Scented candles offer a pleasant mood and environment. Placing a few candles in your house can help quickly create a comfortable and personal ambiance. Candles appear to brighten every place and create a beautiful aroma that can only improve your mood.
Unfortunately, most people don’t know that there is a proper method to burn a candle, leading up to issues such as tunneling and memory ring formation. Following the recommendations in this article will ensure that you get the most out of your candles every time without wasting any wax or scent.
Without further ado, let’s explore why using scented candles is a good idea and how you can use them properly.
Why Use Scented Candles?
Candles are highly adaptable since they are available in various forms, and look lovely in any physical space. While placing candles in the bathroom produces a spa-like ambiance, displaying candles as the centerpiece of your dining room table may help achieve that romantic candlelit dinner ambiance. They are brilliant for decorative purposes. Scented candles can be incredibly versatile in their application.
Candles are well known for their calming and therapeutic effects, since they also have health advantages. Lighting candles can also assist in creating the appropriate environment for creating peace and a sense of well-being. Aromatherapy candles may assist you in relaxing, feeling peaceful, rejuvenated, and putting your mind in a more productive condition.
Several therapists commonly use them to create a pleasant ambiance in their treatment rooms. In terms of personal use, lighting a favorite candle may help one to relax. Observing the flame, and simply breathing for a few minutes when you’re having a stressful day can do wonders. For some people, using candles helps boost their meditation practice.
Lastly, scented candles are brilliant for travel. By bringing travel-sized tin candles or candles with lids, you can simply turn any space into your refuge, no matter where you are. You may feel at home anywhere with your favorite perfume burning. This is incredibly wonderful if you struggle sleeping in unfamiliar places, as the candle scent can help you remember home.
Tips for Using Scented Candles
Now that we have established why scented candles are beneficial, let’s get down to the technical details of the matter. There is a correct way of burning candles if you want to get the most out of them. Here are our tips:
1. Trimming the Wick
Untrimmed wicks are far more prone to taking on an unusual form while dulling and obscuring the flame. Excessively long wicks can leave unsightly, smokey stains on your glass jar candles. A long wick may cause the fire to become too large, leading the jar to scorch and turn black. Hence, it is critical to keep the wick trimmed.
Simply trim the wick and make sure it is around 3mm before burning. You may use scissors or nail clippers. This assures that the candle’s wax is evenly burned throughout the entire duration. Additionally, this helps avoid potholes that may spoil the entire lovely fragrance. Trimmed wicks help produce a cleaner, brighter burn.
2. Using Multi-Wick Candles
Purchase a candle with at least two wicks. More flames equal more heat, which equals a faster melt. This also scatters more smell, so you know that you are getting the most out of your favorite candle. Be cautious of extra-wide candles with only one wick, since a single wick will never provide enough heat to melt it through.
3. Using a Snuffer
When you blow out a candle, you’ve probably observed that it smokes quite a bit. Because the wick’s core continues to burn for a short period, the inside of the wick might convert to carbon, making it brittle. It may become challenging to ignite the candle again.
While blowing out a candle may be fun, doing so incorrectly can ruin the experience. The aroma is quickly replaced with soot and a smokey scent that may overpower your previously fragrant space. So, what is the correct way of putting out the candle?
- Place it near an open window or outlet so that the smoky aroma doesn’t permeate your space.
- Use a snuffer instead of blowing, as it guarantees that no soot remains when the flame is extinguished.
Things to Avoid
In addition to the tips, there are also some things you must avoid when using scented candles:
Not Letting the Top Layer Melt
You mustn’t blow out your candle until the candle surface has melted all the way across. This might take several hours.
This is important because when you fail to reach a complete melt, you contribute to a process known as tunneling. The wick begins to sink deeper and lower as though a tunnel is developing directly through the candle’s center. Eventually, the tunnel will become so deep that lighting the wick will be impossible. All that unmelted wax on the sides will simply be wasted.
Memory Rings
The unmelted borders of candle wax are called a memory ring. To avoid this, simply light your candle for at least four hours, particularly the first time. This will liquify the whole surface of the candle, preventing the formation of a memory ring. Otherwise, it will continue to burn in that little circle alongside the unmelted layer of wax, building a tunnel below, and the remainder of your scented candle will be wasted.
Burning It Too Much
Unfortunately, you can burn your candles too much if the burning time exceeds four hours. If you leave it for any longer than four hours, the aroma will change, perhaps even causing a fire. Take a two-hour pause before lighting it again to keep the flame in control.
If you light your candle for more than 4 hours at a time, carbon will accumulate on the wick, making it unstable. Consequently, the flame can become too large, causing the soot to eject into the air while leaving black marks around your candle container.
Unsafe Distance Between the Flame and Air
Remember to keep your burning candle away from open windows, fans, air conditioners, and any area of ventilation. Moving air can cause the flame to flicker, discolor the tin or jar, and cause tunneling and other problems.
Picking the Right Candle
Bear in mind that not all types of candles are created equal, and some may be harmful to your health. You must understand the composition of your candle to avoid toxic chemicals. Candles manufactured with soy wax, coconut wax, and other plant-based waxes are soot-free, non-toxic, and last far longer than standard paraffin wax, which emits hazardous carcinogens into the air and forms black soot.
Similarly, you want to be mindful of the purpose of a scented candle. While some scents may be chosen to aid memory, others can be used for relaxation and improving attention. For instance, lemon and lavender candles can aid in relaxation, while eucalyptus candles stimulate and improve focus. Some also prefer to use essential oil candles or even fragrance-free candles.
The Bottom Line
Adding a candle in multiple corners of your home can lighten the atmosphere and make it seem warm right away. A perfumed or scented candle will delight your senses and make your place twice as cozy. After all, the world of scented candles is boundless and accommodating of all personal preferences. So, choose as freely as you’d like!
