Most candle problems — tunneling, weak scent, black smoke — come down to a few simple mistakes. Fix these, and your candle performs the way it was designed to, from the first burn to the last.
1. Your First Burn
Unlike Soy wax, 100% coconut wax does not have a "tunnel memory." But it does throw scent better the hotter the melt pool is. Your first burn should be around an hour to really fill your home with beautiful scent throw. As the candle burns down, the little bit of wax "hang-up" will melt. Other than trimming your wicks - the candle will melt beautifully all the way down.
2. Trim the Wick Every Time
Before each burn, trim to 1/8 - 1/4 inch. A long wick makes a tall, unstable flame that burns through wax too fast, creates soot, and kills the scent quality. Small scissors work fine if you don't have a wick trimmer, or we sometimes pinch ours off with tissue paper. If you see black smoke or a flame over an inch tall — put it out, let it cool, trim, relight.
3. Keep Burns Between 2 and 4 Hours
Because Coconut wax burns hotter the further it melts down, more than 4 hours overheats the wick and burns off the fragrance oil too fast. Two to four hours is the sweet spot.
4. No Drafts
Fans, AC vents, open windows — any moving air makes the flame flicker unevenly and creates an uneven burn. Find a flat, still surface and leave it there. If there is a small central air draft, that's fine. Just make sure the flames aren't wild. The more draft you have, the shorter the wicks you should start with.
5. Stop at 1/2 Inch
When there's about half an inch of wax left, our thick, premium glass candle vessles should be fine, but you want to make sure you're still careful. While we do extensive testing to make sure we meet ASTM temperature guidelines, the last inch of wax is when the candle is the most hot.
3 Quick FAQs
Why is my flame getting smaller?
Sometimes thicker oils will cause wicks in the coconut wax candle to "over perform" as it melts down and gets hotter. This shouldn't happen with most of our candles, but sometimes shelf life & different climates can affect the flame over time. Just pour a little bit of the melted wax into the trash-bin and you should have a candle that burns fine.
Why does the scent fade after a few uses?
Usually a wick issue — if your wicks are too large, the flame will be too hot and the scent will burn off too quickly. Coconut wax likes cooler temperatures. Please trim your wicks to 1/8-1/4 inch each burn.
How long should a Sorelle candle last?
Our 14oz, two-wick candles are designed for 70–85 hours. The 25oz, three-wick candles run around 110 hours. That holds if you follow the burn time and wick trimming guidelines above.
All Sorelle candles are 100% coconut wax, phthalate-free, and California Prop 65 compliant — hand-poured in Houston, TX. Shop the full collection
