I get a lot of questions about burning candles and wanted to address the proper way to burn your candles you purchase from me.
Most of my candles are 100% soy. Soy wax is a clean burning wax, derived from soybeans. I use fragrance oils made specifically for candles, NOT essential oils. You have to add a lot of essential oils to candles to make them fragrant when burning, and essential oils can be quite expensive. This makes for a very expensive candle, and there is a limit to how much essential oil you can add to the candle to keep it safe to burn. And most of the time, even with the maximum amount allowed, you still get a very mild scented candle that barely fills up a small room. So for this reason, I like to use fragrance oils that are made specifically for candles.
Soy wax has a “memory”. So when you light it and let it melt a bit, then blow it out, when you re-light the candle, it will only melt the part that was melted previously. I’m sure you’ve seen candles where the wax is stuck to the sides and you have a “tunnel” down the center where the candle melted. This is due to not burning the candle properly.
So here is how you properly burn a soy candle:
1. Trim the wick. Every. Single. Time. This is super important. Make sure you trim the wick to a 1/4″. If you get black discoloration around the rim of your candle, it is because you did not trim the wick properly. The wax itself is clean-burning and does not cause any discoloration. My wicks are all 100% cotton, and if you do not trim the wick, it will cause discoloration to your jar.
2. Once your candle is lit, keep it lit for a minimum of 4 hours. If you only have an hour or two, don’t light it. You need to burn your candle until you get a “melt pool” across the entire top of the candle. This means the entire top of your candle is a layer of melted wax. My 14 oz. jar candles should burn for a minimum of 4 hours at a time to get a full melt pool.
The photo on the right shows a full melt pool. The entire top of the candle should have a layer of melted wax from edge to edge.
3. Keep your lit candles away from any drafts or moving air. These can also cause your candles to melt unevenly and get that black discoloration around your candle jars.
4. Make sure you burn all candles on a heat-resistant surface. Once your candle starts burning down towards the bottom, the bottom of your candle can get very hot.
5. When you only have 1/4″ of wax at the bottom of your candle, it’s time to discard. If you have a wax melter you can scoop out the remaining wax and use it in your wax melter. Do not light a candle that has less than 1/4″ of wax at the bottom. This is very important! The wick will be too close to the bottom of the jar, and it’s possible that the wick will come loose and slide to one of the sides of the jar which can make your jar become exceptionally hot and possibly shatter and burst.
5. When it’s time to extinguish your flame, you can blow it out, or placing the lid on your candle will make it go out right away. NEVER try to extinguish your candle with water. It will likely explode.
6. Store your candle in an upright position, and in a dark and cool place if possible.
7. Never leave a burning candle unattended, and always keep away from children and pets!
If you follow these guidelines, keep your wick trimmed, and always melt your candle until it has a full melt pool, you should be able to cleanly burn all of the wax in your candle, without any wasted wax sticking to the sides.
I hope this helps you get the most out of your soy candle. As always, if you have any questions, feel free to comment below or reach out to me via email.