Candle Care
I test my candles extensively. In fact, if I am home (or at a friend’s or family member’s home), you will often find one, if not several, of my candles burning close by. I love my candles. In fact, my husband and children have accused me of loving my candles more than I love them. Most of the time, that is not true. However, I have pointed out if they were to surround me with beautiful scents, light and warmth…. Anyway….
Occasionally, although I have done everything right, one of them will get moody. (Yes, I am talking about my candles 
I will run through my checklist:
- No drafts or fans are disturbing the candle
- It is sitting on a flat, heat-resistant surface
- I have trimmed or broken the charred wick close to the wax.
- I have discarded the charred debris.
- When wax was hard, I tilted the candle to let the flame draw across the wick.
- I have established a good melt pool over the majority of the surface of the candle (if the candle has been lit previously).
Even so, I may end up with one of these issues. I will also give a possible solution to each. (If only my family members were so easy….)
- Wick extinguishes itself right away (my attention-seeker)
Usually this happens when only the wood wick has been lit and there is no wax to help with the combustion. If this is the case, break off the charred wick and discard. Tilt the candle on an angle so the flame is drawing across the wick and the soy will begin to fuel the flame. **You may need to be patient with this one… I have had some candles that have lit beautifully on the third try – just when I was about to give up on them! 😑
- Very low burning flame (my introvert)
The best solution for this one is to enjoy the quiet flame and the fact that this candle will burn for a very long time as long as a draft (or its own liquified wax) does not extinguish it. **Sometimes you can get a better flame by first blowing it out and then absorbing some of the wax with paper towel (assuming it had already started burning). Allowing the wax to solidify and then lighting the candle at another time can also help (>>but, of course, this is annoying if you were hoping for the warm ambiance of the candle).
- Overly large flame (my extrovert)
This one will be bright and cheery, but will create a very large melt pool in a short amount of time and may cause its jar to heat up too much. Generally, you can solve this problem by trimming the wick down to very close to the level of the wax. (If the candle has been burning already and the wax has liquefied, use a wick trimmer when cutting down the wick in order to catch the debris. If you do not have a wick trimmer, you may use a small amount to paper towel and break the charred wick off. **Make sure that you have blown out the candle first!! ) You will want to keep the candle flat if you are relighting it when the wax is still liquid.
- My candle has a tunnel!
When you burn your candle for the first time, you want to establish a good melt pool (ideally all the way to the edges of the candle.) Some wax “hang up” is quite normal along the sides of the jar and will begin to melt as the candle burns down. <<This is desirable!
If, however, the candle has created “a hole” down the center of the candle (a tunnel), this is not desirable, since your candle will likely extinguish itself because it will not have enough oxygen to keep it going. If you are able to keep it lit, you may be able to reset the melt pool by giving it a longer burn time when you light it again. ***If you feel that it is a problem with the candle, please contact me so that I can fix the situation!
- My candle is a mess!
Wick trimmings and other debris not only take away from the beauty of the candle, they can be a safety hazard. Likewise, black soot on the surface of the candle left from an overly large flame is also unattractive. By trimming the wick and discarding the debris each time before you light it, you should be able to avoid this problem. If there is debris floating in the liquefied wax, after the flame is extinguished you can use some paper towel to “catch” the floaters.
Finally, if you are not satisfied with your candle, please reach out to let me know what the issue is so that I can make it right! I sincerely want everyone to get as much enjoyment from my Sunshine Candles as I do!
Questions or concerns? Contact me at: nora@sunshinecandles.ca