If it's your first time buying a wood wick candle, or you're looking for a quick refresher, here are some steps and tips on caring for your wood wick candle. Proper care helps you receive the best burn for the life of your candle. 

Wood wicks offer a unique and aesthetically beautiful experience. With the subtle crackle and unique flame shapes, wood wick candles really create a lovely, comforting vibe. Wood wicks are the most natural type of wick you can use. As with other natural products, this can sometimes make them slightly inconsistent, but they are far too charming to let a small amount of effort stand in the way of beauty. This page is here to help guide you through proper wood wick care to ensure an optimal burn for your cozy spaces.  

 

The First Burn

On your first burn, make sure the wick is trimmed to 1/4" with a wick trimmer. If you don't have a wick trimmer, you can use a flat nail clippers, but these can be messy. A wick trimmer is always best. If there are any pieces of wick that fall into your candle, remove them before lighting. If you don't have a trimmer and the wick isn't trimmed when you light it, the flame might be a bit large, but it should settle down. If it settles down too far, put out the flame, let it cool, pinch off the charred bits, and relight. Wood wicks are good at burning down to exactly where they should be each time they are burned, which greatly reduces how many times you have to trim them.

To light tilt the candle to a 45 degree angle and hold the flame to the wick until the flame dances across. A grill lighter or a USB lighter work best. When you first light the candle, it can flicker some as the wick pulls the initial wax up to fuel the flame. This usually settles down after about 5 minutes. If it doesn't settle down, it might need to be trimmed further. 

For the first burn, you want to make sure you reach a full melt pool. A full melt pool means the wax melts very near to or all of the way to the glass. This can take 2-3 hours and it may not hit a full melt pool until the 3rd or 4th burn. Overall burn time shouldn't exceed 4 hours. Never leave a burning candle unattended.

Extinguish the flame by spooning wax over the wooden wick. This helps the wick cool down faster and minimizes any smoke that can happen when it's blown out.  NEVER put a candle out with water; this is hazardous. Allow the wax to cool completely before relighting.

For Future Burns

For each subsequent burn, there are a couple of easy yet important steps to take each time you relight your candle. TRIM THE WICK! Trimming the wick each time is very important. You can do this with a wick trimmer, or you can pinch off the charred wood pieces with your fingers. As long as you remove the burnt pieces of wood, that's the important piece. If the charred wood is left on, it will clog the wick and your candle won't burn well. Make sure to leave a little less than a 1/4 inch of wick so there's still enough wick to burn. I personally choose to only pinch off the charred pieces. With the X Wicks as they continue to burn the X can start to pyramid. If you feel like the flame is too large around half way, trim off the very tip of the pyramid, and it should go back to a nice size flame. For the tube wicks, after the first burn, I've very rarely needed to trim these wicks at all. They are a nice low and slow burn where I pinch off the charred bits after it's cooled and it's ready to go for the next time.

Make sure the melt pool is free of debris. Sometimes when you trim your wick, a small piece can drop into the wax. It's important to remove these so they don't clog the wick or cause any other issues. 

 

Trimming your wick helps your flame be more stable and your burn be cleaner resulting in a longer lasting candle.

Here's a quick breakdown of the above information. 

1. First burn - trim wick to 1/4"
2. Future burns - remove charred wick pieces 
3. Be sure to remove any debris from the candle before lighting
4. Light at a 45 degree angle
5. Burn to a full melt pool
6. Do not leave unattended
7. Do not burn for more than 4 hours

 

Trouble Shooting

• Flame is Too Large - if the flame is too large when you first light it, wait about 5 minutes for the flame to settle down. The flame height should not be more than 1.5 inches and is typically under an inch. If it does not settle down, extinguish, let cool completely, remove any charred bits, trim to 3/16 inch (just under a quarter inch), and relight. The wooden X wicks can cone as they get lower in the vessel. If the flame seems a bit high around the halfway point, snip off the tip of the cone with a wick trimmer and relight. 
• Flame is Too Low - remove excess charred wood and relight.
• Flame is Dancing Excessively - Is there a draft coming from somewhere? Is there a window open or a fan on somewhere nearby? Was the wick trimmed?
• Candle is Tunnelling - If your candle isn't melting to the edge of the jar, this is typically from the candle not burning for long enough each session. This can usually be remedied by letting your candle burn for longer so the wax on the sides can catch up. If it's tunneled significantly and isn't staying lit well, you can extinguish the flame and soak up some of the excess wax with a paper towel. 
• Black Soot on the Jar - after the candle has cooled, you can wipe the soot off with a damp paper towel or soft cloth. Stick with water and avoid any chemicals. Make sure no water droplets are left and it's completely dry in the jar before relighting. This is generally created by drafts causing the flame to hit the sides of the vessel. Avoiding drafts significantly reduces the chance of black soot on your candle vessel.
• To Reduce Smoky Scent - to reduce the small amount of smokiness that's inherent in wood wick candles, allow the candle to cool completely before putting the lid back on. You can also pinch off the charred wood on the wick BEFORE replacing the lid. This keeps your scent fresher longer and then your candle is ready to go for next time.

Enjoy the enchanting ambiance of your wood wick candle!