Be good to your wick
Wooden wicks are low maintenance, not no maintenance. Six things to know so your candle burns all 40 hours like it's supposed to.
- 01
The first burn is the whole game
Wax has memory. On your first burn, let the melt pool reach the edge of the jar, which takes about 2 to 3 hours. Cut it short and the candle will tunnel down the middle forever, burning less wax and throwing less scent. Put on a long movie, take a bubble bath. You've earned it, sis.
- 02
Keep the wick trimmed to about 1/8 inch
Before each burn, snap or trim off the charred top of the wooden wick. Fingers, nail clippers, or a wick trimmer all work. A long crusty wick gives you a weak flame or none at all. Short wick, happy crackle.
- 03
If it won't relight, trim it shorter
This is the number one wooden wick complaint and the fix is almost always the same: trim closer to the wax, then hold the flame so it draws across the wick. Wood needs the wax fuel close by to keep the flame going.
- 04
Burn 4 hours max at a time
Any longer and the wick starts to mushroom, the jar gets hot, and the scent throw actually gets worse. Let it cool, trim, relight. The candle is not going anywhere.
- 05
Keep the melt pool clean
Wick trimmings, matches, and dust don't belong in the wax. Debris can catch or clog the wick. If something falls in, fish it out once the wax is cool.
- 06
The usual fire stuff (we have to say it)
Never leave a burning candle unattended. Keep it away from drafts, pets, kids, and anything flammable. Burn on a heat safe surface. Stop burning when about 1/2 inch of wax remains, because the jar can overheat past that.
full disclosure
What's in these?
Coconut apricot wax with no paraffin, a single wooden wick with no lead or zinc core, and phthalate free fragrance oils. Poured by hand in small batches. That's the whole list.