What’s wrong with my candle?
Well the answer is, nothing!
As small batch candle makers, we are insanely self-critical of our products. It’s pretty easy to get frustrated about whether a candle or product performs perfectly. And, speaking for Old Groundhog Co., we do a lot of testing with each product we make. Even certain fragrances perform differently, so we’re constantly pretending we know more about chemistry than we actually do.
One thing we’ve learned through getting our company started is that nothing is perfect. All we can do is iterate and try to make something the best it can be.
That being said, small batch candles don’t always operate to perfection. And you know what? That’s okay! At first, we were critical of the small imperfections and bumps and slightly off-kilter wicks. But really, those cosmetic “flaws” aren’t really flaws at all because the candles still work and smell fantastic!
But in case you’re worried that your candle is looking funny, here are some things to know.
Cosmetic dips, bumps or imperfections
If your candle has little dips or bumps or holes near the wick, guess what? That’s okay!! Sometimes these little flaws will happen because of air bubbles getting introduced when pouring! We try our best to touch up those issues, but sometimes they surface. There is certainly nothing wrong with the candle. It’s just a little unique looking on top. Those candles will still burn perfectly and smell amazing. And oftentimes, the more you burn it the more they will self-correct.
Hard to light
We have woodwick candles. And we’ve realized a lot of folks don’t know how to care for their woodwick candles. That’s okay! No judgment from us, but if you’ve purchased from our site, you will receive a candle care card with your candle that teaches you a bit about how to use a woodwick candle properly.
Basically, with wood wicks, you need to be aware of your wick height. If you’re having a hard time getting them to light, you probably need to trim the wick.
If you’re fancy you can certainly buy a wick trimmer tool. But ultimately, you can just snap off the top of the burned wick with your fingers, or use nail clippers to trim it up if you aren’t tactical and messy like us. You essentially just need to make sure the heat from the burning wick is close enough to the wax to keep that sucker burning.
Additionally, your best bet is going to be to burn your candle for a few hours so the wax burns evenly.
Too much wax
Sometimes your candle may burn at a weird interval. This could be because of a funky wick height. But if you find that your candle’s wick seems overwhelmed by wax and maybe the candle isn’t burning to the edges of the jar, you can let your whole candle cool and harden. Then use a small paring knife to remove some wax from the edges of the jar.Or when the candle is still warm and the wax is pooled, you can fold up a paper towel and use it to soak up some warm wax. This will help to ensure your wick has enough room to burn in the wax again. This isn’t a problem we see with our candles very much because we have a great wick size for our jars, but hey, never say never, right?
