How to burn a candle well: first burn, wick and the 4-hour rule

A good candle can still burn badly. These are the habits we tell every customer, and the ones we follow at the studio.

The first burn decides the rest

Wax remembers how far it melted the first time. If you blow a new candle out after twenty minutes, only a small circle in the middle has melted, and every burn after that will melt the same circle and sink into a tunnel, leaving good wax stuck to the glass.

So the first time, let it burn until the melted pool reaches the edge: about an hour for every 2.5 cm of jar width. Our classic amber jar needs about 3 hours.

Keep the wick short

Before every burn, trim the wick to about 5 mm. A long wick makes a tall, flickering flame, a black mushroom on the tip and soot on the glass. Nail scissors work; a wick trimmer is easier.

Four hours, then rest

Up to 4 hours at a time is right. Longer than that, the wax overheats, the wick mushrooms and the jar gets hotter than it should. Let it cool, trim, and light again.

Where to put it

• On a flat, heat-proof surface
• 30 cm from curtains, books and dupattas
• Away from fans, AC vents and open windows, which make the flame smoke and the wax burn unevenly
• Out of reach of children and pets

When to stop

Stop when about 1 cm of wax is left at the bottom of a jar. The glass gets too hot below that. Freeze the jar for an hour, pop the wax out, wash it with warm soapy water, and it is a pen pot or a planter.

Frosting, sweating and other soy things

White bloom on the wax is frosting, natural to soy. A few oil drops on top after a hot day is sweating; wipe them off. Neither changes how the candle burns or smells.