Care Instruction
Before we put a short list of most common “Do’s & Don’ts” of candle care instructions let us mention one important assumption. We make only raw beeswax candles. As beekeepers this is the only wax we know and believe in as fully sustainable and made by nature (aka bees). And by “raw” we mean extracted from hives, 100% natural and of great benefits for your health, wellbeing and environment. Please bear in mind, majority of “beeswax” on the market is a factory blend of cheap waxes, chemicals and only 10-20% of raw beeswax. We do not use that beeswax. And our “how to burn candles evenly” is only for raw beeswax candles we make.
Do & Don'ts
of our Beeswax Candles
01
Before you light a candle
for the first time
Right, you got our candle. You like. Great. We did as much as possible to make the first impression right. Now it’s time to sit down, relax and light the candle.
– We already trimmed the wick for you so it’s short and prewaxed for the ease of lighting it up.
– Tilt the candle to one side and put the flame to the wick. Keep it there longer than usual. Make sure that flame catches not only wick but also beeswax itself. Beeswax has very high melting point (min 63C v 30-45C for paraffin or soy). It requires much stronger wick that in turn will need more time to fire up and keep going.
03
General tips for candle care
– First burn – let the candle create full side-to-side pool of beeswax. Subsequent sessions may be shorter but bear in mind size of candle impacts the recommended burn time for each burning session. If you are frequent candle user and prefer short sessions, smaller candles will be more suitable to your personal style. Conversely, if your preference is for longer burning time and less frequent use then go for larger candles.
- Reuse the containers – if you fancy another candle, buy a refill. We sell them in our shop. Or plant a flower in it. Or use as a pencil holder.
02
First burning
It’s the most important part of getting right. If you burn a candle too long, you will produce soot and reduce its life. Too short and you will tunnel the candle. So how to burn candle evenly?
– Put a candle in quiet place. By quiet we mean no drafts, no air vents, no air con, no chimney/fireplace nearby, no windows opened etc. Just keep it somewhere where traffic is light. Each movement of air will distort the flame and will produce soot.
– Make sure flame is well established (both wick and beeswax are burning/melting well) before you put off your match/lighter.
– Let a candle burn until you see a pool of wax from across whole candle – from one side of candle to the other side of a candle. Don’t light a candle if you are in hurry. Getting to the point where beeswax reached the edge of container may take 3-4 hours (depends on size of candle).
– Maintain the wick – keep the wick trimmed at 4-5mm. The longer the wick, the higher chances of soot and decreased performance of a candle.
That way you will burn candle evenly later on.
04
Helth & Safety
- Never leave candle unattended. Pay special attention where children or animals live with you.
- Candles should not be placed directly on furniture. High temperature may discolour the surface. Any beeswax spillage may mark your furniture. Please use any tray that is heat resistant.
– Trim the wick to 4-5mm to prevent strong flame and making soot. Whenever flame is too strong or keeps flickering, it’s probably good time to make the cut.
Blooming & Smoke & The rest
Blooming
Raw beeswax candles will bloom. Blooming is natural process where low melting point oils in beeswax start getting to the surface of a candle. It will result in covering a candle with whiteish tiny crystals. This is absolutely expected process and one of the signs that beeswax is of high quality. Some people like the cloudy look of bloomed candle as they prefer that vintage resemblance of a candle. For those who prefer yellow colour of beeswax, just buff out the candle with soft cloth. A few touches will do the magic. And your candle will be back in beeswax colour.
Smoke
When you put the flame down, there will be smoke. Where there is fire, there must be smoke. You can minimise the amount of smoke by ducking the wick into liquid pool of wax rather than simply blowing it away.
Similarly, burning any candle will create smoke as smoke is a result of not perfect combustion. Any air drift (even passing by) will disrupt the flame resulting in smoke. Some type of wax will create less smoke (natural waxes such as beeswax) some more (all paraffin, soy and other artificial types of waxes). But to expect smokeless candle we either need to live in a lab or it's a simple marketing gimmick.
Raw Beeswax
We use raw beeswax. This is only sustainable and truly natural type of wax. Beeswax is made by bees. It may sound obvious but most of high street "beeswax" is a commercial grade wax that is made in factories and consists of 15-20% of raw beeswax (to give it yellow colour and entitle to be called beeswax) and the rest is a mixture of other waxes and oils as well ad additives to improve performance of a candle.
Since we use raw beeswax extracted from hives and without bleaching or additives, our candles will not be perfect. You may find small debris in them (we don't macro filter our wax), thicker wick but always unbleached cotton (to give min 63C heath needed to melt raw beeswax) or occasional flickering or sparking. These are all natural occurrences expected in nature. On the flip side, our candles will have natural subtle scent of beehives and will be packed with nature.
Honey
Raw honey is unprocessed and unpasteurised. It is made by bees and extracted after season ends. When extracted, raw honey will be runny but after a while (depends of content of glucose and fructose) it will crystallise. It is completly natural process and totally expected. In fact crystallisation of honey is a sign of good quality as it means nothing was added to it to prevent this