Tips for Optimal Candle Burning
Keep Your Flame
There's nothing quite like the art of tending to your flame. In the spirit of looking after our surroundings with care, we've compiled a list of tips to help you get the most out of your candles, all in the hopes of ensuring the best possible experience.
1. Steer clear of paraffin wax
Here at Nusa Prana, our candles are made with vegan soy and coconut wax to ensure a clean, non-polluting burn. Many other candles on the market are made of paraffin wax, also known as petroleum wax. Paraffin is a common indoor air contaminant, and it reduces the quality of air in your home. To promote optimal indoor air quality, it's best to avoid lighting candles with paraffin wax.
2. Melt the top layer on the first burn
The first burn of a candle is its most important. A good rule of thumb to follow is that when first lighting a candle, the entire top layer should be melted. This is to avoid tunnelling, or a memory ring. If the candle has a memory ring, it will continue to tunnel down when burning, rather than melt the wax across the entire diameter. Having a good first burn will help the candle burn efficiently, and therefore last longer.
3. Keep your awareness
It's always good to light the candle for the recommended time – for our 8oz. candles, we recommend a burning time of two hours. Never leave a burning candle unattended, or in a place it could be easily knocked over by a nimble pet or child! The candle should also burn in a place away from moving air to avoid disturbing the flame.
4. Trim the wick regularly
Before lighting the candle, the wick length should ideally measure about 1/4 inches, or around 0.65 cm. This helps to keep the size of the flame controlled and manageable. Before lighting the wick, be sure to clear away the wick trimmings or any other debris from the candle's surface so that it doesn't accidentally catch fire.
5. Extinguish safely
Gently blow on a lit candle to extinguish it, instead of putting it out by placing the lid on top of the flame – putting out the candle this way could potentially burn the lid, as well as cause soot to accumulate on the sides of the vessel. To give the fragrance a longer shelf life, it's best to store the candle in a cool, dark place with the lid secured.
Some Final Notes
We hope these techniques help you create a better candle burning experience. To check out Nusa Prana's vegan scented soy candle collection, click here. Happy candle burning!