There are two simple ways to care for your candle : (1) allow for the right burn time and (2) trim the wick.

Burn Time: Every time you light a candle, it should burn for a minimum of about 1.5-2 hours to ensure that the wax pool has time to expand to the edges of your container (or at least very close). This will allow the candle wax to melt down together, maximizing the burn, and keeping the sides of your container clean. If you burn your candle for a short period of time, this will usually cause tunneling. This is where the wax pool didn’t have enough time to expand and on each burn the wick continues sinking down the middle, leaving significant wax around the outside and shortening the life of your beautiful candle. 

Wick Care: The cotton wick should always be about 1/4" in length and any mushrooming at the top should be trimmed. 1/4" is much shorter than you may think, but this will keep the flame from getting too big, mushrooming, and smoking. This doesn't mean that you will have to trim the wick every time you light your candle, but you should always check! The wood wick should always be between 1/8” and 1/4” and should be trimmed before every use. Fancy candle trimmers are nice, but using your fingers works great too!

Sabbath Candle Care: Our candles are best burned for a minimum of 1.5 hours and up to 3 hours. You should never burn a candle for more than 4 hours. Wicks will often need to be trimmed after the first burn. Be sure to only trim the wick once the candle has cooled, this allows the wick to strengthen and prevents any small burnt pieces falling into hot wax. After the first burn, Sabbath's cotton wicks will sometimes break near the bottom when you go to trim, don't worry! The wick will still light and burn well. We have found that they might not need to be trimmed after that, they will maintain a healthy size for each subsequent burn. 

Our Classic 7oz candle will not burn all the way to the edge of the glass, but it will get very close and after multiple burns, the flame will melt the remaining wax around the edges looking beautiful on every burn.

If you have any issues with your Sabbath candle, please reach out and let us know. 

Beeswax: the queen of all the wax types, beeswax emits negative ions binding to and removing toxins from the air. Beeswax also has the highest melting point of any wax, meaning that it has the slowest burn, giving you a longer lasting candle. We don’t often see beeswax used in mass production because it rivals coconut wax in cost, it’s the most expensive to use, but the best ingredient for candles.

Coconut: coconut wax is a close runner up to beeswax in our opinion. Although it doesn’t clean the air like beeswax, it does no harm. Coconut wax is considered the luxury of waxes because of it’s clean white color and soot-free burn. Coconut is also rarely used in the candle industry or it’s used in small amounts because it too is quite expensive. Candles that say “Coconut Blend” are likely combined with paraffin or soy to produce a cheaper candle.

Paraffin: Paraffin wax is made from petroleum, a by-product of making gasoline for our cars. So why is paraffin used in our candles? It’s cheap. It’s rare to see a 100% paraffin candle, but it is often mixed with other types of waxes. We often find candles labeled “Soy Blend” and that commonly implies paraffin has been added. Studies have shown that the combustion process of the burning of paraffin release a chemical called toluene, which is a carcinogen for humans.

Soy: A 100% organic soy candle passes the test for a clean candle but many people may still avoid soy due to its inflammatory nature and impact on thyroid health. It’s rare to find a 100% soy candle, many are blended with paraffin to produce a cheaper candle.

The soy industry itself is extremely toxic. The pesticides and the overproduction of soy in our nation is contaminating and depleting our farmland, soil quality, and water sources, harming our wildlife, and has been linked to birth defects in humans. Because soy can be inflammatory for many people (including our founder), it won’t be used in Sabbath candles. If you don’t commonly check food labels for ingredients, I encourage you to start, soy has infiltrated a host of commonly processed foods including chocolate, salad dressings, and various grains. If you decide to partake in anything with soy, make sure it’s organic!

Other Vegetable Waxes: Palm oil or rapeseed oil are other waxes used in candle making. Similar to soy, if I won’t consume it, I won’t breathe it. 

Zinc, paper, bleached, coated, and treated wicks are all red flags in the clean candle world. Sabbath uses a 100% cotton wick that has been coated in 100% beeswax as well as untreated wood wicks. Purity of the candle and avoiding harmful or unknown substances is essential, wicks are no exception. In our research we found that the more popular cotton or hemp wicks are coated in paraffin or soy. Many wicks also have paper woven in to keep it sturdy and upright. Zinc cores are also common to keep the wick stiff. It was only in 2003 that lead core wicks were banned, which tells us how far behind the candle industry is in establishing safe standards. 

Fragrance: The term “fragrance” in the candle industry wreaks of toxicity. Did you know that a single fragrance can have thousands of ingredients? Fragrances are known to release volatile organic compounds that may increase risk of cancer.

It makes sense why so many people get headaches from popular fragranced candles. Even essential oil scent blends can have quite a few added ingredients, always check the labels! If they aren’t transparent, we don’t recommend it.

Dyes: Unfortunately, most dyes emit formaldehyde and other toxic compounds. So until we are confident of an ingredient that will work, you’ll know our brand by the soft creamy color of the coconut and beeswax blend. 

Smoke: Smoke in general is not good to inhale. Which is why it’s important to keep your wick trimmed and place candles in a well ventilated area. When blowing out a candle, we recommend blowing out the flame and then immediately placing a lid on top (a small plate will do if the candle does not have a lid). If you’re feeling fancy you can always dip the wick in the wax which will extinguish the flame without any smoke, this will often dirty the wax, so we don’t recommend it, although it is the best way to keep smoke out the house. 

Immediate Side Effects of Poor Quality Candles

• Asthma attacks
• Allergic reactions
• Headaches
• Dizziness
• Lead poisoning

Long Term Side Effects of Poor Quality Candles

• Endocrine disrupting
• Cancer
• Birth defects