You now have this beautiful premium candle, now it's time to take care of it to get the most out of it--resulting in a cleaner and longer burn, a better scent throw and warm, cozy vibes.
1. Trim the wick. Before every single burn (you'll thank me later).
Trim the wick like the candle you see on the left. You can use scissors, nail clippers or a special wick trimmer. Trimmed wicks will give you a cleaner, brighter burn. excessively long wicks are a top cause of those nasty smoky stains that end up on your glass jar candles. Trimming the wick keeps the flame in control and prevents those marks from forming in the first place.
2. Allow the wax to melt to the edge of the jar.
Doing this prevents tunneling (shown below)--this is an extremely important step for paraffin and soy candles, but not as imperative with our coconut wax candles. Our candle wax typically does not tunnel because of its low melt point. However, if you want to ensure your candle burns as evenly as possible, it's best to let it burn for 1-2 hours during each burn.
3. Keep the flame away from windows and air drafts.
Do your best to keep your burning candle away from fans, air conditioners, open windows, or heavily trafficked areas where people walk back and forth a lot. Moving air can disturb the flame, leading to even more soot and unsightly black marks on the glass.
4. Watch your burn time and always keep your candle within sight.
Avoid burning your candle longer than four to six hours at a time to prevent your candle from overheating. If you let the whole candle get liquid, the wick or wicks can float to the side, and it will burn unevenly after that. Always, always, ALWAYS keep a lit candle within your sight and away from pets and plants.
5. Don't give up on an improperly burned candle.
Steps to bring a slightly tunneled candle back to life: A. You can use a hair dryer on low to even out the wax surface. B. Pop the candle in an oven at 175 degrees for about 5 minutes. These two actions will melt the wax, so that it’s smooth and level across the top again. Scoop out any wax that flows over the wick.
6. Learning the difference between a proper and improper burn.
Now that you've learned how to burn candles properly, here's an example below to show you the difference between a good burn and a bad burn. The bad burning technique is on the left and the good burning technique is on the right.
7. Minimize waste and reuse your candle jar.
All of Coco&Soy's candle vessels are designed to be upcycled and reused. In fact, we encourage it! Our glass jars are food-and drink-safe, but can also be used as a planter, makeup brush holder or a pencil cup. Our tin cans are ideal for on-the-go storage like bobby or safety pins!
Congratulations, you're now a candle burning expert. Enjoy and happy burning!