You just bought that lovely cozy little candle, lit it up and the enchantment begins. However, after a few hours of burning you wonder if there’s a way you can keep its life longer without digging anymore into your pocket...
]]>You just bought that lovely cozy little candle, lit it up and the enchantment begins. However, after a few hours of burning you wonder if there’s a way you can keep its life longer without digging anymore into your pocket. Even if it’s just a candle, you should take good care of it like a baby.
Scented candles, especially soy wax candles, can be more expensive than ordinary paraffin candles especially when hand-poured with the finest ingredients. But if you know how to make it last longer, you will get more value for your money.
Here are some tips:
Burn the candle for at least 2 hours.
You should do this the first time that you light your candle and every time you relight it. Burn it first for at least 2 hours to prevent tunneling or pocket hole. This tunneling effect happens when the candle was not burned long enough for at least 2 hours until the wax melts across the top and edge to edge, thus creating a tunnel. This tunnel shape in the middle and around the wick of the candle will continue until the life of the candle. That is why it is also called the memory ring.
Make sure the wick is in the middle of the candle.
Another way to prevent tunneling is to make sure that the wick is centered in the middle of the candle so that the wax will melt evenly across the top of the candle.
Trim the wick
Cut or trim the wick for about 1/8 of an inch before lighting the candle or when relighting every 4 hours to keep the wick clean. This will prevent the mushrooming of the wick which causes the forming of soot in the air or dark traces inside the jar and surfaces. Make sure to fully extinguish the fire before you trim. Wick trimming before lighting the candle can also become part of your lighting ritual. Ideally, a wick trimmer is best to use but in its absence, a nice pair of sharp scissors will do.
Avoid Windy Places
Keep your burning candle away from windy places so that the fragrance will not be wasted away and the candle will burn evenly.
Use a Snuffer
To extinguish the candle, use a snuffer to prevent the smell of smoke filling your room. You can also bend the wick, dip it into the melted wax and then straighten it up. This time you can extinguish the candle near an open window. How about using a pretty glass dome to display your candle? After burning, put the dome on the candle to slowly extinguish the flame.
Storage
Store the candle in a cool dark place away from direct sunlight, intense heat or intense cold. This will prevent discoloration and make the scent last longer. Never leave a candle for too long inside the car, especially during summer for melting might happen and distort the beautiful shape and color of your candle. When left in extreme cold, allow the candle to stay at room temperature first before lighting it.
Be Safe
Never burn a candle near flammable materials and surfaces. Keep it out of reach of the curious little ones and pets. Never leave a burning candle unattended. Dispose of your candle when it reaches ½ inch from the bottom to avoid overheating the surfaces and prevent fire.
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Do you freak out whenever you go to the candle store and you hear terms that are unfamiliar to you? It’s great to be knowledgeable about these terms in order to guide you in your buying decision. Read and see the list of vocabulary words that are often used with candles and outsmart those sweet ladies offering you to buy those beautiful candles.
ADHEREND WICK – Adherend wicks or crackling booster wicks are two or more wicks attached together by a non-toxic adhesive. This type of wick is ideal for soy wax candles. This is one of the reasons why soy candle wicks are non-toxic and good for the environment.
AFTERGLOW - This is the light emitted from the wick after manually putting it out. It is helpful to use a candle extinguisher or snuffer to avoid the candle afterglow.
BURN RATE- This is the amount of wax consumed per hour in grams.
BURN TIME – This is the length of time the candle wax is consumed completely. Soy wax candles are known to have longer burn time than the paraffin type.
BURN TEST OR TEST BURN – This is the process used by the manufacturers to test the right combination of wax, wick, and fragrance.
CANDLE SWEATING – This is the formation of oily substance called sweat on the surface of the candle when there is a change in temperature. To avoid this, store the candle in a cool dark place away from direct sunlight, intense heat or intense cold
FROSTING – Frosting looks similar to the whitish color coating that you see in chocolates. Frosting does not in affect the quality of soy wax candles.
GUTTER – the formation of excessive melted candle wax that can run down outside of the candle.
MELT POINT – the temperature that is hot enough for the candle wax to liquefy.
MELT POOL – the liquid pool of wax on top of the candle which is best achieved by burning the candle for 2 hours. A candle that is burning for 4 hours should have ½ inch in depth of melt pool.
MEMORY CIRCLE – also called tunneling or pocket hole or memory ring. Memory circle is formed when the candle is not burned long enough or for at least 2 hours until the wax melts across the top and edge to edge, thus creating a tunnel. This tunnel shape in the middle and around the wick of the candle will continue until the life of the candle. That is why it is also called the memory ring.
MUSHROOMING OR CARBON BUILD-UP – This is the formation of carbon head around the wick, forming a mushroom-shaped wick. Cut or trim the wick for about 1/8 of an inch before lighting the candle or when relighting every 4 hours to keep the wick clean and avoid mushrooming.
POWER BURN – is burning the candle longer than 4 hours which is unsafe and is not recommended.
THROW – is the release of fragrance into the air after lighting the candle.
VESSEL – is a jar or containers used to hold the candle.
Visit us at Amazon. ]]>Have you heard of celebrities, the rich and the famous, who simply love scented candles? There was a scene in the “Sky Castle” Korean TV series about an elegant lady reminding someone over the phone to bring candles to remove the smell...
]]>Have you heard of celebrities, the rich and the famous, who simply love scented candles? There was a scene in the “Sky Castle” Korean TV series about an elegant lady reminding someone over the phone to bring candles to remove the smell for her grandiose dinner party. This could be the reason, aside from adding romanticism, for candlelight dinners.
Did you know what type of candle Taylor Swift has in her house in London? It is said to be a soy wax candle that can be found in many of her rooms.
Here are some interesting facts about candles according to the National Candle Association (NCA) website:
Other facts about candles:
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