How To Burn Candles Safely

Candles are such a treat, aren’t they?! We’ve all grown up seeing movie scenes with thousands of roses, and dozens of candles lighting up the most romantic of atmospheres… We associate candles with comfort, home luxury and beautiful lighting and scent.

At MYTHYN we design candles with 100% natural and sustainable rapeseed wax, scenting them with essential oils. We pride ourselves on providing our customers with candles that burn cleanly and beautifully, releasing no harmful toxins into your home environment. Our candles are thoroughly tested before they are launched to check that they burn well, that the wick burns the wax evenly without making the glass too warm for example.

However, it is up to you to burn your candles safely at home, following the recommended safety guidelines. The below guidelines will help you burn your candles both safely and for the most enjoyment, helping them last as long as they can.

The first time you burn candles safely

The very first time you burn your candle shapes the way it will continue to burn thereafter. If you burn it for 30 minutes only, when it has not had time to melt the wax side-to-side yet, the next time you light it, it will struggle to form a wide pool of wax and it will start to tunnel.

To prevent this, make sure to burn your candle until it forms an even pool of melted wax the first time your light it. With a MYTHYN candle, this can take up to 2 hours.

After burning your candle

It’s important to trim the wick of the candle after you finish burning it and before resuming burn. The reason for this is to keep the wax pool clean of flammable material. The wick can start to burn too strongly, producing a large flame and the waste inside the pool can catch fire as a result. Also, it may start to take in too much wax if it is too long, and will not be able to handle the extra wax reducing its lifespan. You may start to see black smoke then which is not very pleasant.

We recommend trimming the wick to 5 mm. Wait until the candle has cooled a little before trimming.

If cut too short, the wick will drown – if this happens, remove a layer of wax around the wick before attempting to re light it.

Other important tips

• Do not burn the candle for more than 4 hours at a time
• Do not leave candles unattended
• Place your candle away from drafts, as it will make your flame go stronger and to sway which is a fire hazard.
• Keep away from flammables such as curtains and papers or any product with a flammable warning.

That’s it! It’s pretty straightforward, however candles do require some care.

Wishing you all the best,