The Correct Container

Votive candles are meant to be burned in votive holders, not on their own,  where the wax can liquefy and easily be vaporized by the heat of the wick flame. In contrast, pillar candles are designed to burn free standing & therefore burn on their own.

The votive container should be specifically made for burning votive candles: the inside of the container should be tapered towards the bottom so the liquid wax can concentrate towards the centre and be drawn up the wick*. The votive holder should also have a tough wall & a tough thick base, robust enough to withstand high temperatures from the votive flame. Your votive candle should ideally fit snugly in the candle holder but if this is not possible then the holder diameter should not be more than double the candle diameter.

*known as capillary action, see below for more information.

Safety First
Don’t forget to check that your votive candles are placed in a draught free area, on a heat proof level surface away from curtains or overhanging items.

Burn Times

For our beeswax votives, the first burn should ideally be around 3 - 4 hours to ensure an even melt pool (melted wax area) from edge to edge, however, burning a beeswax candle for 4 hours straight is not always possible!  I've often lit a votive beeswax candle only to realise I need to extinguish the flame after two hours because I needed to go out! With the Aureate votive candles this is okay, it will just take a bit of management & a little bit longer to burn to the edge of the melt pool.

After the first 3-4 hour burn you don't need to burn it to the same time as the first burn.

Oh, but don't burn your candles for more than 4 hours at a time and once the flame has been extinguished wait for the wax pool to harden before relighting. 

Aside: To ensure Aureate Beeswax votive candles are safe I have tested, under test conditions, the burn time up to 18 hours with a 12 hour  continuous burn time followed by a 6 hour continuous burn time.

Wick Maintenance

The  capillary action of the wick plays a fundamental role in burning candles. Too thick a wick and/or too many threads in a wick can draw up too much fuel (liquid wax) which in turn creates a large flame. The opposite can happen if the wick is not thick enough, this could result in a small flame which could potentially "drown" in the liquid wax. We have designed our Aureate beeswax votive candles with low wick maintenance in mind.

The wick length could also play a part in having too big or too small a flame.

Wick trimming - The general rule of thumb is to trim your candle wick to between 3 - 5mm between every burn. But don't get too carried away with the trimming!

Please note, Aureate votive candles are shipped with the first burn wick length so no need to trim them before the first burn.

Ideally trim your wick using a wick trimmer, very useful in narrow containers & as the wick goes further down the container.

More about wicks & wick trimmers in another blog but please be-aware that some wicks may need trimming more often than others due to the frequent carbon build-up at the end of the wick (mushrooming), and so if not regularly trimmed can result in soot and smoke. In the next blog update I will add a troubleshooting section outlining some common indicators which will help identify whether the wick does or doesn't need trimming.

Wick adjustment - Some wicks curl up when they are burning. If this does happen, then make sure the wick is above the wax and if it isn't, gently adjust it with a wick dipper. A wick dipper can also be used to straighten the wick if you find the wax pool is uneven but please note that most votive wax pools (with the right size wick) eventually even out as the flame goes down the container.

Another issue, but not so common with votives burned in the correct shaped container, is "wandering wicks". As the melt pool deepens the wick in the liquid wax could wander to/lean towards one side of the container causing an uneven burn and one side of the container being hotter than the other side. Using your wick dipper gently move/straighten the wick towards the centre of the container. Ideally do this just after extinguishing the flame so the wick sets in the new position.

Don't forget to remove any debris from the wax before re-lighting the wick. NB. Most wick trimmers are designed in such a way that the trimmed wick is caught at the bottom end of the  trimmer. 

Storing Candles

To prevent fading/bleaching, any beeswax candles on display should not be left in direct sunlight. The non-display candles should be kept in a dry, cool, dark place such as a box or cupboard.  Our multi-pack votive candles come in a storage box, very useful when it comes to storing beeswax candles; they should be stored in a cool dry place to help to minimize blooming (thin white crystal-like looking substance on the surface of the candle). Don't freeze your candles, the extreme cold may cause your candles to crack and lose their fragrance.

Safety Notes

• Remove all packaging & labels from the candle before lighting
• Votive candles liquefy, use a suitable container
• Hot candle holder - Don't move the holder whilst the candle is alight it can get quite hot!
• Never leave a burning candle unattended
• Keep away from things that can catch fire
• Keep away from children & pets
• Do not burn in a draught
• Extinguishing the candle - resist the temptation to blow the flame out - either cover the glass with a non-flammable lid or better still use a snuffer
• Remove any debris in the wax before relighting the candle
• Between each burn trim the wick to 3-5mm