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The EssentialCandle Care Guide
Read our essential candle care guide for top tips to ensure your new candle burns evenly, cleanly and safely, while lasting as long as possible.
Who doesn’t love lighting a scented candle, the soft diffused light and the room-filling, comforting aroma?
We light candles in our home for a variety of reasons: to create a welcoming ambience for guests, as part of an enriching self-care ritual, or to enliven a stuffy room. However, few candle owners know the correct way to care for a candle. Read our essential candle care guide below to discover more.
Our Essential Candle Care Guide
1: Keep the wick trimmed
Did you know that our candle wicks are made from 100% cotton? We choose cotton wicks as they are natural and non-toxic, providing a safe and clean burn throughout.
An essential part of candle care is keeping your wick trimmed before each burn. We recommend trimming your wick down by 3mm. This top tip will ensure an even burn, prolonging your candles life.
By trimming the wick, less oxygen reaches the flame, keeping the flame small and contained within the candle jar. This helps your candle jar stay lovely and clean, preventing sooting which is that nasty blackened stain around the inside edge of the glass jar.
A wick trimmer is a great candle care tool. The extended handle allows a deeper reach into the candle jar, especially when the wick gets too low for scissors. Alternatively, a smaller pair of scissors will do the job just fine.
2: The first burn is the most important
Do candles burn from memory? Yes! In fact, a candle’s first light is called its memory burn.
This crucial candle care step will set the boundaries of how your candle is going to burn to the end of the wick. This must-do tip will begin the healthy journey of your well cared for candle.
After trimming your wick and lighting your candle for the first time, it is very important to allow the candle to burn until the wax melts all the way to the edge of the glass. This will help the candle to burn evenly, stopping your candle from forming a tunnel and wasting wax.
Tunnelling can drastically reduce the total burn time of your candle, spoiling your memory burn. Keeping your candle on a flat surface can also help avoid tunnelling.
3: Keep it clean
This candle care step is one that most candle users ignore, however, can contribute to a longer lasting, fresh fragrance.
By trimming your wick before every light, you’re already halfway there to keeping a clean candle and jar by avoiding smoking and sooting. Avoid any debris entering your wax pool by using a folded-up tissue to catch the burnt wick, stopping it from snapping and falling inside.
Please do not throw discarded match sticks inside your candle as this can create a fire hazard and can often create an unpleasant smell.
4: Safety first
We advise burning your candle for a maximum of 4 hours, minimising risk of damage or issues. Please keep an eye on your candle while it’s burning, never leaving a burning candle unattended.
Please choose a safe place to burn your candle. It’s critical to keep lit candles away from children and pets and we strongly advise placing your candle on top of a heat resistant surface or mat. Always leave at least 10cm between burning candles and make sure the candles are away from objects that may catch fire and never use liquid to extinguish.
Repurpose your glass jar!
Save your packaging the journey to the recycling bin and reuse at home. Give your empty candle jar a new lease of life by repurposing it as a mini plant pot, or as a pencil holder. We would love to see how you reuse your products – tag us on social media with your repurposing projects.
Why choose soy wax candles?
At The English Soap Company we use pure soy wax for our hand-poured candles. Soy wax candles have a plethora of benefits; we’ve listed a few below. Read our blog post The Benefits of Soy Wax Candles for further information
Soy Candles are Sustainable
Soy wax is made from soybeans which is a renewable and sustainable material. The soy wax is completely natural, unlike paraffin wax candles, which are made from petroleum.
Soy Candles are Vegan
Ideal for the eco-conscious consumer, soy wax candles contain no animal products, unlike their beeswax counterparts. This benefit makes soy wax candles ideal for vegans, and anyone else!
Soy Candles are Non-toxic
The production of soy candles does not involve fossil fuels, like petroleum-based paraffin wax. This process hugely effects the burn of the candle. When burned, paraffin wax emits chemicals hazardous to health.
Soy Candles Last Longer
Soy wax candles last for approximately 50% longer than paraffin candles. Because of this, they are far more cost-effective. To find out more about why soy wax candles are the best types of candle you can buy, read our Benefits of Soy Candles blog post.
The English Soap Company Scented Candles
The English Soap Company candles are lovingly hand-poured at our farm site in Waldron, Sussex, in the beautiful South of England. The hand-pouring technique makes each candle unique to the next, as the wax is gently poured into the reusable glass jar and the label is applied by hand.
Our luxuriously aromatic candles are rich with fragrance and designed uniquely for us by UK-based expert perfumers.
We are strongly committed to our sustainability policy. The English Soap Company candle glass jars and cardboard packaging are 100% recyclable, and manufacturing, packaging and delivery methods are as eco-friendly as possible.
Scented Candle Collection
Take a look at our much loved Scented Candle Collection. With decorative packaging and gorgeous fragrances, you’ll find the perfect candle for your home or as a thoughtful gift for a loved one. Explore the full range below.
