Candle Burning Tips

To burn your candle efficiently:

*Never leave candles unattended. Always burn candles within sight and away from drafts and flammable items. Keep away from children and pets. Trim wicks and do not burn candle for more than 4 hours. Stop burning when 1/2” of unmelted wax remains. Failure to follow instructions could result in fire or injuries. 

The first burn is the most important. The first time you light and burn your new candle really sets the stage for how well the candle will perform throughout its life. Start by trimming the wick to 1/4 -1/8" in length on your first burn. Trim the candle wick every 4 hours of burn time. When wick trimming, you should always extinguish the flame, let the candle come to room temperature, and trim the wick to 1/4 - 1/8 inch before relighting.

Drafty areas make the candle burn slightly quicker. Burn times depend on the length of your wick. Longer wicks make the candle burn quicker. The first burn is essential. Candles should burn for about 1 hour per inch in diameter of the actual candle size. Allow the candle to burn to the edges so wax pool reaches the edge before you snuff out your candle. We generally aim for the wax pool to be about 1cm deep at the edges before you put it out.  If a candle is not burned for long enough to allow the wax to liquefy or to melt from edge to edge of the container, it will create a memory ring. Once your candle has a “memory ring,” also called tunneling, it will continue to tunnel for the life of the candle.

Wooden wicks burn a bit differently than traditional cotton wicks do, and there are a few common issues that cause them to not stay lit.

Keep your wood wick trimmed short and free of charred bits. If your wood wick candle won’t stay lit it’s probably because the wick is too long, or it needs to be trimmed clean of charred material. The wood is not fueling your candle’s flame, it’s the wax. The flame is drawing the wax upwards through the wick, so if it’s not trimmed short and clean, the wax can’t make it to the flame. For optimal burn, keep your wood wick trimmed to about ⅛” - this is shorter than you might think the wick should be. You’ll also want to clean off any charred bits.

Tunneling 

As stated previously, the first burn is the most important as it sets the candles “memory”. The memory ring of a candle is the indent made by the candle wax on the initial lighting, and generally marks the edge of where all future burns will reach. By not allowing the wax pool to reach the edge on its first burn, a memory ring will be formed and tunneling will start. If you catch this early, you can reset the candles memory allowing the wax to re-open to the full width of the candle.

Drowning the wick

If your candle won’t stay lit because it is “drowning” in a wax pool. Extinguish the flame. Then try using a paper towel or napkin to soak up some of the excess wax. 

For questions on candle care, how to re-set your memory ring, email us at lunamountaincandle@gmail.com