2020 gift guide: Hand-poured candles that don't seem like a last-minute gift

Whether you’re buying a gift for someone you don’t really know, or have a friend who’s really into scents and soft light, candles are the way to go.

Rather than buying from big candle chains — you know the ones — go for something eco-friendly and hand-poured.

• See also: 
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  • 2020 gift guide: 11 local face mask brands to shop this holiday season

Overall, it just makes scents to buy local this year. Here are nine hand-poured candles and companies to pick from this holiday season:

Capitol Hill Candle Company

You’ll find only natural, local, and hand-poured candles at Capitol Hill Candle Company. Their philosophy is to use fewer, naturally sourced quality ingredients that capture the beauty of the Pacific Northwest.

Whiff of Waffle Cone

So this one’s not fully local, but it is based in the PNW. This collaboration between Salt & Straw and LA-based Imaginary Authors is perfect for the ice cream lover. With notes of vanilla, heavy cream, salted caramel, Amyris, orgeat, and Saigon cinnamon, you’ll believe you’re indulging in the delicate crunch of a house-made waffle cone. We promise that it’s a sophisticated fragrance and not a middle-school-lip-balm kind of scent.

Thea Candle Co.

Created by four undergraduate students at the University of Washington, Thea Candle Co. is an aromatherapy candle company that supports the advancement of mental health research. Each coconut soy wax candle comes in a ceramic vessel with a wooden wick.

Malicious Women Co.

You’ll only find honest and crude candles at Malicious Women Co. Born out of losing a best friend while simultaneously having a father, sister, and daughter in the hospital, each purchase of Malicious Women candles is donated to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Fill Your Tank

This fig- and black pepper-scented candle is made with soy and essential oils. The candle comes with a book of love notes full of inspiration and reflection titled Fill Your Tank.

Tokki Candles

Each Tokki candle is hand-poured using eco-friendly vegan coconut soy wax. Choose between zodiac, appreciation, and holiday packaging while supporting local. You can also opt to have the candle come wrapped in a reusable gift bag, complete with a customizable QR code tag to share a video card, upload a photo of a good memory, or simply share a funny GIF.

Seattle Candle Company

Each Seattle Candle Company candle is hand-poured in small batches. The company sources perfume-grade fragrance oils and carefully blends them with 100% soy wax and pure coconut oil as well as cotton wicks woven with paper that supports a better burn experience.

Olympic Candle Company

Using only phthalate-free, paraben-free, skin-safe fragrance oils that are infused with natural essential oils, all Olympic Candle Company products are vegan, lead-free, eco-friendly, recyclable, ethically sourced and produced, and never tested on animals.

Elm Candle Bar

Besides wonderful scents, Elm Candle Bar allows people to make candles at home with their home kits. Each kit comes with a pre-wicked jar, a lid, three fragrance oils, wax, a container to measure and mix the wax, as well as a label to draw on.