I just wanted to share some candle care tips - especially pertaining to soy candles so you can get the maximum out of your candle!
WHY SOY?
Soy wax is particularly popular these days amongst the hand-crafted community, because it is all-natural (oil taken from soy beans). It's also great because it burns cleanly, lasts a long time, and is eco-friendly!
It’s also really easy to clean in case of spills. Equally if you want to repurpose or reuse your container then hot water and soap is all thats needed to clean it out once all the wax has burned away.
FRAGRANCES | HOT VS COLD THROW etc
“Hot throw” and “cold throw” are commonly used terms to describe the fragrances and strengths of a candle .
“Hot throw” is the fragrance and strength when the candle is lit.
“Cold throw” is the fragrance and strength when the candle is unlit.
A candle may have a stronger cold throw than hot throw or vice versa. Sometimes fragrances perform a bit differently in the cold throw vs hot throw. Cold & hot throws usually have the same fragrance profile but some scents may come out stronger while burning than while unlit.
When we think about fragrances in candles the term "notes" of a product is often used. This relates to 'top', 'middle' and 'bottom' notes.
Top notes are the scents that are most identifiable - they are usually stronger and the thing your nose picks up first!
Middle notes (or heart notes) are identifiable after the top notes (They give heart to the fragrance! hence their alternative name!).
Bottom notes (or base notes) are more subtle and give the overall body to the candles smell.
SOY CANDLE IMPERFECTIONS ARE A THING!
“Frosting” refers to little crystal-like structures that you see on soy wax candles on occasion. Frosting usually occurs during the cooling process or as a result of other things added to the wax (like dye), and can even result from just the wax itself and how it cools. Frosting is a natural occurrence in soy candles, especially with 100% soy wax.
If you see any frosting on your candles, don’t worry! It’s totally natural and common in soy candles and won’t affect your burn or fragrance. Most of the time it’s from the way the wax melts and resets as it cools.
BURN RESPONSIBLY!
Tins and jars can get warm when burning for an extended period of time. Keep your candle on a heat-resistant surface and away from kids/pets/flammable objects!
It's a good idea to put candles on a coaster (my jesmonite products are durable under heat stress and work well for this). My personal advice… please do not burn candles in your bookcases!
GIVE YOUR CANDLE TIME TO BURN!
Always allow wax to fully melt/pool to the outer edges (usually 3-4 hours on larger candles, at least two hours on smaller candles) before blowing it out! That said, it is best not to allow a candle to burn for longer than 4 hours at a time. Extinguishing too soon causes wax to tunnel (burn straight down) and this results in so much of the candle you dont get to use! If you’re super quick with that Instagram photo and it’s only burning for a few minutes, that probably won’t cause a tunnel to form but burning for only an hour at a time may start to set a pattern for your wax that you can’t get out of!
KEEP YOUR WICK TRIMMED!
This is a little know but super useful tip! Keeping your wick trimmed prevents all of that extra soot forming which can then stick to the side of your candle container . If you find you have a very tall flame or its dancing a lot, it is best to blow out the candle, trim the wick and relight. It’s also dangerous when flames get tall (even though it looks kinda cool), especially if you’re burning near other objects. Wicks should be kept at around 1/4″ for best possible results!
HAVING TROUBLE FILLING A ROOM?
Sometimes large rooms/open floor plans make it hard for candles to fill a whole space. It's often better to burn your candle in a smaller room of the house like a bedroom or room with a door that you can close and keep that scent in! IIf you have large or very open plan living space then consider either a larger candle or using several candles to get maximum fragrance. Also remember that noses can get used to smells! If you’ve had a candle lit for a long time and you’ve lost the scent, leave the room for a bit and come back. If there’s a door to your room, close the door too and trap the scent in there before you come back in!
REFILLABLE JESMONITE CANDLES
If you have purchased one of my Jesmonite scented candle range the good news is your candle is refillable!
- Refills are available through the website
- Heat from burning your candle may lead to changes in the colour of your planter over time. This can be limited by keeping burn times below 4 hours to prevent over heating.