The Wick-ed Guide to Candle Care

How to Make Your Candles Last Longer (and Burn Better!)

Let’s face it – we’ve all been there. You excitedly light your gorgeous new candle, binge three seasons of whatever show everyone’s talking about, and return to find what can only be described as a candle crime scene: a sad little tunnel burrowing through the middle of your wax like a desperate mole, with your once-proud wooden wick now drowning in a waxy grave of its own making.

And just like that, your $30 luxury candle experience has turned into a Pinterest fail waiting to happen.

But fear not, fellow flame enthusiasts! While lighting a candle might seem as straightforward as, well, lighting a candle, there’s actually a method to the madness – especially when it comes to our hand-poured, small-batch coconut soy wax blend candles with those satisfyingly crackly wooden wicks you’ve come to know and love.

Consider this your official Candle Care Guide – the difference between a candle that burns beautifully for 45+ hours and one that meets an untimely, tunneled demise after just a few burns. Because nobody wants to explain to their significant other why they need another candle when the last one is still sitting there, half-used and judging you silently from the coffee table.

Why Bother With Candle Care? (The “It’s Not Just for Fun” Section)

Before you roll your eyes and think “it’s literally just fire in a jar, how complicated can it be?” – let me explain why proper candle care matters more than your ex’s opinion about your life choices.

Maximize Scent Throw: Our non-toxic, phthalate-free fragrances infused with essential oils are blended specifically to fill your space with deliciousness. But they can only do their job properly when your candle burns correctly. Poor burning = poor scent distribution = wasted potential (and nobody wants that, in candles or in life).

Prevent Tunneling (The Candle Graveyard): Tunneling is what happens when only the center of your candle melts, leaving a sad ring of unused wax around the edges that will NEVER melt. Think of it as the candle equivalent of only eating the middle of your sandwich. Weird, wasteful, and frankly a little disturbing.

Safety First (No Accidental Bonfires): Unless you’re going for that “emergency fire department visit” vibe in your home decor, proper candle care keeps things safely glowing rather than catastrophically flaming.

Honor the Craft: Each of our candles is hand-poured with the kind of attention typically reserved for brain surgery or applying liquid eyeliner. Proper care is like saying “thank you” to the candle gods for their service.

The Core Rituals: Your Candle Care Playbook

Tip 1: The All-Important First Burn (It’s Like a First Date for Your Candle)

The first burn is EVERYTHING. No pressure, but mess this up and your candle will never be the same again. (Much like telling your entire life story on a first date – some mistakes can’t be undone.)

When you first light your coconut soy wax blend candle, you MUST let it burn long enough for the entire top layer to melt completely to the edges of the container. This is called a “full melt pool” and it’s the candle equivalent of making a good first impression.

For our standard 7oz candles, this typically takes 2-4 hours. Yes, hours. I know you have places to be and TikToks to scroll, but patience is a virtue and properly burned candles are a reward.

Why is this so crucial? Coconut soy wax has a “memory” (unlike your ex who conveniently “forgot” your birthday). If your first burn doesn’t reach the edges, your candle will forever tunnel, burning straight down the center and leaving that sad ring of wasted wax around the edges that will haunt your dreams and waste your money.

Tip 2: Mastering the Wooden Wick Trim (Your Wick’s Haircut Day)

Our wooden wicks provide that cozy crackling sound that makes you feel like you’re sitting by a fireplace even when you’re just hiding in your bathroom for five minutes of peace. But they need regular maintenance, like a high-maintenance pet or your fantasy football lineup.

Before EVERY burn (yes, every single one – I’m not being dramatic, I promise), trim your wooden wick to about 1/8 inch. That’s about the height of a few credit cards stacked together, for those of us who failed the metric system portion of elementary school.

How to trim: Simply pinch off the charred bits with your fingers or a tissue when the candle is cool. You can also use wick trimmers if you’re feeling fancy. Just don’t use regular scissors – this isn’t arts and crafts time, people.

Why bother? An untrimmed wick leads to:

  • Flames tall enough to concern your neighbors

  • Excessive soot (not a good look on your white walls)

  • Poor scent throw (defeating the entire purpose)

  • Uneven burning (the candle equivalent of a bad haircut)

Pro tip: Sometimes wooden wicks can be a little stubborn to relight, especially after the first burn. If yours is being temperamental, try holding the flame to it a bit longer, or gently scrape the top of the wick with your fingernail to expose fresh wood. Think of it as the candle equivalent of a pep talk.

Tip 3: The Ideal Burn Time (Not Too Long, Not Too Short)

Candles are surprisingly similar to Goldilocks – they need everything to be juuuust right.

For optimal performance, burn your candle until it reaches a full melt pool, but no more than 4 hours at a time. This ensures a good burn without overheating the container or causing scent fatigue (yes, that’s a real thing – like when you can no longer smell your own perfume but somehow everyone in the elevator can).

