top of page
CANDLE CARE
How to get the perfect burn and get the most from your Wild Wicks Candles...
please take the time to read...
OK... this is the part that most people think... mmm.. yet another bit of info I can just skip over... but, it is probably the most important bit of info that you need to read to achieve the most perfect and safest burn from your
Wild Wicks Candles...
so, I will try and make it as painless as possible... hopefully not too boring...
and, give you the most important information I can...
​
Grab a cuppa... here we go...
​
First of all, choose a position to burn your candle... away from the reach of little inquisitive fingers... yes, the 'kidlings'... as much as you tell them not to touch... guaranteed, they will try... so, the easiest solution is take away that temptation and place your Wild Wicks candles completely out of reach...
better than getting rid of the kids... mmm.. did I say that out loud?
Same rule apples to all the 'Fuzzies' that are your family members... my cat has a huge fluffy tail... not the perfect match for a naked flame... as they say, 'curiosity killed the cat'... so this goes without saying... keep your candles away from all swinging tails... oh yer... and any drafts...
​
Make sure you burn your Wild Wicks Candles on an even heat proof surface...
​
Before light your Wild Wicks Candles, make sure your wick is trimmed to 5mm... any longer, it runs the risk of 'sooting'. You need to do this each and every time before you light your candle... a wick trimmer is your best friend!
I have tried every wax known to man... well, nearly... and no matter what wax I have tried, sooting always happens if the wick is too long... so, trim, trim trim!!!
​
OK... your wick is nicely trimmed... your candle is in the perfect position... the kettle has boiled... or the wine has been poured... Netflix is tuned in... now, time to light up...
​
Believe it or not, candles have a memory... for instance... if you initially light your candle and burn it for one hour, the melted wax pool may not reach the edge of your candle... when you light your candle the next time, the pool will never go past the point of the initial burn... what happens then is all types of ugly!!
The wick will start to tunnel down and as it warms the sides of your newly formed 'tunnel', more wax will be melted than the wick can handle and your flame will become small and may flood itself out... there will be heaps of wax left on the sides... it will never burn nicely...
​
Now... how to do it perfectly...
​
(I have trained my 'boys' well to do this... they are the expert trimmers and burners!!!)
Quite simply, light you yummy Wild Wicks Candle... yes, they are yummy to smell... (not to eat)
Carefully watch you wax pool and make sure it melt right to the edge of the glass.
There should be a melted pool of wax with no solid bit sitting around the edges.
If for any reason you need to rush out before the wax pool has reached the edge, using a wick dipper or metal skewer, extinguish your candle by gently pushing the wick under the wax, simply scrape the unmelted portions of wax away from the edge (use a wick dippper for this or an old spoon) and push them under the molten wax, give it a quick stir, center your wick carefully...
​
Never, never, never allow your candle to burn more than 3 - 4 hours at a time.
If you wish to use it again that day, allow it to cool for 2 hours, trim your wick, clean the sides with a tissue or paper towel (this step makes your candle look amazing all the time) and relight...
If your candles are burning longer than 3 - 4 hours at a time, your candle wick becomes too long and may cause your candle to start 'sooting'.... ugly...
​
I tend to have a couple of candles going at any one time... I just keep swapping the candles so there is always something burning...
​
The best way to extinguish your flame is to use a Wick Dipper (a metal tool with a little hook at one end... very handy for scraping the sides down if needed)
Very gently, push the flame under the molten wax, pull it up and carefully center it again...
By doing this, there is no smoke and your wick will be nicely 'primed' and centered for the next use...
If you find your candle wick is not centered when you are burning it, use this Wick Dipper to push it to the center to allow your candle to burn evenly...
​
When the wax has solidified, you can use a tissue or paper towed and wipe away any wax residue off the sides... it comes of very clean, trim your wick to 5mm and it will ready for burning!
The extra few minutes used to clean the edges make all the difference... your Wild Wicks Candles will be like new... just with a bit less wax...
​
In warmer weather, if you don't constantly store your Wild Wicks Candles in a cool dry place, it may appear 'sweat'...
Exposing your candles to extreme temperatures or moving it from one temperature to another causes the natural oils to separate from the wax leaving little droplets of oil on the surface of your candle.
This is quite common for 100% soy candles... which is what I use... no additives.
