So each purchase made supports a home-grown, domestic business. We love that, and we know it’s important to you, too.

Favorite 100% Soy Candles

Soy candles are growing in popularity, not only because they are 100% natural, but also because they are more affordable to make. Additionally, soy wax comes from soybeans, so it’s a sustainable source.

Our favorite part?

The vast majority of soybean farms are located in the US, so not only are you supporting domestic candle makers, but also you’re supporting domestic farmers. Win win!

Milkhouse and Swan Creek Candles are our favorite soy candle brands. Both companies started small and now are well-known in the industry for both quality and variety of candles.

Sometimes it can be difficult to imbue soy candles with scents as rich as those added to paraffin candles. However, both these brands do a fantastic job in creating candles that can easily compete with top paraffin wax brands.

Best Scents

Do you have a favorite candle scent? Mine is any pumpkin-spiced candle. I own at least one year-round. Some candle brands are well-known for having strong scents that are incredibly long-lasting. Tyler Candles and Crossroad Candles are two such brands.

We love these brands because not only are their scents super strong, they also have a very wide range of scents to offer. From sweet to citrus to woodsy, these two brands have hundreds of scents between them. Because of this, they win the best scents among the hand-poured competition, no question.

Favorite Unscented

While most of us like scented candles, unscented candles have their place, and Flatyz Candles, in particular, is our favorite unscented option here at The Lamp Stand. Flatyz candles get their name from their super-thin design.

Each candle is hand-dipped and completely flat, at only 0.4” thick. Each candle features a hand-painted design making them great decor even if you never burn them.

Longest Burn Time

If you are looking for a candle that will be around for months, look no farther than Candleberry. The 26oz large jar candle from Candleberry can burn for up to 160 hours. If you burn it for the recommended 4 hours at a time, that’s 40 burns, so it’s going to be around for a long time.

That means that just nine of these candles last you just under a year, even if you burn them every day. That’s not a bad deal.

Most Unique Candles & Jars

We love unique candles and we sell a lot of them. That’s why this category features three brands, Warm Glow, Himalayan Candles, and McCall’s Candles.

Warm Glow is probably the most unique candle that we sell. These candles are technically hand-dipped, as opposed to hand-poured. They don’t have jars, instead, they are traditional votive candles with a bumpy texture that the company is now famous for. These candles have long burn times and unique scents on top of their very interesting appearance.

Himalayan Candles offers a wide array of unique candle vessels, including a ring of real wood, mouth-blown glass, and bowls of iron. These candles have a very unique aesthetic,

McCall’s Candles poured their first candle into empty paint cans. Today they have an entire line dedicated to honoring their roots.

Most Gifted Candles

When we’re looking for a gift, the first brands we think of are Rewined Candles and Eco Candle MANdle.

Rewined got its start hand-pouring candles into wine bottles. Each wine bottle is cut near the base to create the perfect candle jar. All of this is done by hand in their factory to this day. In keeping with their name, each candle scent is linked back to a type of wine or cocktail. The perfect gift for the wine-lover in your life.

As their name implies, Eco Candle MANdle is designed for men. Each candle comes in fun scents like ‘Handy Man’ and ‘Old Geezer’. A fun and funny gift for any man who might need a candle and has a good sense of humor.

Final Thoughts

Hand-poured candles come in a multitude of forms, and while they are not inherently better than machine-poured candles, we love that in buying one, we’re supporting smaller businesses.

Did you find a new candle to try? Do you know of another great hand-poured candle we didn’t mention? Let us know by hitting us up on social media. And don’t forget to tag us in photos of your favorite hand-poured candle.

We hope you have a marvelous rest of your day,

- Faye