Burning for too long can:

  • Overheat the glass (nobody wants exploding candles)

  • Cause the scent to dissipate faster over time

  • Create carbon buildup on your wooden wick

  • Give you an excuse to binge-watch yet another show when you should probably be doing literally anything else

Tip 4: Cleanliness is Next to Candle-ness (Keeping It Tidy)

Keep your wax pool clear of debris like wick trimmings, dust, or the tears you shed during that one episode of the show you’re watching. Foreign objects in your candle can become fire hazards faster than your online shopping habit becomes a budget problem.

For those little charred wooden wick bits that occasionally fall into the wax – carefully remove them when the wax is liquid but the candle is NOT burning. You can use a toothpick, tweezers, or the corner of a paper towel. Just don’t use your fingers unless you’re going for that “melted wax manicure” look.

For our gorgeous matte black, matte white, or amber jars – if they get smudged with fingerprints (we see you, snack-and-candle multitaskers), simply wipe the outside with a soft, slightly damp cloth when the candle is cool and unlit.

Tip 5: Location, Location, Location (Where to Put Your Candle)

Where you burn your candle matters almost as much as where you choose to live or which side of the bed you sleep on.

Avoid drafty areas like:

  • Open windows (unless you’re trying to wax-coat your curtains)

  • Ceiling fans on high speed (your candle is not training for the Olympics)

  • Air vents (hot or cold)

  • Doorways with frequent traffic

Drafts cause uneven burning, tunneling, and can make your flame dance around like it’s at a candle rave. This leads to sooting and poor burning performance.

Always place candles on stable, heat-resistant surfaces. Your vintage wooden table that’s been in the family for generations? Maybe not the best choice unless you’re going for that “explaining to Grandma why her heirloom has a perfect circle burned into it” vibe.

Troubleshooting for the Clumsy Candle Lover (It Happens to the Best of Us)

“My wooden wick won’t light!”
First, take a deep breath. This is not a reflection of your worth as a person. Try trimming the wick again to expose fresh wood, hold your lighter/match to it a bit longer, or gently scrape the top of the wick to expose more of the wood grain. Wooden wicks sometimes need a little more TLC than their cotton counterparts – like that one friend who needs extra reassurance before trying anything new.

“My candle is tunneling!”
If you’ve committed the cardinal sin of a short first burn, all is not lost (unlike the hours spent watching that show everyone raved about that actually wasn’t that good). Try the aluminum foil method: wrap foil around the top of your candle, creating a “tent” with a hole in the center where the wick is. The reflected heat helps melt those stubborn edges. But really, prevention is key here – like skincare or avoiding texts from your ex.

“My flame is too big/flickering wildly!”
Congratulations, you’ve grown yourself a monster. Extinguish immediately, let it cool, trim that wick down to size, and remove any debris. Then relight and show it who’s boss. Also, check for drafts – your candle shouldn’t be dancing unless you’ve put on Beyoncé.

“My candle is smoking!”
Trim. Your. Wick. Also, move it away from drafty areas. Black smoke is your candle’s way of saying “I’m unhappy with my current situation” – kind of like passive-aggressive sighing but more visible.

When to Say Goodbye (It’s Not You, It’s the Wick)

All good things must come to an end – your favorite TV series, that carton of ice cream, and yes, even your beloved candle.

Stop burning when there’s about 1/2 inch of wax left at the bottom of the jar. Continuing to burn past this point risks overheating the container, which can lead to cracking or, in extreme cases, shattering. And nobody wants to explain to their landlord why there’s melted wax and broken glass embedded in their carpet. Trust me on this one.

Beyond the Burn: Giving Your Jars a Second Life

Our matte black, matte white, and amber jars aren’t just pretty faces – they’re ready for their second act once the candle is gone.

To clean out remaining wax:

  1. Freeze the jar for a few hours (the wax will contract and be easier to remove)

  2. Pop out the solid wax with a butter knife (not your good silverware, please)

  3. Wash with warm, soapy water

Alternatively, pour hot (not boiling) water into the jar, leaving room for the wax to float to the top. Let it cool, then remove the wax disk and wash as normal.

Now your jar is ready for its second career as a:

  • Makeup brush holder (so much chicer than that free plastic cup)

  • Succulent planter (for the plant you’ll try not to kill this time)

  • Cotton ball/Q-tip container (instant bathroom upgrade)

The Flaming Finale

Congratulations! You’re now officially a candle care expert – ready to impress friends, family, and that one judgmental neighbor with your perfectly burned, evenly melted, beautifully crackling candles.

Remember, good candle care isn’t just about getting your money’s worth (though that’s certainly a perk) – it’s about fully experiencing the ambiance, scent, and joy that our hand-poured, small-batch coconut soy wax blend candles were created to bring into your home.

Ready to put your new candle care skills to the test? Explore our full collection of coconut soy wax blend candles with crackling wooden wicks and non-toxic fragrances – now you know how to make them last a lifetime (or until you inevitably buy the next one because candle addiction is real and we support you).

Because a perfectly burned candle isn’t just a thing of beauty – it’s proof that you’ve got at least one aspect of adult life completely figured out. And these days, that’s really saying something.