Proper Candle Burning
Believe it, or not…there is a right way to burn candles! Most people don’t know this little fact and they also don’t realize that there is a warning sticker (there should be, anyway) on every candle that they burn. Go ahead, flip your candle over and check it out! It will tell you to always trim your wicks to 1/4” before each burn (I always do the first trim for you) and also, that in order to get the best life out of your candle, it’s recommended to burn candles in 4 hour increments (depending on the candle’s diameter, smaller candles may need less time, but generally 4 hours, no longer). Some wicks get a “mushroom” on the tip (the round black, buildup) and that should always be trimmed off and cleared out of the jar, before relighting the wick! Failing to do this, can cause the flame to be much too large, causing the jar to overheat. Failing to trim off the mushrooms can also cause them to spark, possibly flying outside of the jar. ALWAYS TRIM YOUR WICKS!
You don’t want to blow out the candle before it has a “melt pool” (the melted wax on top) that reaches all the way across the entire candle. Allowing the melted wax to cover the entire top of the candle, ensures an even burn and will extend the life of the candle. They say that soy wax has a “memory”. Meaning, when you blow out a candle too soon, leaving unmelted wax on the sides, it will follow that same pattern on your next burn and will ultimately cause “tunneling”, which is where the candle burns straight down, rather than across the diameter of the candle first. You don’t want to burn your candle longer than the recommended time frame (4 hours), because it could cause the glass to overheat, possibly causing it to shatter. Keep candles away from flammable objects, pets, children and out of the air flow from fans, air conditioning units and open windows. You don’t want the flames moving around a ton, as the flames could get too close to the sides of the jar and cause it to crack, or shatter.
Your candle may extinguish itself, once it gets to the bottom. If it has not yet, discontinue use of candle when there is about 1/2” wax left in the jar.
At this point, to reduce waste, you could place the candle on a candle warmer (it melts the wax, like a wax warmer, except for candles). You could also scoop out the remaining wax and place it directly into your wax warmer.
