Tips for burning soy candles

"With the onset of wanting to use more natural products that are safe for our health as well as the environment, it’s become more popular to light up green candles. Soy candles are becoming the popular option of natural candles that allows you to enjoy a clean burning candle with a natural scent.

Traditional wax candles are usually made from paraffin wax, a derivative of petroleum. When burned improperly, it produces a soot that is can emit dangerous chemicals. Studies were conducted indicate that burning excessive amounts of paraffin wax candles could increase the levels of organic compounds such as formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and acrolein in our air. All of these compounds can be dangerous to our health by potentially penetrating some areas of our lungs. Just as you would expect, the soot from candles can potentially blacken surfaces in our homes include walls and furniture. Some older candles even contain lead cores that increase the concentration of lead in our air, much higher than the EPA recommended. The popular gel candles are not any safer than traditional candles as they are made from a substance called Penreco that is also based from petroleum and emits soot when burned improperly.

Soy wax candles are made from hydrogenated soybean oil. The first major advantage is that soy candles do not emit toxic chemicals into the area like paraffin wax. Instead of having to inhale black smoke into your lungs, you get a natural scent. They also usually burn at much lower temperatures mean that the same candle will last much longer. This means that the same candle will last much longer and decrease the risk of getting burned. Because the cost of these candles tends to be comparable to traditional candles, you can save money because they do last longer." (taken from Pays to Live Green website)

Be sure to stick with a reputable company or person when purchasing soy candles as not all are made from all soy wax. Our quality handmade candles contain 100% all natural soy wax along with pure natural fragrances. All of our candles are lead-free, produce 95% less soot, AND we were the first Oklahoma candle maker approved as a provider on the healthycandle.org site.

For best results, keep wick centered and trimmed to 1/4". Burn candle long enough, each time, for the top to pool across the surface for maximum burning time, extinguish candle and trim wick if candle flame gets too high. Keep candle free from any foreign matter, matches, wick trimmings, etc. Place on protected surface. Recommendations are to always discontinue use when 1/2" of wax remains in candle container; however, I have burned mine to the bottom (always sitting on a stone coaster to protect the surface of my furniture).

WARNING
Failure to follow instructions could result in fire hazard or injury. Keep out of reach of children and pets. Do not burn candle on or near anything that can catch fire. Avoid drafts and excessive vibrations. Your container may become hot while the candle is burning. Never leave a burning candle unattended.

Tip 1:
You can avoid tunneling by making sure you, more times than not, burn the candle for the appropriate time. If a candle starts to tunnel and has not gone too deep you might be able to correct it by letting the candle burn for longer periods (hopefully, on a day you will be home to watch it).

Tip 2:
As a general rule, wicks should be trimmed every 3-4 hours of burning. So with our candles, if burned for the recommended time period, you could trim the wick prior to each use.

Tip 3:
Our all cotton wicks have some extra benefits, besides the clean burning. They will easily trim without the use of scissors. Prior to each re-lighting simply pinch off the charred tip with a tissue--to keep the fingers clean. The tip will break off in the perfect place nearly every time.

Tip 4:
If your candle starts burning to one side, adjust the wick or check for a draft. All cotton wicks do not stay in place as well as the non-desired metal-core wicks, so you may need to adjust the wick occasionally.

Tip 5:
Any candle flame can smoke if the flame is not burning efficiently. Other brands of candles will smoke because of the petroleum levels in the wax. Even essential oils can cause smoke. Our candles will not smoke if you take proper care of the wicks. If one of our candle flames is smoking, it is not burning efficiently. What you are seeing is carbon that is not able to burn off because the flame is too big or is in a draft.

Remove the candle from the draft and/or trim the wick. Wicks will tend to cause smoke if the wick is not kept trimmed before lighting. Please trim your wicks with every use.