Chloë's Candle Guide

Autumn is the perfect time of year for candles; the nights are drawing in and the warm glow of the flame helps to counterbalance the cold winds outside.

Choosing the right candle

There are hundreds of thousands of candles available in shops and online and it can be difficult to know where to start, so here are my top tips for finding the right one for you.

The wax

The majority of candles on the market are made from paraffin wax, whilst it creates candles that look beautifully smooth and burn evenly, it is a byproduct of petrol and its fumes can be unpleasant and sooty. We recommend choosing a candle that is made from soy, rapeseed, or coconut, or a blend of any of these natural waxes. These plant-based, sustainable waxes hold fragrance really well and, if looked after (see our how to care for tips below), will burn consistently with a great scent throw, and evenly and slowly to really enable you to enjoy your candle.

The scent

There are so many different fragrances it can be hard to choose but we would recommend finding one that uses essential oils rather than an artificial fragrance.  There are a couple of reasons for this, firstly, artificial fragrance can be quite overbearing and secondly it doesn’t have as large a scent throw as a natural one.  Candles that contain essential oils have a scent with a lot of depth to them because there are usually multiple essential oils within one blend. The essential oils often help the candle to burn more evenly and slowly too. 

Once you have found some natural wax candles then choose a scent that will reflect the mood you'd like – citrus and mint fragrances are refreshing and uplifting, whereas floral or herbaceous scents can help to soothe and relax.  Choosing the right scent for you is the fun part and you can choose different fragrances for every room in your house if you like!

Caring for your candle

Once you’ve chosen your candle, it is really important to look after them to ensure that you get the most out of them and that they last longer.

Location

Avoid placing a candle near a draught because when it burns the air flow will cause it to burn more quickly on one side, so make sure you place it somewhere away from draughts and curtains or any loose materials.

First burn

The first burn is incredibly important so make sure you light your candle when you have a good few hours before you need to go anywhere. When you first burn your candle you need to ensure that the entire top of the candle melts to the edge of the glass, so keep an eye on it, and turn it if you see it burning more quickly on one side.  If you don’t do this, then it is likely that the candle will start to tunnel as it burns and it will continue to tunnel down until it no longer has enough oxygen to stay alight.

Trim the wick

After (or before) every burn, it is important to trim the candle wick with wick trimmers (or trim wickers as I keep accidentally calling them!) or scissors to about 5mm. This ensures that you don’t get black soot around the edge of the candle glass and that the candle will continue to burn cleanly and evenly next time.

You can now sit back and enjoy your candle with a good book in the bath or with a glass of wine in front of a great box set, safe in the knowledge that you have chosen the best candle and looked after it in the best possible way!

Reuse

Once your candle has burned through use hot water to melt any remaining wax away and then wash the vessel in warm soapy water.  You can then reuse it as a toothbrush holder, pen pot or even a vase.

Shop Bramley candles here.