This topic was suggested to me - the worst advice about beeswax candles that I’ve read on other websites hmm. There has probably been lots of advice about how to burn beeswax candles I’ve come across that I don’t agree with but I can think of two particular things I’ve read.
Keep the wick on your beeswax candles trimmed to ¼ inch
Keeping the wick trimmed to a ¼ inch on a beeswax pillar is just about right. That is what we recommend. But if you trim the wick to ¼ inch on a candlestick (like a taper) it cannot burn hot enough. There isn’t enough wick burning to create enough heat to burn up the beeswax as it’s melting. So the nice little pool on top of the candlestick spills over and you get a drip. It’s not the candlesticks fault. It’s that the wick is trimmed too short. Wicks on beeswax candlesticks should be a ½ inch.
If you want scent in your beeswax candle just pour a few drops of essential oil into the melt pool
You have a beautiful beeswax pillar that you have been burning for a couple hours and there is a nice wax pool. You heard that you can pour in a few drops of essential oils and you think that would smell so nice blended with the natural honey scent of beeswax. You reach for your bottle of essential oil. STOP!
What a bad idea! Essential oils can be volatile. You don’t always know which ones are and which ones aren’t. If you put too much essential oil in it may be fine for a while but as the essential oil heats up as the candle burns, the oil can catch on fire. So you have a flame where there is no wick. Your burning candle is now out of control.
We have taken months to research burning essential oil blends in our beeswax candles to get them just right. They are delicately infused. There is a reason for this. There can be too much of a good thing. We want you to be able to burn your natural scented beeswax candle safely. With your lungs in mind, we choose to NOT put ‘throw’ into the mix because it is toxic.
So our advice would be:
- Trim the wick (or don’t trim it) to suit the type of candle you are burning. All beeswax candles are not to be treated the same and each needs different maintenance. See our page on Candle Care.
- Don’t randomly pour essential oils into your beeswax wax pool. If you love scented candles we recommend that you burn Honey Candles® Essentials. They are available as beeswax Votives or in attractive tins in six scents made of 100% pure essential oil blends.
Beeswax Honey Candles are hand made in Canada. Here’s our on-line store.
