A handcrafted soy candle is a small luxury — and like most good things, it rewards a little care. Every candle that leaves our studio is hand-poured in small batches, so we want you to get every single hour of fragrance you paid for. These are the nine tips we share with every customer who asks why their previous candles tunnelled, smoked, or lost their scent halfway through the jar.
1. Get the first burn right — it decides everything
Wax has memory. On the very first burn, let the melt pool reach the edge of the jar before you blow it out — usually 2–3 hours. If you cut the first burn short, the candle "remembers" that smaller circle and will tunnel down the middle for the rest of its life, wasting the wax along the walls.
2. Trim the wick before every burn
Keep the wick at about 5 mm (a quarter inch). A long wick gives you a tall, flickering flame, black smoke, and a burnt smell that fights the fragrance. Scissors work; a nail clipper works in a pinch; a wick trimmer works best.
3. Keep each burn under 4 hours
After about four hours the wick starts to "mushroom" and the melt pool gets too deep, which burns fragrance oil faster than it can scent the room. Two shorter sessions beat one marathon burn — and your candle lasts noticeably longer.
4. Mind the ceiling fan and the AC
A flickering, dancing flame is a flame being pushed around by moving air. It burns unevenly, soots the jar, and throws less fragrance. Place your candle away from the direct line of a fan, AC vent, or open window — especially during monsoon when windows stay open in the evening.
5. Stop when 1 cm of wax remains
Burning a candle to the very bottom overheats the jar and can crack it. When about a centimetre of wax is left, retire the candle — and see tip 9 for what to do with the jar.
6. Store it away from heat and sunlight
Soy wax is natural and softens in Indian summer heat. Direct sunlight also fades both the colour and the fragrance oils. A cupboard or a shaded shelf is all it needs.
7. Keep it covered between burns
Fragrance evaporates — slowly, but it does. A lid or a glass cloche traps the scent so the candle smells as strong on burn twenty as it did on burn one. It's exactly why our Bell Jars and Crystal Jars come housed under high-clarity glass.
8. Want fragrance without a flame? Use wax tablets
Wardrobes, bathrooms, cars, and kids' rooms are no-flame zones. That's what wax tablets are for — the same premium fragrance blends, zero fire. They're also the easiest way to fight musty-cupboard smell in humid weather. (They make an easy gift too — see the gift pack.)
9. Reuse the jar
Pop the jar in the freezer for a few hours and the leftover wax disc will shrink and lift out cleanly. Wash with warm soapy water and you have a planter for succulents, a brush holder, or a jar for your next batch of spices.
Quick answers
Why is my candle tunneling? Almost always a short first burn (see tip 1). You can sometimes rescue it by wrapping foil around the rim for one long burn so the walls melt back down.
How long should a soy candle last? Our small candles burn 6–12 hours; large sizes run 25–30 hours. Following tips 2 and 3 is the difference between the low and high end of that range.
Is soy wax better than paraffin? Soy burns slower and cleaner, with less soot — which is why we use a premium soy blend in every candle we pour.
Ready to put these to work? Browse our Signature Candles or see what other customers love in Bestsellers — and use code WELCOME10 for 10% off your first order.