A good candle asks very little of you, but the little it asks, it asks in return for a great deal. Treated with a small amount of care, a soy candle burns cleanly, evenly and for far longer than a neglected one. The difference is not effort so much as attention, a few quiet habits that turn a candle from something you use up into something you keep company with. Here is how to get the most from yours.
The first burn sets the memory
The most important burn is the first one. Soy wax has what makers call a memory: it tends to melt only as far as it did the first time it was lit. So on that first evening, give it time. Let the wax melt all the way to the edge of the glass before you put it out, which usually takes two to three hours. Cut it short and a hard ring of unused wax forms around the rim, and the candle will tunnel down its centre for the rest of its life. A patient first burn is the whole secret to a candle that burns flat and full to the very end.
Trim the wick, every time
Before each light, trim the wick to about five millimetres. A long wick burns hot and restless, throwing soot, flickering and shortening the life of the candle. A trimmed wick gives a smaller, steadier flame and a cleaner pool of wax. It is the single easiest habit to keep, and the one that makes the most visible difference. A pair of scissors will do, though a wick trimmer reaches neatly to the base once the candle has burned low.
A candle rewards patience. Give it a slow first burn and a trimmed wick, and it will give you back every hour you paid for.
Burn gently, and know when to stop
Keep each burn to no more than four hours at a time. Beyond that the wax overheats, the flame grows tall and the candle is spent faster than it should be. Keep it away from draughts, which pull the flame sideways and burn it unevenly, and never leave a lit candle unattended. When only a centimetre or so of wax remains, it is time to retire the flame, and the vessel begins its second life as a small keepsake.
None of this is fussy. It is simply the difference between a candle that is used and one that is cared for. Our design candles are poured from one hundred percent natural soy wax to reward exactly this kind of attention, burning slow, clean and long, and leaving a vessel worth keeping once the flame is done.
