Congratulations if you are a dunker! You probably are burning your natural beeswax Honey Candles® with complete success. I’ve had a few calls recently about customers not being able to relight their natural beeswax Honey Candles® pillars. I have an idea why this is happening and I want to share some pillar burning tips so that you don’t have this problem.
Firstly it is very important that the wick on your pillar be about ¼ inch long. This leaves enough wick to burn well, the wick will not be flooded by melting wax and it will not smoke. The best lighting tool is a long candle lighter purchased in a hardware store. When you light the candle do not light the top of the wick. Tip your pillar and light at the base right where the wax meets the wick. This will start the wax to melt just a bit. It is important to light at the base of the wick so the wax burns, not just the wick. If you repeatedly light the wick without wax in it you get a charred mess and the wick will not light. There is nothing left to burn! That is usually when someone calls me.
At that point there is nothing to do but scoop out the wax around the charred wick until you get down to clean unburned wick. This will take some work. You must scoop out enough that when you light it the wick does not become overwhelmed by the melting wax. And remember to light at the base of the wick.
The best way to be sure your pillar wick stays full of wax and is ready to light is to make a habit of dunking. Do not blow out your wick or snuff it. I like to use a paper clip I keep just for this purpose. Burn your beeswax pillar for at least three hours because to get a proper pool they must be burned at least that long. Otherwise the pillar will tunnel. Then when you are ready to put it out take a paper clip or something else metal and gently bend the wick and dunk it into the melted wax. When the flame is extinguished straighten the wick and center it so it is ready to light next time. This serves two purposes. It will not smoke and it covers the wick in wax so it relights easily and you are burning wax right away and not just charring the wick. This is the best way I know of taking care of your beeswax pillar.
For other ways to successfully burn your natural beeswax Honey Candles® see our section on Candle Care.
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