Getting the most burn time out of your candle

TOP TIPS:

1. When you light your candle for the first time, make sure you leave it burning for a couple of hours or until the whole top layer has melted. This will help prevent tunnelling (where wax is left at the side of the jar). Ideally do this every time you light the candle.

2. Trim your wick. Although the wicks I use are cotton and self trimming, it is still a good idea to give the wick a trim to about 1/4 inch. Why? It gives a nice clean burn with no smoke or soot marks on the jar AND it makes the flame smaller so increases burn time.

3. If your wax starts tunnelling and you end up with excess around the edge of the jar, use the tin foil trick. Simply get a piece of tin foil and put a hole in the middle (I normally just use scissors to cut a cross then push back the sides to create a hole around the size of a 50 cent piece). Position the hole over the flame and it'll trap the heat and help melt the wax that's been left. If the hole is too small, the candle will just go out (not enough oxygen) so make it bigger and try again! This method doesn't look very pretty, but it does the job for giving an even burn. Plus, more wax to burn = longer burn time. Once you get rid of the tunnelled wax, you can take it off again. (FYI - You can get special candle toppers which look a lot prettier!)

4. Position your candle away from drafts. The glass jar offers protection against drafts but it's still best to keep them away from open windows, etc. Drafts increase the flow of oxygen and cause the flame to flicker. This can lead to an uneven burn.

5. Don't have candles too close together or near another heat source. If you increase the temperature, the candle will burn quicker.

6. Snuff don’t blow. It stops the wax from getting splattered and spreading around the jar unevenly. Most of my candles come with a lid. When you want to put the candle out, just pop the lid on. Easy peasy.