How to Make Your Soy Candle Last Longer
There's nothing quite like lighting a beautiful soy candle to transform the atmosphere of a room, but are you getting the most out of every burn? With a little care, your candle can last significantly longer and perform better from the first light to the last.
Here are our top tips for making your soy candle last longer, straight from the Candle Kitchen.
1. Always Trim Your Wick Before Each Burn
This is the single most important candle care habit. Before every burn, trim your wick to approximately 5mm. A long or mushroomed wick creates a larger, hotter flame that burns through your wax far too quickly and can cause soot and uneven burning. Use a wick trimmer or simply break the wick with fingers and a tissue, and always remove any trimmings from the wax pool before lighting.
2. Allow a Full Melt Pool on the First Burn
Soy wax has a memory. On your very first burn, allow the candle to burn long enough for the entire top layer of wax to melt from edge to edge, this is called a full melt pool. For most of our candles, this takes 2–3 hours. Skipping this step can cause "tunnelling", where the candle burns down the centre and leaves a ring of unused wax around the edges.
3. Keep Burns Between 2–4 Hours
Burning your candle for too long in one sitting causes the wick to "mushroom" and the wax to overheat. We recommend burning for no more than 4 hours at a time. After extinguishing, allow the candle to cool completely before relighting.
4. Store Your Candle Correctly
Keep your candle away from direct sunlight, drafts, and humidity. Soy wax is sensitive to temperature changes, heat can cause the wax to soften or discolour, while cold can cause cracking.
5. Extinguish Safely
Avoid blowing out your candle, this can cause the wick to move off-centre and send a plume of smoke through your space. Instead, use a candle snuffer or gently dip the wick into the melt pool using a wick dipper, then straighten it back up. This also helps prime the wick for the next burn.
6. Know When to Stop
Stop burning your candle when approximately 10mm of wax remains at the bottom. Burning below this level can cause the glass to overheat. At this point, you can repurpose the jar, clean it out with warm water and use it as a small vase, storage pot, or bathroom organiser.
Ready to Find Your Perfect Candle?
Our handcrafted soy candle collection is made in small batches on the NSW South Coast using premium soy wax and fine fragrance oils. Each candle is designed to fill your space with a clean, long-lasting scent.
Some of our most-loved scents include the coastal and fresh South Coast Soy Candle, the rich and earthy Black Fig Soy Candle, and the warm and inviting Homebake Soy Candle.
For a full breakdown of how to care for your candle, visit our Candle Care Guide.