4 Reasons to Always Trim your Candle Wicks

by Savanna Mehrad

Our scented soy candles are a wonderful way to start your day off with a motivating scent, unwind and relax after a hard day of work or whenever you need a moment of calm to be present with yourself. Our handpoured soy wax candles also make great gifts for Mother's Day, birthdays or people who love sweary gifts with bad words.

While you may be more focused on the scent and label of your candle when shopping, did you know that candles also need to be loved and cared for in order to get the absolute best experience out of them?

That's why we've created our candle care and FAQ pages, but we thought it was also a great opportunity to chat with you all about why it's always important to trip your candle wick prior to every candle burn.

How to Trim your Candle Wick

Soy Candles GIF

Start with trimming your wick to a height of 1/4 inch. You can use a simple pair of scissors or a specialized wick trimmer. Nail clippers also work really well if the level of the candle wax has been lowered due use, when the wick sits lower within the candle jar or vessel.

Once the wick is trimmed to the ideal burning height of 1/4", light your Pretty by Her handpoured soy candle with matches or a lighter. Allow your soy candle to burn until the wax pool reaches the edge of the jar. (Usually about one hour per inch of diameter). This is especially important on your first burn.

Once you've enjoyed that glorious first burn and you're finished with your candle for the day, extinguish it and allow it to cool before relighting. Make sure to trim your wick to that 1/4" height again before you burn it next. 

Why should you always trim that wick before lighting? Here are four reasons why you should trim the candle wick of your handpoured Pretty by Her soy candle prior to burning:

1. Safer Flame Height

Starting with a wick that is 1/4" in height ensures that the flame remains at a safe height for burning. If a flame becomes too tall, the wick can produce black soot that may stain your candle or vessel and burning your candle with a flame that is too high may also result in your candle wax burning too quickly. Candle flames that are too high can ultimately increase the chance of a fire and that's something we never want to happen. Never ever!

2. No more gross, black soot -yuck!

We don't know about you, but we like pretty candles that stay cute. You know?

Keeping your candle wick trimmed, helps ensure that the wick burns optimally, without too much fuel (candle wax) being delivered to the flame. This can result in gross black, sooty smoke burning from your wick and that's a look no one wants for their cute and sassy candles. If you leave your candle wick too long, an excess of wax is delivered to the flame via the wick and a black "mushroom cap" flame can occur due to carbon buildup.

How do you know if you're wick is too long? Well, if you notice your flame dancing around like the a wacky inflatable tube man - extinguish your candle, let it cool and then trim the wick down to 1/4" before relighting.

3. A clean, even burn

You love your Pretty by Her candles, right? So then obviously you want to enjoy them for as long as possible, right? Great! 

Trimming your handpoured Pretty by Her soy candle wick to 1/4 inch each time you burn your candle will make sure that your candle has the longest burn time possible. Our Pretty by Her soy candles have a burn time of 50+ hours when burned optimally. Trim that wick to 1/4", light it up and enjoy up to 4 hours of burn time in one burn session. The wax should melt evenly and should be pooled from edge to edge of the candle jar or vessel. 

4. Extended Candle Life

As we mentioned earlier, our Pretty by Her handpoured soy candles have a burn time of 50+ hours when burned optimally and with proper candle care. Ensuring that you start each burn with a freshly trimmed wick of 1/4" in height, you are making sure that your candle has the perfect environment to support that long candle life. By regularly trimming your candle wick, you allow the flame to burn at an optimal height, minimize the risk of soot, smoke or black staining and ensure that the exact right amount of wax is being delivered to the flame during burning. 

 

There you have it: four reasons why you should always trim the wick of your Pretty by Her Candle before lighting it. What do you think? Will you be trimming your candle wicks regularly? What is your tool of choice?

 

 


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