How to Get the Best From Your Candle: Wick Care, Soot, Snuffers & Room Sizing

A beautifully made candle only performs at its best when it’s used well. With just a few simple habits, you can enjoy a cleaner burn, better fragrance and a longer-lasting candle.

Here’s our friendly guide to caring for your Vessel & Essence candle.

1. Trim the Wick Before Every Burn (to Around 5mm)

This is the single most important part of candle care.

A shorter wick means:

• a steadier flame
• less soot
• a cleaner burn
• a more consistent hot throw

It also helps protect the essential oils from overheating.

2. Burn for 2–4 Hours Each Time

This allows the melt pool to reach the edge of the vessel, which:

• maximises fragrance
• prevents tunnelling
• keeps the candle burning evenly

Short burns create shallow melt pools and weak scent throw; excessively long burns overheat the wax and essential oils.

3. Avoid Burning Longer Than 4 Hours

Over-burning can cause:

• excess heat
• more soot
• faster evaporation of essential oils
• reduced fragrance quality over time

Let the candle rest and cool before relighting.

4. Keep Candles Away From Drafts

A flickering flame produces more soot and reduces melt-pool temperature — both of which affect fragrance performance.

Draft-free burns mean cleaner burns.

5. Why You Should Use a Snuffer (and Not Blow Out the Candle)

All candles produce a little soot — even vegetable waxes. Paraffin tends to create darker black soot, while natural waxes like our rapeseed and coconut blend produce much paler, almost white soot that’s harder to see but still present.

When a candle is blown out, the flame is disturbed and a small burst of soot is released. Some of that soot can settle into the molten wax. It’s harmless, but it may slightly dull the clarity of the wax and affect how cleanly the candle burns next time.

Using a snuffer avoids this. It extinguishes the candle gently, keeps soot out of the melt pool and helps maintain performance over the full life of the candle.

6. How Many Candles You Need for Different Room Sizes

Small Spaces (Bathrooms, Hallways, Studies)

One candle is perfect — the fragrance easily fills the space.

Medium Rooms (Bedrooms, Kitchens, Lounges up to 15–20 m²)

Start with one candle. For a richer, more enveloping scent, place two candles on opposite sides of the room.

Large Rooms (Open Plan, High Ceilings, 25 m²+)

Essential oils diffuse more gently, so consider:

• two to three candles, or
• one candle paired with a reed diffuser for continuous background scent

Candles bring ambience; diffusers keep the space gently scented between burns.

7. Store Your Candle Well

To protect essential oils:

• keep candles out of direct sunlight
• store with the lid on when not in use
• avoid leaving candles in hot rooms for long periods

This preserves both fragrance and wax clarity.

8. Enjoy a Better Candle Experience

A little care goes a long way. With proper trimming, burn times, placement and snuffing, your Vessel & Essence candle will burn longer, smell stronger and stay cleaner from the first light to the last.

Beautiful fragrance — delivered the way it’s meant to be.