Keep the wick trimmed

Some candles require that the wick is trimmed before lighting (and re-lightening). If the wick is left too long the flame will likely flicker and smoke.

However, a wick that is too short can also be problematic causing tapers to drip and votives, tins, and tealights to leave unconsumed wax.

Tapers wicks should be trimmed no shorter than a half inch (1,27cm).

Pillars should be trimmed to no shorter than a quarter inch (0.60 cm).

The wicks of votives and tealights do NOT need to be trimmed before lighting.

Extinguish your candle and trim the wick if:

• The flame is flickering and/or smoking

• The flame is large and looses its teardrop shape

• A carbon cap develops

• The wax pool gets too close to the edge of the candle

Use a pillar plate / candle holder etc.

Candles should not be placed directly on furniture. High temperature may discolour the surface. Any beeswax spillage may mark your furniture. Please use any tray that is heat resistant.

Choose an appropriate holder or plate for your candle to keep your surfaces free of any accidentally spilled wax or problems due to the heat of the candle and always burn candles in a draft free environment. (Candles should be out of the reach of pets and children and should never be left unsupervised).

Not for use in a hurricane container - Our beeswax pillar candles are not recommended for use in a hurricane glass or other tall walled containers. Beeswax has a high melting point and burns at a hotter temperature than other waxes.

Burn tea light candles in their cups. We also recommend putting the tea light cups inside a tea light holder. Regardless if the tea lights cups are in a holder or not, they must be burned on a level and heat resistance surface because the cups become hot when burned.

Tapers should always be securely placed in a taper holder when burning.

First burning

It’s the most important part of getting right.

If you burn a candle too long, you will produce soot and reduce its life.

Too short and you will tunnel the candle. So how to burn candle evenly?

Let a candle burn until you see a pool of wax from across whole candle.

Burning for less time can cause the candle to 'tunnel', which leaves a build-up of wax around the vessel's sides and can reduce the maximum burn time. Burning for longer periods can cause the wick to move, or slant.

Maintain the Flame

Depending on the type of candle you are burning, you may have to trim the wick periodically.

• Hug the candle:

Candle hugging is a candle care technique suitable for beeswax pillar candles. Its aim is to encourage the flame to consume all the wax available, without leaving a tall mantle around the wick. By using this technique, you will make sure that you make the most of your beeswax candle. It will burn more evenly, and you will prevent the wax leaking out.

Once you blow the candle out, gently push the tall wax walls towards the middle (towards the wick). By doing this every time, you’ll make sure all of your candle wax gets consumed.

• Fix too-thin pillar walls

If your pillar does drip or melt through its side, generally due to too large of a flame, extinguish the candle and let it harden before relighting it. Avoid moving the pillar while the beeswax is cooling.

• Fix too-thick pillar walls

If your pillar develops a thick wall, generally due to not burning long enough each burning session, carefully cut the wall down to the level of the wax pool inside. This must be done when the wax pool is hardened. We recommend using a heated craft knife found at most hobby stores. Caution is advised.

How to relight a beeswax candle?

The best way to relight your beeswax pillar candle is to hold the flame to the base of the wick for 5 to 10 seconds. This will ensure all of the hardened beeswax in the wick is melted. This allows the wick to now pull newly melted beeswax from the candle and burn properly.

If tealights are extinguished when they are less than half consumed then they may not burn completely upon relighting.

Cleaning candle holders:

To remove the leftover tab and wax from glass votive and tealight cups we are big fans of what we have affectionately dubbed the “freeze and whack” method. Simply freeze the cup for a few hours and then use an old butter knife to firmly tap the metal tab on the bottom of the cup. It should pop out in a satisfying way along with any leftover wax. Wash the cup with warm soapy water.

The easiest way to remove beeswax from your holder is to place it in the freezer for a few hours. Once removed from the freezer simply chip the wax off and wash with warm soapy water. Always burn candles on or in appropriate holders.

Getting beeswax out of fabric:

If you spill on fabric, place the item in the freezer until it hardens and you can chip it off. You can also cover both sides of the fabric with paper towel and press a warm iron over the spill and repeat until the wax is absorbed.

Did you know?

Beeswax candles do not expire. In fact, aged beeswax candles burn longer and with more beauty than freshly made ones. Best to store the candles in a cool place, away from direct sunlight and heat.