Wooden Wick Candle Care Tips

Our candles use wooden wicks. The gentle crackle and unique flicker of wooden wick candles make for a super cozy ambience, but can be tricky to burn if you're not used to them. All candle orders come with a guide for wooden wick candle best practices, but the information is also below incase you need to access it!

How to Light

To get the best burn from your wooden wick candle, you'll want to light it a bit differently than a traditioal cotton wick. The best technique is to light the corner of the wick, then tilt the entire vessel at an angle - letting the flame draw across the length of the wick. It may take a couple tries on the first lighting. The heat from the flame needs to draw the wax through the wick before it will really start burning nicely.

Keep Your Wick Trimmed Short

For optimal burn, keep your wooden wick trimmed to about 1/8" and clean off any burnt wood from previous use. If your wooden wick candle wont stay lit it is likely because the wick it too long and/or needs to be cleared of chared material. Remember it's not the wood fueling your candles flame, it's the wax! The flame is drawing the wax upwards through the wick, so if it's not trimmed short and clean, the wax can't make it to the flame.

The First Burn is the Most Important

On the first lighting, give your candle enough burning time to develop a melted wax pool that goes all the way to the edge of the container. This can take up to a few hours. Once a burning pattern has been established, it can be hard to change. If you don't allow your candle enough time to form a full melt pool on the first burn, a tunnel can start to form around the wick. Eventually the tunnel will become too deep for fresh oxygen to flow in and your candle will have trouble staying lit for more than short periods of time. Wait to light your candle for the first time until you have time to let the melt pool form.

How to Fix a Candle that is Tunneling

First and best option: Give it a good long burn until all the wax is melted to the edge of the jar. The flame height may vary when you do this, but as long as there is still a burn it should continue to create a melt pool. Patience is key! If your candle won't stay lit during this process, it's because it's "drowning" in a wax pool. Try using a paper towel or napkin to soak up some of the excess wax. Wait for a minute or so, relight your candle, and repeat until your wick has room to breathe!