CANDLE CARE 101: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO YOUR BURNING BASICS

Was it love at first light? Great! Now let's get to know each other a little better. Here is your ultimate guide to properly burning your candles. We will teach you all of the basics as well as things you didn't even think there was to know about candles. Need to troubleshoot? Have an issue burning your candle all the way through? Or finding ways to make your beauty burn longer? Get ready because we are going to break it all down with this guide and give you some bright ideas.

CANDLE 101: Guide to Burning Your Candle Properly

Follow These 3 Golden Rules: Trim, Center, Wait

To maximize your candle’s life and scent throw, follow these simple principles:

1. TRIMMING YOUR WICK

Do you like burning money? Didn't think so. Do yourself a favor and trim your wick 1/8" inch before each burn.

Keeping your wick trimmed to 1/8 inch before lighting is crucial. It prevents excessive smoke, uneven burns, and wasted wax. A wick trimmer works best, but scissors will do the job too.

💡 Pro Tip: We pre-trim your Malibu Apothecary candle wicks before delivery, so your first burn is ready to go. After that, make trimming a habit to keep your candle in top shape.

➡️ Need a wick trimmer? Check ours out here.

It is helpful to do this before you light your candle as you don't want the debris to fall into the wax when it is lit. 

Candle wick too short? Here is our hack on how to save it!

2. CENTER YOUR WICK

Making sure your wick is centered will allow for frictionless fragrance throw. You can do this quickly before each burn by gently guiding the wick back into place towards the center of the candle. 

Before lighting, check that your wick is perfectly centered. This ensures the wax melts evenly, prevents tunneling, and gives you the best fragrance throw.

💡 Why It’s Important: A misaligned wick can cause uneven melting or even overheating, which may crack the container.

3. RELAX AND WAIT UNTIL YOUR CANDLE IS FULLY MELTED

🔥 Attention, Candle Lovers: This is the most important step!

On your first burn, let the wax melt all the way to the edges of the container. This may take 3-4 hours, depending on your candle’s size.

💡 Why It Matters: Wax has a "memory." If you extinguish the flame too soon, the wax will “remember” and tunnel downward, wasting wax and shortening your candle’s lifespan.

➡️ Curious about more candle care tips? 

FOR SAFETY'S SAKE REMINDERS: 

Get lit without getting burned. Here are a few helpful safety reminders to making the most of your burn

DON'T BURN NEXT TO KIDS, PETS, FLAMMABLES OR SOME HUSBANDS

If your partner is like mine, he will want to run experiments near the flame. That is why it is important to not leave an open flame near any children or pets who may be at risk of harming themselves or others. Burn your candles on a non-flammable surface where they are in sight. Never leave a burning candle unattended. It helps to keep it away from a draft so that the flame does not risk carrying and helps to burn more evenly. 

STORING YOUR CANDLE 

Because you purchased a beautiful clean candle made with all-natural waxes, free of dyes and additives, our candles can be a little bit sensitive. Temperature and light can affect the appearance of candles due to the natural wax and fragrance oils. Be sure to store in a cool, dry place away from any direct sunlight. A cupboard is perfect or in a dark room or closet. It is always good to keep the candle in its original box and with the dust cover to protect it from discoloration, fading, and collecting dust. 

KNOW WHEN TO SAY GOODBYE & STOP BEFORE YOU GET BURNED

We know our destination-inspired scents can transport you to a dreamy vacation, but after a few hours, you will need to come back to reality. We recommend to not burn your candle for more than 4-5 hours. You can extinguish your candle simply by blowing it out or using a bell snuffer (yes - if you didn't already know or have them, there are candle accessories out there!) If your candle comes with a lid or topper, you can also use this to extinguish your flame by preventing oxygen to fuel it. 

Wait an additional 2 hours before you begin to burn again as this gives the wax time to cool and will prolong your burn time. 

STOP BURNING WHEN THERE IS LESS THAN 1/4" OF WAX LEFT IN THE GLASS 

When the majority of the wax has been consumed, the flame will heat the container making the bottom of the jar hot. To prevent possible heat damage to your container and surface, stop burning after only 1/4" of your candle is left. When you are finished with your candle, try our guide to repurposing your candle vessel.  If you are having trouble getting out the remainder of your wax, you can also reference our instructions on ways to remove candle wax. 

CANDLE TROUBLESHOOTING TIPS & FAQS

WHY DO MY CANDLES SWEAT?

Don't sweat it. If you find liquid on the top of your candle wax, this just means the fragrance is sweating. This is due to the generous amount of fragrance we load in each of our candles, giving you a little extra love. 

CANDLE WAX DISCOLORATION

If your wax isn't white, no worries. Our naturally derived ingredients in our formula can cause the candle to change colors with exposure to light or temperature change. 

AIR BUBBLES IN THE CANDLE

If you find air bubbles in your candle, this is simply caused by surrounding temperature changes and will not affect your candle's lifespan or diffusion. 

Who knew these little guys were so fragile? 

WHY CANDLES TUNNEL?

If your candle is tunneling, this is due to the "memory ring." Your candle will remember where it left off and if the candle did not liquefy to the edge from the first burn, it will stay that way. If only everyone listened to us as our candles do.

There is a light at the end of the tunneling! An easy way to fix this is to give it a longer burn time your next go-around. Try burning a little longer than usual or enough for the pool to reach the edge.

For more tips and tricks, check out The Best Candle Hacks