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How to Burn Beeswax Candles

  • ·         Remove paper label from candle before burning.

    ·         Burn candles only in a draft-free environment away from fans, open windows, air ducts, etc. This will help to prevent any dripping or smoking.

    ·         Proper lighting

    • Using a lighter works best. Hold flame to the base of the wick long enough for a small pool of wax to form. This is the fuel for the wick and needs to be liquid to get absorbed by the wick.

    ·         Keep your wick trimmed

    • For pillars and jars keep wick trimmed to 1/4"-3/8”. For tapers ½” is acceptable. If you are burning more than one taper be sure to start with equal length wicks so the tapers burn at the same pace. Otherwise they may burn unevenly. Be careful not to trim the wick too short as it may drown in the wax pool resulting in a low flame or making it difficult to relight.

    ·         Putting out the flame

    • To extinguish your candle simply dip the wick into the wax pool or carefully blow out the flame and then dip the wick into the wax pool. This will coat the wick with wax and allow for ease of lighting for the next session. Do not allow the wick to become charred and brittle.

    ·         Adjust your burn time

    • Always allow your beeswax pillar candle to burn 1 hour for every inch in diameter. Ex. your 3 in Bee Organic Pillar candle should burn for at least 3 hours every session to avoid tunneling. Tunneling is when the wick burns a small diameter hole down the center of the pillar.

    ·         My beeswax candle will not light

    • If wick becomes charred and brittle it may be difficult to re-light. If it does not light, you may need to dig a little wax away from the base of the wick to uncover new “fresh wick”. This fresh wick will absorb the wax and hold a flame. Alternately, you can melt some wax away from the base of the wick with your lighter, and pour it out of the candle.

    ·         What to do about tunneling

    • If your candle begins to tunnel, simply burn the candle for 1 hour per inch in diameter and then squeeze in the sides of the candle to allow the wax on the sides to melt into the wax pool. This will burn the candle out to the edges and fix the tunneling issue should it arise.

    ·         My candle light is very dim

    • Maintaining the proper length wick is very important. Your wick has either become too short, or the wick is not getting enough air. Alternately, there may be too much melted wax in the pool. To correct, pour some wax out of the pool into a safe place. If your candle has tunneled follow the steps for “What to do about tunneling”, if your wick has become too short follow the steps for “My candle will not light”. High altitude may too cause the candle to burn dimly. 

    ·         Never leave a burning candle unattended.

    ·         Keep candles away from children and pets.