Lighting a beautifully scented candle is one of the simplest and quickest ways to transform a room but if you aren’t burning them correctly you could be missing out on hours of valuable burn-time. These simple tips and tricks will help ensure you get the very best from your candle:
The very first burn - should be for at least 2 hours or until the entire top layer of your candle has melted edge to edge - this is called a full melt pool. The reason for this is simple - to avoid candle tunnelling. This is when you get those walls of unmelted wax all along the outside edge of your candle and the wax only ever melts in the middle and downwards which eventually drowns the wick and you’re longer be able to light it.
Light your candles for between 2 and 4 hours at a time. It’s tempting to savour your favourite candles thinking you’ll make them last longer if you burn them for less than the minimum 2 hours but in actual fact you will end up doing the opposite as it will start to tunnel. On the flip side, burning them for longer than 4 hours will mean that your candle gets too hot, the wick too long and it will no longer burn efficiently, instead the wick can start releasing soot and smoke and the temperature of your candle will burn off the scent rather than diffuse it into the air for your to enjoy.
Trim those wicks! Possibly one of the best ways to prolong the life of your candle is to trim the wick (to ~5mm) each time before you light it. An untrimmed wick will either not stay alight (you need remove the burnt, dead part) or the flame will be too large, overheating the wax and scent. With wooden wicks like those we use you can just pinch off the dead wood with your fingers and bin it. With cotton wicks you will need a clean pair of scissors or wick trimmers.
Keep away from draughts. If you see that your flame is blowing to one side and there is a wall of wax on one side of your vessel then it’s likely that your candle has been placed in a draught. Keep an eye on your candles whilst lit and if you see the flame being blown around, blow it out, wait until it’s cooled and then move it to another location.
Don’t play with the wax! If you notice that your wax is melting unevenly don’t be tempted to swish the melted wax around in the vessel, you will just drown the wick. Instead extinguish the flame, allow the candle too cool, trim the wick and relight.
But what to do with all those tunnelled and drowned wick candles you’ve been holding onto? Don’t fear - they’re not wasted. If they are made using a plant wax which is soft (soy, coconut, rapeseed etc) then you should be able to scoop the wax out of the vessel using a spoon and using it as you would a wax melt in a wax melt burner. You’ll still get an amazing scent throw and all that scented wax won’t go to waste!
Along with the above tips and tricks to make your candles last longer, general candle safety guidance should always be followed: keep away from children and pets, burn on an even heat-proof surface and never leave a lit candle unattended. If you have any questions or would like to have a chat please do get in touch.
All our aromatherapy candles will burn for at least 35 hours when following the above guidance and fill your room with essential oil goodness.
So Carpe Diem! Get those candles lit, follow these simple tips and tricks and above all relax and enjoy!