Candle Care & FAQ

OUR CANDLE STORY

Read about how our candles came to be here

about our candles

We use 100% Soy Wax with no fillers or additives.

• Soy wax is an 100% renewable resource and carbon neutral.

• Soy wax burns more cleanly and for a longer period of time (30-50%) than paraffin.

• We love the way soy wax candles smells when it's mixed with a "clean" fragrance oil.

• Soy candles are better for the environment and your health: they are non-toxic and burn cleaner than paraffin wax.

• Soy wax produces as much as 90% less soot than paraffin wax. This soot can blacken walls, ceilings, and furniture, contaminate ventilation ductwork in your home, and most importantly, add toxic carcinogens into the air that you breathe.

• Soy wax is easy to clean up with soapy warm water.

YES! We specifically use glass vessels that can be reused.

Once your candle is done burning, you can clean out the leftover wax and remove the wick tab & sticker. 

2. Using a hair dryer, toaster oven or heat gun - melt the leftover wax at the bottom of the vessel. 

3. Dump the melted wax out into the garbage (not the sink!) PRO TIP: dump the melted wax over a crumpled up paper towel or napkin to avoid any hot wax touching the garbage bag.

4. Use pliers or tweezers to remove the metal wick tab & the sticker underneath it. This is the easiest when the vessel/wax is still melted and warm.

5. Any leftover wick sticker residue can be removed with hot water, goo gone, acetone etc. If you want to keep your label - you can use baby wipes, wet wipes or a wet soapy towel to clean the remaining wax residue from inside the vessel.

Our labels are not waterproof so use care when washing.


Our candles are formulated specifically for people who are sensitive to scent in large part because our founder can get migraines that are triggered by strong smells. 

There are lots of handmade soy candles with strong scents available but no options for people who prefer or need a lighter scent throw to really enjoy a candle. We never say never; but for now, we are offering lightly scented or unscented candles only. More info about our candles  here

Yes, all our fragrances are phthalate free.

Phthalates are used to dissolve raw materials in apothecary goods, medicine, and fragrances.

Recently there has been concern linking high levels of phthalates to health issues, especially in children.

While there are no regulations against phthalate use in candles, we decided not to work with fragrances with phthalates in them.

In addition, we will never use fragrance oil that contains:

Phthalates
Carcinogens 
Mutagens
Reproductive Toxins
Organ Toxins
Acute Toxins

In the past companies that manufactured fragrance oils were not transparent about the safety of their products. It was the norm not to see a disclosure of ingredients or potential health hazards.

Fortunately this is starting to change as more small batch makers (like us!) are demanding full disclosure of safety information from the fragrance industry. At the very least we want compliance with CA Prop 65. We expect accurate safety data with accessible language that doesn't require a biochemical degree to understand what ingredients are being used. We want to produce candles that are safe to make and safe to burn.

Some companies are rising to the challenge and some aren't. We are only purchasing fragrance oils that meet CA Prop 65 as well as what we are calling "clean". "Clean" is a new designation and it's not regulated so we want to make sure you know what we mean by "clean". Our fragrance oils will never contain:

Phthalates
Carcinogens
Mutagens
Reproductive Toxins
Organ Toxins
Acute Toxins

Our fragrance oils have SDS (safety data sheets) that fully disclose ingredients allowing us to choose those that meet our standards.

Once we have identified "clean" fragrance oils our work doesn't stop there. We test, test and test our scents to ensure they work well in our candles, with our wick and have the ability to throw a subtle scent consistently over the burn life of the candle.

While our decision to only use "clean" fragrance oils means there will be scents we can't offer we aren't willing to use products or ingredients that are known to cause cancer or other harm to people, animals and our environment. Fortunately we've become quite good at mixing oils to help expand our offerings.

We do not use essential oils in our candles. While we love essential oils, we think that fragrance oils are better for use in candles, as the scent throw and overall burn is more consistent. Essential oils tend to evaporate when they are burned in a candle versus releasing scent over time.


burning our candles

FIRST TIME LIGHTING YOUR CANDLE

Your candle arrives with the wick trimmed & ready to light. Light the wick all the way across not just on one end.

Holding the candle at an angle while you light it makes it easier to light the wick. The first time you light your candle, you’ll want to let it burn at least 1-2 hours to allow the wax to burn evenly & form a full wax pool (wax is melted all the way to the sides of the container).

After the first burn we recommend burning the candle in cycles of 2-4 hours for safety.

KEEP THE WOODEN WICK TRIMMED

Between burns, trim the wooden wick to 0.2” or 5mm in length by pinching the cooled “burnt” tip of the wood wick between your fingertips and breaking it off. You can use candle trimmers if you prefer.

To extinguish your candle, gently blow the flame out. Be mindful to avoid splashing hot wax. When the wax melts below the metal wick holder, it will self extinguish as a safety measure. Do not try and relight the candle once it has self extinguished.

Our candles are “tiny” so we use a unique wick holder that allows more wax to burn while still providing a safe burn. 

The amount of the candle wax determines how long it will burn.

Our 1oz candles will burn about 9-10 hours

Our 2oz candles will burn about 14-16 hours.

Our 4oz candles will burn about 30 - 35 hours.

First time burning your candle, let the wax melt all the way to the sides. Soy wax has a memory and can tunnel if you don’t let it burn fully the first time.

Wooden wicks q + A

Wooden Wicks are all natural and produce a soothing, crackling sound as they burn. Don't forget to break off or trim the black, often split charred part of the wick before you begin a new burn.

Please wait until the wick is fully cooled before doing so.

Several variables can contribute to this happening but rest assured it can be resolved.
Make sure you've trimmed or broken off any burnt wick from pervious lighting.
Re-light the wick until you get it going. This is normal and shouldn't happen frequently.

The flame on a Wood Wick can vary in size from quite tall to a slow smolder - this is normal.

Safety tips

Please do not leave candle burning unattended.

Keep candles out of the reach of small children and pets.

Always burn on a heat resistant surface.

Do not touch or move candle with visible (liquid) hot wax.

Keep burning candles away from drafts, vents, and ceiling fans to minimize smoking or a wick blowing out causing the candle to burn unevenly.

Make sure candle is completely extinguished and the wick no longer glows before leaving the room.