August 16, 2020

MELT MEMORY: How to Prevent Wax Waste

There is so much hope in a new, unburned candle -- the perfectly smooth wax surface, the straight and clean wick, the promise for hours of fragrant glow.

And then it begins, slowly but surely, burn after burn, the walls of wax build up on the sides of the jar...and so begins the phenomenon of tunneling.

Even if you're lucky enough to make it down to the bottom of the jar without your wick being snuffed out, you have lost HOURS of burn-time (and therefore, MONEY!).

There could be a few reasons for this wasteful burn, some of them connected to the manufacturing of the candle itself - improper wick size, wax type or incorrect mixing and pouring temperatures. But one possible cause is the WAY you burn your candle, starting from the very first burn.

WeHa Candle Co. suggests that you be prepared to burn your candle for a minimum of two hours at a time, starting with the first burn. When you set aside the time to burn your candle correctly, your wax should melt to the edges of the jar, making for an even burn.

When you don't give your candle time to melt all the way to the edge of the jar, you are establishing a melt pattern that forms a candles MELT MEMORY.

Yes, candles have a memory! When you re-light a candle, the wax tends to melt within the same "melt pool" it previously formed. If you re-light and let it burn a long time (no more than 4 hours for safety!), the melt pool may get bigger than it was on the prior burn, but it won't ever make it's way to the edges of the jar. And THAT is were you begin to build up wax WASTE.

So, the next time you burn your WeHa Candle Co. candle, remember to give yourself time and LET. IT. BURN.