All you need to know about RIGHT and SAFE candles. PART 2.
WICKS
LEAD WICKS are popular with candlemakers. You can recognize them - see a thin wire inside the wick cut. The lead wick is used to dissipate the perfume steadily as it burns.
But did you know that lead wicks are banned from using in Europe and Canada? Lead fumes are poisonous. Lead poisoning has been pinpointed to cause growth, lung and brain damage in children and adults.
While it is illegal to manufacture candles in many countries with lead wicks, many candle manufacturers in Jordan still use them.
Look for the candles with natural wicks (pre-waxed cotton, organic hemp or wooden). They not only will burn safely but also without smoke. Every time you see the black wick edge - cut it carefully and remove, for longer and better burning and scent.
WOODEN WICKS
Candles with wooden wicks need some introduction, as I am getting lots of questions from you about them)
So, the wooden wicks are not that widely used as the cottons wick for a reason: they are more expensive and they require more knowledge and skills to works with.
But what's the difference in use?
- the wooden wicks can be more tricky to light up - they might need more time to set the fire than cotton (especially when lit for th
e second/third time). So, matches won't work, use the lighter and be patient)
- the wooden wicks provide slower and richer scent throw as they melt the wax slower and on a wider surface.
- the wooden wicks burn slower, so the candles with such a wick will live longer.
- the main reason I personally love the wooden wicks is their crackling sound, that creates the incredibly cozy atmosphere.
- the cotton wicks burn with the high fire, the wooden wicks will burn low and are more about the atmosphere than the light.
So, the choice of the wick i
s your personal preference. I love the wooden wicks and choose them for my luxury line. You can also order a custom made candle with a wooden wick.
HEMP WICKS.
The Hemp wicks are organic wicks widely used as an alternative to cotton. They have defined advantages - they burn slower, with higher temperature (so 1 hemp wick can replace 2 cotton wicks). CONTAIN NO LEAD, ZINC OR OTHER METALS, NO SMOKE & NO BAD SMELL.
Why you don't see them in every candle? They cost more than cotton, so the candlemakers do not give them the prefe
rence.
Here is my personal choice of the wicks for the Wonder Candles: Hemp for the majority of collections, including Meditation and Luxury line, Wooden for the Luxury line of the certain size/diameter and Wooden candles, Cotton for smaller size candles, where Hemp would be too hot, including tea lights.
AMOUNT OF SCENT
THE MORE THE BETTER?
Personal preferences, of course. But let's see what is 'the more the better' in candle science.
The maximum load of fragrances in certain types of wax is 12%. Though the recommended average for soy wax is 6%. And if you add more it doesn't mean you will have stronger scent, it means you will have more free oil in the wax which most probably will burn rather than smell. So, the intensity of the scent depends more on the fragrance's qualities and less on its amount.
Some fragrances give a good throw in cold state, others - in hot. If a candle is scented with a blend of fragrances it will smell differently when cold/warm/hot. Candles scented with essential oils only will smell less when the candle is heated but give a natural cozy and long lasting scent when the candle is cold.
There are some important rules to follow if you want your candle to keep a good smell:
- don't keep a candle burning more than 2-3 hours at a time to avoid fragrances' overheat
- when you want to stop the candle - cover it with the cup/lid and then lift it to let the smoke go
- trim the wick to 3 mm every time you start a candle and always remove the burnt part of the wick to avoid sooting.
Some fragrances can make you feel sick (read my previous post), the others have the healing effect. The variety of scents is huge, the variety of fragrances is limitless. My advice again: choose the candles with mild, natural scents, and for stronger home aromas use diffusers or wax melts - the load of fragrance there is higher, but they do not burn, means they keep the good smell longer.