“The number one rule when burning a candle is that you must allow a full melt pool to develop during your first burning session,” advised Jon Bresler, CEO and founder of LAFCO candles. A full melt pool means that you have burned your candle long enough to develop a pool of liquid wax along the entire surface of the candle in order to prevent tunneling. In other words, the perfect excuse to cozy up for an afternoon snuggle session.
“Wax has a memory. If during the first burn, you blow out your candle before an edge-to-edge melt pool develops, it will continue to stop there for every subsequent burn, creating a tunnel of wax buildup around the candle jar, instead of a clean level surface,” explained Tim Rossi of Nest Fragrances.
A full melt pool could take anywhere from 20 minutes for a petroleum candle and up to three hours for a soy candle. “It all depends on the type of wax, the size of the candle, and the size of the wick,” Bresler explained. This rule, however, only applies to the first burn, so make sure you commit to it. After that, your candle knows the drill and you can burn for a few precious minutes or an entire Westworld marathon (although we much prefer the latter).
