12 Jul Be Aware of Buying Candles On the Side of the Road!

One of my BFF’s, who has a heart of gold, called to ask me about a candle’s flame that was burning quite high. She followed up with a snapshot and video of the candle so that I could assess the height of the flame. I was horrified after seeing the video and instructed her to immediately extinguish and discard the candle unless, consequently, she wished to burn down her house. Knowing my friend as I do, I get that she wanted to be supportive of another small business and so she purchased a few candles that some ladies were selling on the side of the road.

Although many new candle makers are springing up, work – and a little bit of research – is required before hanging out a “For-Sale” sign to ensure that you, the consumer, are protected and, more importantly, to safeguard you from fire hazards as a result of a poorly- made candle. Trust me, I am not a “hater” when it comes to anyone of us attempting to earn income. In fact, we can pop open a bottle and I will celebrate with you once you’ve achieved your set goal. I am a firm believer that there is enough space, market and resources out here for any one of us to carve out our own niche and try our hand at becoming a successful entrepreneur. Nor do I claim to be an expert. But I can tell you this—that before making the decision to sell my candles I spent many months testing my wicks (and wax). After my BFF’s roadside candle-purchase experience, I thought what better way to shed a little knowledge on a few of the things that you should be aware of when burning your candle.

It really comes down to one key element. The candle wick. One of the most important aspects of a candle is a properly- wicked one. A properly-wicked candle will burn clean and provides a reliable burn time and fragrance throw. Its flame is typically no more than one- half inch high, the flame does not flicker and the wax pool that forms close to the wick will extend to the outer edge of your container. The very first time that you light a properly- wicked candle, you should avoid extinguishing your candle until the wax pool reaches the outer edge of the candle after at least an hour’s burn. Doing this will ensure a good, clean burn from then afterwards.

When a candle is under-wicked, this means the wick is too small and you will notice the candle wax does not burn out to the edge of the container but instead will burn down the middle of the wax causing the wax to tunnel. The wick may even extinguish itself before all the wax is burned.

When a candle is over-wicked, which was the case with the candle my BFF purchased on the side of the road, this means the candle’s wick is too large for the candle. You can easily determine this by the flame being too tall and it (the flame) continually flickers. An over- wicked candle produces excess carbon and you may see some of its carbon balls fall into the wax. The container becomes extremely hot and damages the surface of the container causing it to crack.

If your candle has a cotton wick, trim your wick to 1/8” before each lighting. If your candle contains a wood wick, use your thumb and forefinger to gently pinch off the charred ashes before each burn. Be sure to purchase your candles from a reliable brand like Sirrah Candle Company. If there is ever a question about your candle, reach out to us at contact@sirrahcandleco.com.

Happy burning!