LET IT BURN
If you want to keep your wax melting evenly so your candle burns beautifully every time you light it, keep it lit until you have wax melted from rim to rim. This can take about an hour or two, depending on the size of your candle. If you do have wax sides that form and create a divot in your candle, you can wrap a candle in a tinfoil “blanket” the next time you burn a candle to help the wax that’s built up on the sides melt and join the rest of the candle wax.
Another way to ensure a beautiful burn is to shop wisely, looking for high-quality wax, be it the more traditional paraffin or plant-based alternatives like coconut, apricot and soy.
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TRIM THE WICK
To help the candle wax burn evenly and avoid divots around your wick, trim it before you burn it, when it’s dry and the wax around it is solid. You always want to maintain a wick between 3 to 6 mm, a quarter of an inch. Otherwise you get the hole in the middle of the candle. A long, angled wick trimmer makes this task easy (and is a great gift for candle lovers), but if you don’t have one, you can use a scissor. If you don’t trim the wick, it’s more likely you’ll get dark grey smoke edging to the top of your vessel.
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TOP IT & REUSE
Once your candles have cooled, store them on a flat surface. Topping candles with lids (check out Night Space, Van Dang, Nomad Noe) can help ensure the wax will remain free of dust when not in use. Don’t save your candle for a rainy day. The fragrance extracts and oils evaporate over time, so make sure to enjoy your candle whenever the mood strikes and a match is close at hand.
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