Build your better burn 🔥 (and don't ruin your candles)

Have you ever wished that your infant or your doggo or your mother-in-law came with a manual?

Can a girl get some step-by-step instructions up in here?? Well, yes. You actually can. I can't help you manage your fur baby's erratic night-barking (so sorry 'bout that 😬), but I CAN tell you whether you are giving your candles all the TLCC (tender loving candle care) they need.

Of all the things in life to know how to handle, first and foremost should be your candles. (ooh catchy.. there's that marketing degree at work!)

Find out some basic steps below to build your better burn and give your candles the long, happy life they deserve.

#1. But First, WAIT.

I don't even like to wait 90 seconds for the microwave to finish my chicken nuggets, much less for my brand new, super exciting, to-die-for candle to be ready for enjoyment. 😩

Each candle comes with a date on top (if you missed last week's email about that, catch up here), and for best results you do have to wait to burn it. It'll make your candle smell stronger when it's lit and it lets the scent fully distribute throughout the whole candle (no unscented wax at the bottom 🙅🏽‍♀️).

Have no fear. While you wait, you can still take the lid off to enjoy the candle's cold throw (aka, the smell when it's not lit), and that should hold you over until the magic day arrives.

#2. Trim Yo' Wick

I cannot say enough that you gotta trim your wick, every 👏 single 👏 time 👏 . Before passing off a candle to you, I will always make sure it is trimmed to the right length for burning.

After you burn it this first time, you'll be in charge of trimming it before other burns (you're not just in charge if a satellite falls out of orbit and crashes into the house) ((we can be friends if you get this)).

Keep it trimmed around 1/8" (I recommend using a wick trimmer like this one) and your candle will be HAPPY and SUCCESSFUL and FULFILLED and mostly it will burn at the right temperature, so your candle will (1) be safe, and (2) last a surprisingly long time.

#3. Let Her Be!

First impressions matter. Candle wax has memory, so if you mess things up, it will remember forever 😅. The first light you gotta let the melt pool reach allllll the way to the edges of the container before you can blow it out.

I make it so the candles should reach this point in 2-3 hours, sometimes less, but LET IT GET THERE! If you melt only part of the wax the first time, you teach your wax bad habits, and it will only ever burn as much as you burned it that first time.

Your candle might suffer from tunnelling, where the outside wax refuses to to burn outwards. The burn only moves downwards, and half of your candle wax will be wasted 😭. So let that melt pool grow! and your candle will thank you later.

(if your candle actually speaks out loud to thank you, you should see someone about that.)

#4. Put that lid back where it came from (or so help me 🎵)

Your final step for a happy candle is to re-lid her when she's done burning for the day. A tightly fitting lid not only helps prevent dust and other debris junk from getting in your candle, but it helps seal scent in long term for a better quality burn (aka glorious smell for hours to come 🤤).

BUT WAIT--don't put your lid on until after your candle is blown out. What I'm saying is, *don't use your lid to extinguish the flame.* It's not safe, bc the flame can heat, warp, or scorch the metal lid (and your hand) PLUS trapping all the smoke in with your melted wax can actually alter the scent of your candle (in a bad way).

I recommend the classic candle solution. Just like a birthday candle: blow it out. You can even make a wish, if you want to. 🎂

You got this, candle mom/dad! You deserve the most bang for your buck, and a longer-lasting, strong smelling, safe candle is possible with just a little TLCC. 🕯️

Burningly (?) yours,