Knowing how to take care of your beeswax candles is important, and it is not as difficult as you may think it will be. We can all agree that burning beeswax candles is more of an art rather than science. Different people burn their candles in different manners as well as the environment. There are a couple of tips and tricks that you can do to make your beeswax candle experience relaxing and better.
1. Taking Care of Unburned Beeswax Candles
If you have extra beeswax candles in your home, you may notice that they can develop a light matte film as time passes by. Most of the time, it is apparent on darker candles rather than light ones. There is no need to worry, though, since this is a natural phenomenon that is referred to as bloom.
Bloom usually happens to candles when they are exposed to cool temperatures. Some people may like the look of it while some won’t. If you would like to remove the blooming on your candles, all you need to do is bluff the candle with a cloth or use a hairdryer to heat the wax gently.
Once you have done this, the original shine and color will return. When you are using heat on your candles, you need to be very careful that you will not melt your candle. The best thing to use tool to use in these situations is a heat gun. You check this article for the best heat gun to use for candles.
2. Different Types of Beeswax Candles are Meant to Burn Differently
There are six different types of beeswax candles that a candle maker can make, and there are different ways on how to burn them safely. These types of candles are pillar, votive, tea lights, taper, honeycomb taper, and travel tin burning tips.
Pillar beeswax candles are meant to stand on their own, but they may drip a bit. For the most part, they shouldn’t. On the other hand, tapers are designed to burn in a taper holder that holds the candle upright while it is burning. Tapers can or cannot drip as they burn.
Votives are tricky since they are sold without a container. However, they are designed to behave more like a container candle. These types of candles would be burned in a container that is slightly larger than the candle itself. While it burns, it will melt into the container of your choosing.
With votives, you need to make sure that it is placed in a container since it can result in a puddle of hot wax and will burn pretty quick. You don’t want that to happen as you want to get the most time out of the beeswax candles that you have made.
Now, tealights can be purchased with or without a tealight cup. Just like votives, they are designed to melt into a particular container fully. If you happen to purchase a tealight without a container, make sure that you purchase one, as these candles cannot burn without a tealight cup.
3. Pillar Beeswax Burning Tips: Know What to Do
Pillar beeswax candles can be burned free standing on a leveled and solid heat-resistant surface, but it is still best to use a pillar plate or pillar holder whenever you are burning them. You can never be too careful as they can accidentally spill wax, or problems may occur due to the heat of the candle.
When you are burning pillars, they roughly burn one to one and a half hours per inch in diameter. For example, a three inches pillar should be good for at least three to four and a half hours per session. When you burn a beeswax candle for an extended time, make sure the wick burns the candle evenly out to the edge.
Don’t forget to hug your candles! Occasionally, it is best to gently press the edges of the candle towards the center of the candle. Doing this will make sure that the beeswax burns properly. Make sure that you perform this carefully as your candle is burning if you feel more comfortable, best to do this right after extinguishing it.
Pillar beeswax candles are not ideal for hurricane glass or other tall walled containers. You need to remember that beeswax has a high melting point, and it burns at a hotter temperature than other types of waxes. When you use a hurricane container, it can create a convection effect by disturbing the airflow around the candle.
When this happens, it can cause smoking wicks that burn too fast. Using a hurricane container can also retain extra heat inside the glass, which can cause dripping, and the pillar walls will eventually collapse.
Another problem that you may face while burning your beeswax candles is tunneling. It can be both desirable and undesirable, depending on your preference. Some candles are made to burn as efficiently as possible without the possibility of tunneling.
The best way to fix this problem is by hugging your beeswax candle, just like I mentioned above. If you have a tunneled candle, it can provide a beautiful glow where the flame glows through the thin outer of the wall while the candle is burning.
Another important thing that you need to remember when it comes to beeswax candles is to trim the wick during or right after burning your candle. The wick itself becomes potentially fragile when it is time to be cooled since the amount of beeswax still remains in the wick.
Trimming cold wick can break off the wick, which will make relighting it difficult. Be sure to trim your wick to 1/4 inches. The best way to relight a beeswax pillar is to hold the flame to the base of the wick for about five to ten seconds, and using a lighter will work best.
Doing this will make sure that the hardened beeswax in the wick is melted, and it will pull newly melted beeswax from the candle, and it will burn properly.
4. Tips for Burning Votive Candles
When it comes to votive candles, they should be burned in a properly sized votive holder. Votive candles are not able to contain their own wax pool whenever it is burning; the sides of the votive holder are there to contain the wax as it burns.
Make sure that your votive holder is close fitting to the votive as much as possible. Nowadays, standard votive holders work fine with a diameter of roughly about 1 7/8 inches to two inches. When you have a votive holder that is too large, this is where the total gap is larger than half an inch; the votive will not be contained properly while it is burning.
It will also result in the votive sides leaking and spilling down the bottom of your votive holder. Make sure that you place the votive holder on a leveled and heat-resistant surface for this reason.
When burning beeswax votive candles, you should keep it to an hour or more per session or long enough so that the wax melts out to the side of the votive holder. Ideally, the votive candle will burn best when it is left to burn entirely during one session, but oftentimes it is not feasible.
When the votive candles have less than half inches remaining, make sure to let them burn out completely since you will not be able to relight them if you extinguish them.
Just like the pillar candles, it is crucial that you trim the wick during or immediately after burning your beeswax votive candle. The wick will become potentially fragile when cooled due to the amount of beeswax it still has in the wick. When you trim a cold wick, it may break the wick off, which will make relighting it difficult.
For an easy and smoke-free way to extinguish this type of candle, all you need to do is gently push the wick into the wax pool until the candle is extinguished and then pull the wick straight. Ensure to avoid handling the wick after it is cooled as it may break.
