How to Care for Your Hand-Poured Coconut Wax Candle
You've just received your STG candle — beautiful, fragrant, and hand-poured with love. Now what? Caring for a luxury hand-poured candle is simpler than you think, and doing it right means more hours of beautiful scent and a longer-lasting candle.
1. The First Burn Is Everything
The most important thing you can do for your candle is nail the first burn. Coconut apricot wax has what's called a "memory" — it will always melt to the same width it reached on the first burn. If you only burn it for 30 minutes and the wax only melts halfway across, you'll get tunneling every time after that.
Rule: On the first burn, let your candle burn until the wax pool reaches the full edge of the vessel. For our 8oz candles, that's about 2–3 hours. For our 11oz double-wick candles, plan for 3–4 hours.
2. Trim Your Wick Before Every Burn
A wick that's too long causes excessive flickering, black soot, and uneven burning. Before every single burn, trim your wick to ¼ inch. A simple pair of scissors or a dedicated wick trimmer works perfectly.
You'll know your wick needs trimming if the flame is very tall or if you see black soot on the inside of the vessel.
3. Never Burn Longer Than 4 Hours at a Time
After 4 hours, the wick can start to "mushroom" — forming a carbon buildup at the tip that causes smoking and reduces fragrance quality. Extinguish your candle, let it cool completely, trim the wick, and relight when ready.
4. Keep It Away From Drafts
Fans, open windows, and air vents cause uneven burning and can push the flame toward one side of the vessel. For the cleanest, most even burn, place your candle somewhere still.
5. Store It Right
Coconut wax is sensitive to temperature and sunlight. Store your candle in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight, which can cause discoloration and affect the fragrance oils. Keep the lid on when not in use to protect the scent.
6. Know When to Stop
When your candle burns down to about ½ inch of remaining wax, it's time to retire it. Burning below that level can overheat the vessel. The good news? Our glass and cement vessels are beautiful enough to reuse — clean them out with warm soapy water and repurpose them as a planter, storage jar, or décor piece.
Why Coconut Apricot Wax?
At STG Candles, we chose coconut apricot wax for a reason. It burns cleaner and cooler than paraffin, has superior scent throw, and is completely natural and sustainable. Paired with our cruelty-free, non-toxic, vegan fragrance oils and cotton wicks, you get a candle that's as good for your home as it is for your senses.
Have questions about your candle? Reach out to us — we're always happy to help.