Safety First!
Lets get the most obvious but most over looked bit out of the way first.
Don't ever leave that naked flame on its own! Who knows what it will do! Yes, of course, attention is key when it comes to an open flame, keep it away from curtains or anything else flammable!
Storing your candle in the right place is just as important as keeping an eye on it when its lit! Did you hear about the girl that left her unlit candle on top of her partners Xbox! Lets just say Bye bye Xbox!
Common sense and attention will get you a long way! Okay NEXT!
Read the instructions!? BORING!
Before you come at me like "I'm lighting a candle not performing brain surgery!" Hear me out!
Not all candles are the same, Different wax blends, wick types, vessels and pillar sizes will have different needs. So to get the most out of your candle you need to read the instructions!
Trim. Your. Wicks.
We know the excitement of a new candle, you want to burn it and you want to burn it NOW! But taking those extra seconds to trim that wick could make all the difference to the scent throw and the longevity of your candles life, helping it burn a little bit slower for a little bit longer. The instructions or care card that you totally read will let you know how tall your wick can be.
Make sure you're doing this when the wax is still hard, like right before you light it. Chuck the trimmings in the bin and make sure there's no debris left over inside the candle jar, because those pesky little trimmings can turn into little crackling fireballs pretty fast!
First Burn Rules
The first time you light up a new candle, you want to burn it long enough for the melting wax to reach the edge of the glass. If its a pillar you want to create a wax pool almost as wide as the candle its self. If you don't you run the risk of burning straight down the middle of the candle and missing out on hours of glorious fragrance! This centre burning is known as tunnelling (more on that and how to prevent it coming soon!)
A good rule of thumb for the first burn is to keep the candle lit for one hour to every inch in diameter of the candle. So if you have a candle 3 inches in diameter you'll want to burn it for at lease three hours the first time you light it!
Put it out !
Now bearing in mind what I've just told you about burning your candle for long enough, you shouldn't burn a candle for more than 4-5 hours. This is plenty of time to create a healthy wax pool. Yes you can in fact burn a candle for too long! I know its hard to accept but after about 4 hours your going to have to snuff that little hot flame out! This is plenty of time to fill your crypt with fragrance. Any longer and your candle can get too hot causing faster evaporation and in turn a wick that may well be too tall. This can cause, you've guessed it, Tunnelling!
Not only that but, if in a vessel leaving your candle lit for too long can cause the vessel its self to become a safety hazard as it gets too hot! So go on put that flame out and let your candle cool and solidify before trimming and lighting again.
Know When to Let Go!
Industry safety standards recommend not burning any candle all the way to the very last of the wick but to instead leave approximately 1cm of wax at the bottom of the container. This is so that you don't wind up burning raw wick directly on the vessel or worse directly on the surface on which your candle is sitting if you are using a pillar!
We know its hard to let go but once the last of the wax is cool you can scoop it from the container and wash the container with hot soapy water or pop it in the dishwasher to reuse!