5 Tips To Make Your Scented Candles Last Longer
Posted on: 22/2/2017
So you recently purchased a candle in one of your all time favourite scents (most recently for me this was lime, basil and mandarin - we all deserve to treat ourselves once in a while.)
It was going so great, wasn't it?
Every evening you would relight the charred wick in anticipation of the distant aroma of fruity, spiced, and floral relaxation that would soon waft it's way around your room and bless your nasal passage, in turn soothing your weary mind.
A night of blissful rejuvenation ensues....
But then....after so many nights of bliss comes the abrupt realisation that all good things must come to an end.
After lighting your candle you sit down to relax. Just as the scent becomes noticeable and you start to feel at ease, the unthinkable happens. Your gorgeous candle has reached its bitter end. The wax is completely melted and the wick, now almost non-existent, dries up, crumbling into nothingness, never to bear a flame again.
All that is left is a sorry looking glass tumbler or jar - purposeless. As purposeless as even the idea of you continuing your relaxing night, like nothing ever happened. - Boo Hoo!!
But It Doesn't Have To Be Like This
With the right care and preparations for your candle you can actually enjoy them for longer than you think. Let us help you.
Here Are Our 5 Tips To Make Your Scented Candles last Longer
1. Trim Your Wick
- I can not emphasise how important and in a lot of cases, how overlooked this actually is! For optimum balance between longevity and ambience we recommend using wick-snips to trim the wick down to 4-5 millimetres after every burn. The longer the wick, the higher the intensity of the heat and the quicker the wax will melt. When snipped correctly this will have very little effect on the scent intensity of a candle, in-fact being able to enjoy the scent for longer is much more beneficial.
2. Control Your Burn time
- We are all guilty of lighting a candle, then getting so used to the aroma that you forget it is even burning. 8 hours later, maybe even after moving to a different room in the house altogether, you candle is becoming a shadow of its former self, at no benefit to you.
On the opposite end of the scale you should always make sure to burn a candle for long enough for the wax pool to reach the edge of the container to prevent tunnelling. Tunnelling happens when you relight a candle that hasn't burned right to the edge previously. This can eventually cause the wax to collapse and drown the wick, rendering your candle a tub of useless wax.
3. Perfect Placement
- Never burn your candle in a draught! All that will happen is the candle will burn lop-sided and in some cases burn excessively! It is also good practise not to burn candles near windows that are not well sealed because of this reason.
4. Store In The Freezer
- This is so simple but it is a great little hack. When not in use keep your candle in the freezer, this will give the wax an extra hardiness so it doesn't melt as quickly. This is better for unscented candles because if the wax doesn't melt as much on a scented candle the scent will be less noticeable. None the less it is always worth bearing in mind in times of desperation.
5. Natural Wax (No Paraffin Additives)
- Natural Wax (Such as soy wax - Like our Hard to Resist candles) lasts much longer than other waxes and they do not emit toxic smoke like some alternatives.
Non-soy candles are often fused with additives such as paraffin to help them burn more evenly. This not only increases the burn rate but is also harmful to the environment, people with asthma often struggle in atmospheres fumigated with chemical wax mixes because they emit higher carbon levels. Just make sure to always check the label and packaging so you know what you are breathing before you buy.
Although soy candles can be more expensive up front, the longer burn time actually makes them the most economical in terms of cost per hour.
That's the end of our top tips for now! If you have any tips to share we would love to hear them.
Leave a comment below to give us your personal tips or ask us a question. We would love to hear your thoughts on this very important matter.
