CANDLE CARE: THE FIRST BURN

The first burn is always the most important for a candle. By ensuring you “start” a candle correctly, means you will increase its life, giving a better burning experience. 

The burn pool

When a candle burns it creates a burn pool. This is the hole it creates and fills with liquid wax. It then uses this liquid wax to fuel the wick. The bigger this pool of wax, the longer your candle will last and the better it will burn. 

Getting this right with a pillar candle is essential. Your first “long burn” will help set the size of the burn pool for all your other burns. 

Make your candle last longer

• The first burn needs to be a long burn. 
• Check the size of the burn pool every hour (our candles usually reach their maximum burn pool roughly 3 hours after lighting them).
• It should increase in size.
• When it stops increasing in size then you know it has reached its maximum size. You can now blow the candle out and trim the wick to 3-4mm
• Every subsequent burn needs the wax pool to reach the edge of the indent created by the first burn (this should get there faster every time you burn it). 
• If you don’t allow the wax to reach the circumference of the previous burn, it will tunnel down the middle of the candle; and you won’t get as much burn time from your candle.

Trim your wicks

Always trim your wick to 3-4mm after each burn. This helps to keep the wick straight and stops it burning to one side. To find out more about the art of wick trimming read here