Remember, do not blow your candles! When you do, it will cause smoldering wicks where the wick continues to burn slightly and will ruin the wick of the candle.
When the wick of your beeswax votive candle has gotten too short, try to expose the fresh wick by meting the wax that surrounds the wick and pouring the wax off. You can also warm the wax and gently dig the wax out from around the wick.
Once the fresh wick is exposed, make sure to burn the candle for about an hour or more so that the candle can be back in balance.
5. Beeswax Tea Light Burning Tips
Just like the votive candles, it is recommended to place the beeswax tea light candles inside a tea light holder. This is regardless of whether the tea light cups are in a holder or not, they should be burned on a level, and heat-resistant surface since the cups can become hot when burned.
Tea lights should also be burned for an hour or more per session, which is long enough, so the wax melts to the side of the tea light cup. Beeswax tea light candle will burn best during one session, which will help achieve its maximum burn time.
When the tea light candle has used up more than half of its wax, let it burn out completely since you will not be able to relight it once you extinguish it.
6. Beeswax Taper Candle Burning Tips
When using beeswax taper candles, you need always to make sure it is securely placed in a taper holder whenever you are burning them. If you want a dripless taper, you should burn them in a draft-free environment.
Before you light the candle for the first time, you need to trim the wick to 1/4 inches. Before relighting the candle, you may also trim the very tips of the wick to remove any particles that are gathered on the wick. While the candle burns, the wick usually trims itself.
Now, when you trim the wick too short, it can cause the candle to drip, and it will burn as well as melt on the delicate sidewall, which will contain the wax pool. It is also not recommended to use metal followers when it comes to beeswax taper candles. The reason for this is beeswax burns hotter than other types of waxes, and the metal follower is going to get warm. It will cause the walls to melt in a wax pool and will cause it to drip.
To safely extinguish the beeswax taper candle, you should use a candle snuffer for a flame mess-free process. It will ensure that the burning wick will not touch the sides of the candle, which can weaken the sidewall and will cause it to drip later.
Avoid handling the wick after it is cooled, as it may break eventually. Again, make sure not to blow your candles out as it can cause smoldering wicks, which I have mentioned above. Also, tapers should always be placed perfectly vertical in their taper holder. When they lean to the side, the wax will drip.
7. Travel Tin Beeswax Candles Burning Tips
Most travel tin beeswax candles can be used by the burning tips I have mentioned above in the pillar, votives, and pillar candles. The wick should also be trimmed to 1/4 inches, and with six ounces tins, it will need a minimum burn time of three hours per session.
When you have two ounces of travel tin beeswax candle, it needs about a minimum burn time of an hour per session. It is also recommended to use a pillar plate or candle plate when you are burning a travel tin candle, as the tin will become too hot over time while it’s burning.
Now, the tin will have some remaining unused beeswax once the wick has fully burned. Rest assured that this is normal for travel tin beeswax candles.
8. Reason Why the Wick Won’t Stay Lit: Know the Reasons
When your beeswax candle doesn’t stay lit, there are two main causes. First, it can be that the flame you are using to light the wick is not large enough. Since the wick for beeswax candles is thicker than other types of candles, a large flame is needed to melt the wax in as well as directly around the best of the wick so that the wax flow is started.
Another possible problem is that it could be the wick has gotten too short. The best solution is to expose fresh wick by melting the wax around the wick and pouring it off during these situations. You can also warm the wick and gently dig the wax out from around the wick.
When you have a fresh wick exposed, make sure that you burn the candle for an hour per inch diameter to get it back in balance.
9. Taking Care of Three Wick Beeswax Candles
As I have mentioned above, the wick should be trimmed 1/4 inches or less to prevent any soot from happening. You should also make sure that the candle is kept clean and doesn’t gather any dirt or excess dust. When the candle is dirty or dusty, all you need to do is carefully clean the top of the candle with a paper towel or a lint-free cloth.
Always burn all three wicks simultaneously, and make sure your candle burns cleanly across the top. Burn all three wicks until all three beeswax pools join to form a larger wax pool. This usually happens from six to nine hours of burn time. Repeat this entire process each time you lit your beeswax candles.
Using a metal tool to straighten curled or tilted wicks to the opposite direction to correct uneven burning is recommended. Extinguish the beeswax candle by pushing wicks into the melted wax pool with a metal tool that will prevent afterglow and smoke.
10. Other Beeswax Candle Burning Tips that You Should Know
Whenever you are using your beeswax candle, it is best to use a candle holder at all times and make sure that it is placed on a heat-resistant surface. Keep the candles out of reach of children and away from anything flammable, especially when there is a draft on the location you have placed the candle.
Make sure not to move a burning candle since it is not only the hot wax dangerous; movement speeds up the burning process. When lit with tea light candles, it is best to let the tea light burn to the end. When you extinguish one, push the wick into the melted wax and use a metal skewer or a wick dipper.
Once you have extinguished your beeswax candle, straighten it again, and get it ready for the next time you will use the candles. Now, the beeswax candles will burn down with little or no residue. It would be best if you also remembered to remove the wick base before adding another candle.
The beeswax residue can be frozen for easy removal, and all you need to do is tap the candle gently on a hard surface to loosen the wax. You can also add a few drops of water to the holder before adding a new candle to stop it from sticking and making the leftover wax easy to clean.
Conclusion
Knowing the proper way to burn your beeswax candle is important so that you can get the most out of them. The tips I have provided above are well tested by myself when I’m using beeswax candles in my home. You can enjoy your beeswax candles up to the last drop of wax when you follow these steps. If you want to know more about beeswax candles, here’s a great article for you.
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