Make your candle last with these quick and easy tips!
We know that when your LITOTES candle is delivered, or you pick up your favorite fragrance from a local bookstore, a flock of furious flamingos couldn't stop you from lighting it as soon as possible. Good for you for not waiting for the "perfect moment." Your luxury candle is meant to be enjoyed each and every day! This is one of those few circumstances where impatience pays off because your candle is always at its most fragrant as soon as you buy it. That's right. It, unfortunately, won't last forever, and with time and atmospherical changes, your candle is likely not to be the same one you met and fell for a year from now.
Here are a few easy proven tips to make your candle last down to the final burn.
HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR LUXURY CANDLE TODAY
The First Burn
Before lighting that match, be sure to trim your wick down to 1/4". Then, light your candle on a level surface and let it burn for at least an hour or more the first time. This extended burning time will help you avoid "tunneling," the name for when wax doesn't spread evenly, and you're left with a tunnel around the wick. So burn, baby, burn! (But extinguish that inferno if you're reaching past four hours of burn time. Try never to burn your candle for more than four hours at a time.)
The Second Burn and Beyond
From here on out, be sure to trim your wick down to 1/4" before each burn. Cutting that cotton helps avoid an out-of-control flame which can lead to (gasp!) black smoke. Ew. Black smoke makes for soot-rimmed vessels, and who knows what it's doing to your lungs. So, trim that wick!
TIP: Never allow wick debris, or anything else, to float in your candle. Invest in a wick trimmer. This inexpensive, essential tool will help you keep a beautiful bougie for years to come. While you're at it, pick up a snuffer. Blowing out your candle can cause the wax to spray — possibly in your eye. Not cool.
HOW TO PROPERLY STORE YOUR CANDLE
I recommend buying a glass cloche from HomeGoods or a resale shop. This domed decoration helps preserve a candle's fragrance and avoid dust from forming across the top (p.s. dust also burns black, so be sure to keep your candle dust-free.)
HOW LONG DO CANDLES LAST?
Paraffin candles can last almost forever. However, I make LITOTES candles with refined, natural soy wax. This creates a smooth candle and a room-filling aroma that's less likely to burn black with proper wick care. Enjoying a luxury soy candle also means you have about a year to burn a LITOTES fragrance. After that time, the soy will be compromised, and your candle may appear discolored.
How to Remove Wax from Your Candle Jar
Here's one final tip:
- While there's still half an inch of wax in your candle, consider popping it in the freezer for ten to thirty minutes.
- Remove the vessel and gently tap it on a table upside down.
- Be careful not to break the glass!
Usually, for me, the wax pops right out of the vessel, and I'm left with a beautiful container for pens, makeup brushes, and flowers.
TL;DR:
- Cut your wick down to a quarter of an inch before burning your candle. Do this each time from the first burn to the last.
- The first time you burn, make sure the wax has enough time to cover the surface completely. This method avoids tunneling.
- Never burn your candle for more than four hours at a time. A good rule of thumb is never to allow your flame to flicker. If the fire is dancing, put it out and let the wax cool. Then, cut your wick down to .25" and begin again.
- Consider investing in a wick trimmer.
- Before burning the final half-inch of wax, put your vessel in the freezer. Freezing causes the remaining wax to shrink. Then, pop out the wax, and you're got a beautiful jar for whatever you can imagine.