The gentle crackle and unique flicker of a wooden wick candle makes for a cozy and warm ambience, but they can be a little tricky to burn if you're not used to them. Wooden wicks burn differently to traditional cotton wicks, and there are a few common issues that cause them to not stay lit. Here are our top tips and best practices for using a wooden wick to ensure a long and clean burn of your beautiful botanical candle.
HOW TO LIGHT A WOODEN WICK CANDLE
You'll want to light these differently than traditional cotton wick candles. When lighting a wooden wick, the best technique is to tilt the candle on an angle (instead of tilting the lighter or match) and allow the flame to draw across the length of the wick. Note that with a wooden wick, it may also take several tries to light it due to its composition, but this is a normal occurrenceand a part of their unique nature!
KEEP YOUR WOODEN WICK TRIMMED SHORT & FREE OF CHARRED BITS
It's not the wood fuelling your candle's flame, it's the wax. The flame is drawing the wax up through the wick, so if the wick is too long or has thin, fragile, charred bits at the top, the wax cannot make it to the flame and you may find your candle goes out continuously. Should this happen, trim the wick, cleaning off any charred or flakey bits and re-light.
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THE FIRST BURN IS THE MOST IMPORTANT & HOW TO GET IT RIGHT
On the first burn, give your candle enough burning time to develop a melted wax pool that goes all the way to the edge of the vessel, this can take up to a few hours, depending on the candle size. Believe it or not, candles do have a kind of "wax-memory", and once a burning pattern has been established, it can be hard to change.
If you don't allow your candle enough time to form a full melt pool on the first burn, a little depression "tunnel" may start to form around the wick. This will make it more difficult for the wax around the edges of the vessel to melt, causing the tunnel effect to continue with each burn. Eventually, the tunnel will become too deep for fresh oxygen to flow in, and your candle will have trouble staying lit for more than a short period of time. To prevent this issue, ensure you give your candle adequate time to develop a melted pool wax from corner to corner, we recommend at least 2 hours of burning to achieve the melting pool.
After the first burn, you don't need to let a full wax pool form every single time, but it is ideal if you want to get the most life out of your candle. Ensure your candles have a nice long burn every so often to "reset" the wax memory and prevent any tunnelling. This will help keep your candle smiling great, burning evenly and will allow you to enjoy your candle for longer.
HOW TO FIX A CANDLE THAT IS "TUNNELLING"
If your wooden wick candle has developed some tunnelling from shorter burns, don't fret, you can usually save it, and here's how:
First, and best option: if your candle will stay lit, give it a good, long burn until all the wax has melted to the edge of vessel. This way, you've effectively "reset" the memory of the wax. The flame height may vary when you do this, but as long as there is still a burn, it should continue to create a melt pool - patience is key!
If your candle doesn't stay lit because it is "drowning" in a wax pool, use a paper towel or napkin to soak up some of the excess wax. Then, wait a minute or so, relight your candle and repeat until your wick has room the breathe!
In the case that neither of these remedies work, we have heard of instances where peoplescrape out the wax around the edge of the jar, or even create a little dome of aluminium foil around the rim of the container to help melt the hard wax at the edges. These are both last resort options though - so no guarantee! Remember, prevention is better than a cure, and if you follow our three best practices, your wooden wick candle should burn evenly and for longer.
| At Green Nation Life, we are passionate about bringing beautiful, bespoke botanical candles to our customers. Our range of Candles is proudly handcrafted in Melbourne using only the best ingredients and naturally derived formulations. Should you encounter any issues, we encourage you to reach out to us. With love, the GNL Team. |
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