How to Get the Best Burn From Your Candle

A candle has a memory. The way you burn it the first few times decides how it burns for the rest of its life, so a little care at the start pays off in every evening after.

Let the first burn reach the edges. The first time you light a candle, let it burn until the melted wax reaches all the way to the rim of the tin. For our tins that usually means a couple of hours. Blow it out too soon and the wax tunnels down the middle, leaving a wall of unused wax around the edge.

Trim the wick before every light. Once the wax has cooled, trim the cotton wick to about 5 mm. A short wick gives a calm, steady flame; a long one flickers, smokes and leaves soot on the tin.

Don't burn for more than about four hours at a time. Long burns overheat the wick and the tin. Let the candle cool, trim, and light it again another day.

Keep it out of drafts. Fans, open windows and air conditioners make the flame dance and the wax melt unevenly. A still corner gives the best scent throw.

Stop when there's about a centimetre of wax left. Burning right to the bottom overheats the tin. What's left is a perfect excuse to reuse the tin — see our note on giving your tin a second life.