Madison’s Burning Passion for Her Candle Business

Luna Moth Candle Company is Madison Cunningham’s small business. She makes candles with a twist. Her candles are set with intentions to bring a certain vibe. She uses crystals and herbs to set the intentions. 

Her Campus (HC): What products do you make?

Madison Cunningham (MC): I make six different kinds of candles for different vibes.

HC: What inspired you to start your candle business?

MC: I sprained my ankle last summer so I couldn’t get a job, so I got really into witchcraft and I developed a love for mining different things for different meanings. I also thought candle making would be really easy and it was. 

MC: They combine crystals chips, essential oils and herbs for different meanings. All of them have crystals in them. My candle “Love Spell” has rose quartz, “Good Vibes” has clear quartz, “Money Charm” has tigers’ eye, “Lucky Bastard” has citrine and “Home Blessing” has black tourmaline. I’m coming out with a new one and it will have red jasper, but I haven’t named it yet. They all have different essential oils. I use that instead of fragrance.

HC: What struggles have you faced running your own business? 

MC: COVID and the Suez canal crisis have really impacted my suppliers. They have raised all of their prices. I’m also struggling because there’s no candle supply place in North Florida. 

HC: Would you recommend someone else opening their own business based on your experience?

MC: Yeah. It’s so much easier than you think it is. Like, it really is; all you have to do is make something and put it in a box. It’s worth it. You feel like the coolest person ever. You feel very empowered and it’s the best feeling going to the Post Office with a giant bag of 12 boxes because you sold out for Black Friday. Like, I felt so cool.

HC: Which one is your favorite? 

MC: Probably either the “Lucky Bastard” or the “Love Spell.”

HC: How do you make a candle?

MC: What you do is you take all your wax and put it in your wax melter, which, for me, is a double broiler on the stove or you could use a Bunsen burner. You wait until it melts and then wait until it’s 160 degrees. And then add the essential oils. You then wait for it to cool down until it’s 120 degrees and then you pour it into your candle jar. I add in my herb mixtures and a bay leaf. A bay leaf is like a wish leaf, so I always add one of those at the bottom. Once it cools then I cover it with the crystals and then more herbal mix. And then I seal it. Every time I make a batch, I focus my intentions and I make them very small so they’re extra intention-ey or extra powerful.

Cunningham has had around 84 candles sold and plans to restock in May. Check out her shop on Esty or Instagram @lunamothcandleco for more details.

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• candles
• crystals
• FSU
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