Simply get a tissue and wipe this away... It doesn't effect the burn of your candle.
​
So, if you haven't nodded off yet, thank you for taking the time to read all the info...
it is well worth it!
Enjoy! x
​
​
​
Please take the time to read this important bit of info... trust me, you will thank me later when you are getting the most from your Wildshot & Wildpod Melts...
​
OK, so a bit of safety info first..
​
NEVER leave your Oil Burner unattended!
​
Always use 3-4 hour tealights... not 9 hour tealights incase you forget it is on... but hopefully you won't...
at least it will put itself out after a couple of hours..
​
Like candles, all Oil Burners should be placed on a heat proof even surface away from any breeze and out of reach
of all the 'furbabies' and kids...
​
Choose a burner with a wide deep dish and not too close to the tealight flame.
​
Place enough wax in your bowl so when it is melted it needs to be at least 1.5cms deep... the deeper the better...
If it is too shallow, your wax may overheat... not a good thing!
​
If all you have is a burner with a small bowl, only burn it till it is fully melted, extinguish the candle and the wax will still give off fragrance while it is warm... this is a great way to make your melts last longer. Once it has cooled a bit, you can relight it again till melted.
​
All the Wild Wicks Wildshot and Wildpods are heavily scented. If you see some white steam coming from your melt pool, this your fragrance dispersing in the air... this means your tealight is too hot and your fragrance will fade quicker because it is burning hotter. The hotter the wax, the more fragrance you get but, the fragrance will not last as long.
To prevent this happening, if you do see white steam, extinguish the tealight and let it cool for a bit... try trimming the tealight wick a bit shorter so the flame becomes smaller, therefore less hotter and your fragrance will last longer.
​
Fragrance will continue to be dispersed even while the tealight is not lit and the wax is still warm.
​
Every burner will react differently... choose one that is not too enclosed so it won't run the risk of overheating the wax.
​
So, now that you have burnt your Melts and want to get them out of the burner...
Depending on the shape of the bowl and the type of burner you have, there are a couple of ways you can do it.. I use different burners around the house and they all play a little different, so, experiment with what works best for you.
​
If your wax has cooled completely and is solid, light your tealight for a minute or so and twist the melt inside the bowl or use a rubber spatula to gently pry the wax out from the edge, it should pop out cleanly..
use a paper towel to wipe away any residue.
This technique doesn't work so well with burners with a very wide bowl.... it tends not to get to the outer edges and they tend to remain stuck... great though for round small to mid size bowls...
​
If you do have the 'wide bowl' issue, just pop your bowl in the freezer for 20-30 minutes, then, using a silicon spatula so not the damage the bowl of your burner, gently use it to pry the wax out.. it should just pop out... this is excellent for melts that have mica powders in to colour, like the New Wildpods do... they sometimes stick to the bottom when using the 'heated tealight' method. With the freezer method, the melts come out very clean.
If you do put your bowl in the freezer make sure you bring it back to room temperature before you use it again as you can risk cracking the bowl when you light the candle.
​
If you have used your melt until it no longer smells and simply want to get rid of it, while it is still warm, pop in a couple of cotton wool balls straight into the wax, they will absorb the wax and simply throw them out. Use a paper towel to clean any remaining residue from the bowl.
​
If you have a bowl separate from the base of the burner, once it has cooled slightly, you can simply pour it back into the original container... don't do this over the sink though incase you accidentally spill it... either put down some paper towels or a bit of baking paper (to protect your counter top) and do it on top of this or I have been known to do it over the bin... only do this once the wax has cooled slightly... then, use a paper towel to remove any remaining wax residue...
you could also wait till it solidifies but still warm and scoop it out with a spoon... this way can get a little messy but its quite easy... the only issue with this way is you walk away why it is cooling and forget it, it can set too hard..
​
Never just use a metal knife to cut into your solidified melts to get them out the bowl as this may damage the surface... it is tempting, but, trust me, you will be crying if you damage your favourite burner...
​
Hope this has given you some handy hints to make your Wildshot and Wildpod Melts last longer and smell fantastic!
Get adventurous and experiment with your own fragrance blends...
​
​
Enjoy!
​
​
WILD WICKS WILDSHOT & WILDPOD MELTS
WILD WICKS
CANDLES & GIFTS
bottom of page