Deep dive into candle care
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Hello pink pond pals, back again with an indepth chat about how to get the most out of your Pink Pond candle.
Candles can be tricky wee things to get to burn properly if you don't know a few key tips.
1) THE FIRST BURN IS THE MOST IMPORTANT!
When you burn your candle for the first time, make sure you burn so the wax melts to the edge of the vessel. This should take 2-3 hours so make sure you have the time set aside. The reason we do this is because candle wax holds a memory, and will only burn up until the spot where the wax last melted. I know it can seem wasteful to burn for longer than you feel you may need to, but we promise you that in the long run it will mean you get more burn hours all up. If the wax doesn't melt from edge to edge, the melt pool will get smaller and smaller, creating a "tunnelling" effect, meaning unburnt wax will be left on the sides of the vessel.
2) ALWAYS TRIM YOUR WICK.
A good candle parent, trims the candle wick before each burn. This is easily done with a wood wick candle by breaking off the charred bits with your fingers. Try not to get any charred bits in your wax so your candle stays sitting pretty. We trim the wick so the flame stays controlled and doesn't heat up the wax too much. More on why we don't want the wax getting too hot in the next top tip. Another reason we want to keep the flame controlled is because big flames can mean carbon can collect on the wick, creating smoke and soot to be released into the air and therefore blackening your vessel.
3) BURN FOR NO LONGER THAN 3 HOURS.
The reason we don't advise to burn for longer than 3 hours is because the wax can get too hot, this can then burn off the fragrance faster and the candle won't stay smelling its most fragrant during its whole lifetime. It can also create a carbon build up on the wick as explained above.
4) HOW TO FIX TUNNELING.
If you do notice tunnelling occurring to your candle, it can be fixed. Light the candle and heat up the sides of your vessel by wrapping the candle in tin foil, leaving a hole at the top to let oxygen in so the candle can still burn. Let it burn for long enough that the wax at the side melts down, resetting your candles wax memory. If the tunnelling case is quite extreme, you might need to remove some of your wax. This can be done by using a paper towel to soak up some of the melted wax (only do this while the candle is not burning) or simply by scraping some hard wax out with a spoon.
After reading this, you can put into practice getting the perfect burning candles. Next on the agenda, learn the science behind creating the perfect candle and then you can consider yourself a real candle connoisseur.
Candles can be tricky wee things to get to burn properly if you don't know a few key tips.
1) THE FIRST BURN IS THE MOST IMPORTANT!
When you burn your candle for the first time, make sure you burn so the wax melts to the edge of the vessel. This should take 2-3 hours so make sure you have the time set aside. The reason we do this is because candle wax holds a memory, and will only burn up until the spot where the wax last melted. I know it can seem wasteful to burn for longer than you feel you may need to, but we promise you that in the long run it will mean you get more burn hours all up. If the wax doesn't melt from edge to edge, the melt pool will get smaller and smaller, creating a "tunnelling" effect, meaning unburnt wax will be left on the sides of the vessel.
2) ALWAYS TRIM YOUR WICK.
A good candle parent, trims the candle wick before each burn. This is easily done with a wood wick candle by breaking off the charred bits with your fingers. Try not to get any charred bits in your wax so your candle stays sitting pretty. We trim the wick so the flame stays controlled and doesn't heat up the wax too much. More on why we don't want the wax getting too hot in the next top tip. Another reason we want to keep the flame controlled is because big flames can mean carbon can collect on the wick, creating smoke and soot to be released into the air and therefore blackening your vessel.
3) BURN FOR NO LONGER THAN 3 HOURS.
The reason we don't advise to burn for longer than 3 hours is because the wax can get too hot, this can then burn off the fragrance faster and the candle won't stay smelling its most fragrant during its whole lifetime. It can also create a carbon build up on the wick as explained above.
4) HOW TO FIX TUNNELING.
If you do notice tunnelling occurring to your candle, it can be fixed. Light the candle and heat up the sides of your vessel by wrapping the candle in tin foil, leaving a hole at the top to let oxygen in so the candle can still burn. Let it burn for long enough that the wax at the side melts down, resetting your candles wax memory. If the tunnelling case is quite extreme, you might need to remove some of your wax. This can be done by using a paper towel to soak up some of the melted wax (only do this while the candle is not burning) or simply by scraping some hard wax out with a spoon.
After reading this, you can put into practice getting the perfect burning candles. Next on the agenda, learn the science behind creating the perfect candle and then you can consider yourself a real candle connoisseur.