FAQs

Container Candle FAQs:
What are "tunnels" and how can I prevent them?

"Tunneling" is when a candle burns down the middle of the jar, leaving lots of wax stuck to the side of the jar. Many candles tunnel due to incorrect wick size or type. Borders Aromatics candles are wicked to burn clear to the edge of the jar. This ensures that you use all the wax in the jar and get the full burn time available. However, tunneling can also be caused by failure to keep your candle lit long enough before you extinguish it. Each time you burn a candle, try to burn it at least until the wax reaches the edge of the container. Our candles are designed to burn around 1 inch per hour; ie if your jar has a 3" diameter, the melt pool should be at the edge by around three hours. If you must extinguish your candle early, plan to burn it a little longer the next time. This should prevent your candle from tunneling.

Do I really have to trim the wick?

Yes, you really should trim the wick to 1/4" every time you light your candle. If you don't, problems can occur. Here's why:

Soy candles do not produce the toxic soot that paraffin candles do, but when not properly trimmed, the wicks of all candles can "mushroom" at the top, causing excessive flickering and/or smoke. Keeping your wick trimmed keeps this to a minimum and also makes your candle safer.

Trimming also prevents your wick from curling back into the wax. Because our wicks contain no lead, zinc, or metal of any kind, they are very easily trimmed by just breaking off the top of the wick (the curled part) before lighting.

What is "frosting"?

Frosting is when the soy wax forms tiny, white, frosted-looking crystals on the top of the wax and/or on the sides of the jar. It looks very similar to the white frosted look that sometimes appears on chocolate. Most people don't mind frosting and many even like the effect. In fact, many customers have said they look for frosting as a sign that the candle is indeed made with soy and not paraffin.

Soy candle manufacturers often add paraffin wax (called a parasoy blend) to their candles to eliminate frosting. We are committed to providing you with paraffin-free candles and therefore do not add paraffin to our wax. We have experimented with our dyes, fragrance oils, and pour temperatures to keep frosting to a minimum, but some frosting is to be expected with all pure soy candles.