Questions
Wooden wicks are the key to our multi sensory candle experience. In addition to their pleasant crackling, wooden wicks burn hotter (achieving an excellent melt pool and scent throw) but they burn cleaner, meaning you don’t have to worry about smokey candles. They also don’t curl sideways like cotton wicks, maintaining an even melt pool for every burn.
While we highly recommend you trim your wick to 1/8″ – 3/16″ (3.mm – 5mm) for safety and for the health of your candle, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. We do recommend you at least break off the charred pieces of wick once it and the wax have cooled or before you light the candle again. This is for both safety and for aesthetic. A tall wick means a tall flame, and that is dangerous -- plus the black charred crackle wood (if let to get big enough), could pop and send black ash onto its surroundings. Additionally, we’re sure you’d rather not have black bits floating around in your pretty wax.
Caiti's Candles is not responsible for any lost or damaged items. All candles, regardless of size and weight, ship using Priority mail service with includes lost, stolen or damaged package insurance. Please visit www.usps.com to file a claim before 60 days.
I know that lost, stolen, or damaged packages are incredibly frustrating, so I appreciate your understanding regarding this policy.
Candles have hot and cold scent throws. A scent throw is the distance a candle’s scent can be smelled when lit (hot) and when not lit (cold).
While it’s not absolutely impossible that I made a mistake, it is highly improbable because I'm a perfectionist. The more likely scenario is that you have placed your candle in a room that is too big, and the candle simply isn’t strong enough to permeate the space. Some scents are also stronger than others, for instance our Spiced Pumpkin candle has much deeper notes than our Big Sister candle which is more fresh. This can also affect the scent throw.
We don’t colour the soy wax, so the creamy colour you received your candle in is the natural tone of the soy wax. Sometimes when burning, the wax can become darker due to a natural process from heating, mixed with the burning of the infused scent mixture. This is very normal and will not impact the performance of your candle.
Other influences could be the candle has been burning for too long (which will likely cause some ashing into the wax too), or the wick is too large and the soot is dissolving into the wax. These are potential issues that could impact candle performance but luckily are easy to address.
After burning, you may notice some imperfections and crystallising around the wick. While it can be a bit startling, it is a sign that your candle is made with 100% all natural wax. The imperfections do not negatively impact or affect the candle performance in any way, but if you are truly not a fan this post-burn look, you may be more interested in a paraffin or blended wax instead — neither of which I offer, I’m afraid.
Some ways to help minimise this are by not disturbing the candle while the wax is melted (i.e. don't pick it up and move it around), and avoid leaving the candle in places where it will cool rapidly.
I'm so glad you asked! It is my hope that you’ve walked away from Caiti's Candles with not just a candle, but a special new vessel for your home.
Here are instructions for how you can remove the wax from your container - one for containers with no metal and one for with metal. Please read both just in case your container has metal that you mightn’t notice!
P.S. These instructions work best when you have used your candle to as far down as it will burn (i.e. 1/2 inch from the end of the wick).
With metal:
This includes any glass or china piece that has any metal (gold or silver or copper) filigree. If there is any shiny metallic paint on your vessel, than you must follow these instructions, not the instructions below.
The cold way:
When the candle is cooled / solid, break off the burned part of your wick either with your fingers or some nail clippers. Place your container in your freezer overnight. The longer you leave it in, the easier it is to remove the wax. Take your container out of the freezer and try to pop the wax out by turning the vessel upside down on a solid counter and tapping on the underside. If it’s causing a struggle (especially if you haven’t burned your candle down to the bottom), then you may need to freeze it for another day or so. If the remaining wax still doesn’t dislodge, you may need to help it along with a knife or something pointy. It’s also not unheard of to have to break the wax a bit and take it out in chunks. Your vessel will have a wick sticker, but that should come away easily. Once the container has reached room temperature, preheat the oven or toaster oven to 175º F (80º C), put some baking paper on a tray and place the vessel upside down on it. Put the tray into the oven for 5 minutes (2 if it's a metal tin) and, using a mitten or heat proof cloth, check to see if the wax has melted. If not, replace the tray into the oven for another 5 minutes. (If you can’t fit the container in the oven, then an abrasive sponge that you can live without afterwards and some hot soapy water can do the trick too). Once the wax has melted out of the vessel, try to wipe out the sides of the container when it has cooled a little but is still warm. After that, just some warm soapy water or the dishwasher (if it's safe)!
The hot way:
Using a double boiler style situation, get a clean saucepan or pot that's bit enough to fit the vessel in, fill it with only enough water that it covers 1/4 of the vessel. Gentle heat the water until the wax has melted, and using some oven mitts or tongs, pour the wax into some paper towel into your bin or a plastic bag. You must monitor this process because if you leave it in too long, you risk burning yourself and melting the bag you discard the wax into. Wax must never be poured down the drain.
Without metal:
Follow the above instructions until it is time to use the oven. Place your vessel upside down into a bowl lined with paper towel and place it in the microwave. At 100w, microwave your container for 10 seconds at a time until the wax has melted out of the vessel. Once the wax has melted out of the vessel, try to wipe out the sides of the container when it has cooled a little but is still warm. After that, just some warm soapy water or the dishwasher!
My candles are handmade and hand poured in small batches here in Austin, Texas, using Spanish glass (i.e. 100% recycled glass containers).
My wax is 100% sustainably sourced and manufactured from renewable sources, 100% natural, plant-based and biodegradable, and it’s free of pesticide and herbicide residue, petroleum, and animal and insect products -- it is totally vegan. My scents are phthalate and dye free, and are designed and created all over America.
All of my wooden wicks are naturally processed and sourced from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified mills and manufactured with pride (and great skill) in the USA.
The packaging I use is not only recyclable -- it is recycled, and I use only material that can be composted or recycled by you; from the packing tape and shipping labels, right down to the sticker on your candle jar.
Making the most of your candle
Light the candle where the wick meets the wax, not at the tip of the wood wick.
Burn the candles for no longer than 4 hours at a time.
When starting your candle, they must be able to burn for at least an hour for every inch in container diameter, with the wax pool reaching to the edge of the container. This prevents the wax developing a partially-burned crater (called a “memory”). If a memory develops and the wax is allowed to cool without reaching the edges, the wax will never reach the edge of the container and will instead continue to burn downward, wasting all of the amazing scented wax the flame can no longer reach.
When not burning, store candles in cool, dry places.
Safety Tips & Tricks
• Never leave burning candles unattended.
• Keep your wooden wick trimmed to 1/8 - 3/16ths inch (3-5mm) for safety and for candle health.
• Place lit candles on heat resistant surfaces such as glass, stoneware or marble. Be mindful of placing candles on metal as metal may become just as hot as the candle.
• Do not place burning candles under a shelf or your house/apartment/hollow will burn down. Candles need a clear space of roughly 3 feet (1 meter) above them for safe[r] burning.
• Do not leave your candles in high heat or humidity. When not burning, store them in cool, dry places.
• Keep burning candles away from flammable or combustible items and liquids such as curtains, books, furniture, oils and nail polishes. Keep candles away from draughts.
• Do not leave children or animals unsupervised around lit candles, and keep candles out of reach or tiny hands and paws.
• While some of our candles have handles, please do not be tempted to use a lit candle as a lantern or nightlight.
• Remember to use suitable candles for the size room you are burning it in. Smaller candles have smaller scent throws.
• When not lit, candles should be kept out of direct sunlight. Storing in cool, dry places will help ensure your candle retains its quality.
Not finding the answer to your question? Please feel free to reach out via the contact form here.