Choosing the right and best candle wicks is crucial if you want to avoid candle wick problems and create high-quality candles. The containers, type of wax, and scent you select won’t matter if you use the wrong candle wicks.
Choosing Candle Wicks: Where to Start
Like many things, you must learn the importance of using the right candle wicks through trial and error. Therefore, whenever you encounter a candle-making problem, you should retrace your steps and analyze every decision.
It has been discovered when it comes to deciding how to choose the best candle wicks; there are a handful of important things to aim for:
- consistent flame – no self-extinguishing
- even melt pool across the diameter of the candle
- safe, moderate temperature
- smoke-free burn – no soot while burning
- long burn time – a.k.a. life of the candle
- small, safe flame
- non-toxic, clean burn
As you can see, a lot is weighing on the choice of your candle wicks. But, by keeping these factors in mind, you will ensure a candle burns optimally, with a great scent throw, and without unnecessary toxins. So, use the guide below to help you choose the right candle wicks for all your homemade candles!
Start here to begin choosing which type of candle wicks is right for the candles you are making:
- The Diameter of the Candle
Let’s start with the most vital factor in choosing candle wicks – the diameter of the candle. Luckily, the first step is very easy to figure out. Either pull out a ruler and measure this or read the details for this information before ordering your candle containers.
- Fragrance Load and Color
The second step is to consider the amount of fragrance or color you plan to add to the candle. The more color or fragrance you include, the thicker you’ll want your wick to be. Use our fragrance load calculator to help with this step!
- Candle Wax Type
The next step involves your candle wax type. Each candle wax type has a different melting point and density. These variances influence the recommended candle wick type, as you’ll see below.
- Candle Burn Time
Last but not least, consider the burn time of the wax. Soy wax, for example, has a longer, slower burn time than paraffin wax, so that a thinner wick may be best. On the other hand, if you intend to burn the candle in short intervals, like 1 to 1.5 hours, versus the recommended 4 hours, a thicker wick would be advisable to form a melt pool quickly across the candle to avoid funneling.
Now that you’ve covered all the basics and determined your candle wick type, the last step is to confirm using the right candle wick size. Outside of the length of the candle wick, it’s the thickness that counts. So put, the wider the diameter of your candle, the thicker the wick you’ll need.
Choosing the right candle wick size can make or break your candle! It takes some experimenting and patience.
