How To Burn A Soy Candle Properly (Make It Last Longer & Smell Stronger)

Burning a soy candle properly makes a huge difference to scent throw, longevity, and overall performance. If your candle tunnels, smokes, or doesn’t seem strong enough, a few small adjustments can completely change the way it burns. Here’s how to get the most out of your soy candle.

How To Get The Best Performance From Your Soy Candle

1. Keep candles away from drafts

A calm flame burns cleanly. Drafts cause flickering, uneven burning and soot.

When air moves the flame around, incomplete combustion occurs, releasing unburnt carbon. This leads to black smoke and a weaker scent.

Place candles away from windows, vents and doorways for a cleaner, longer burn.

2. Trim The Wick Before Each Burn

Trim your wick to around 5mm before lighting.

A long wick burns too hot, produces smoke and wastes fragrance. A trimmed wick gives a steady flame and improves scent performance.

Wick trimmers make this easier and cleaner.

3. The first burn is the most important

On the first burn, allow the melt pool to reach the edges of the container. Burning your candle for a maximum of 4 hours prevents tunnelling, in which wax builds up along the sides, reducing oxygen flow to the wick.

Don’t worry about a slight wax hang-up, as it will usually even out over time.

4. Use The Right Candle Size For The Room

A small candle cannot scent a large open-plan space.

The larger the room, the more fragrance is needed for noticeable scent throw. Choose a candle size based on the room size for the best results.

5. Extinguish Your Candle Correctly

Avoid blowing out your candle or trapping smoke within the lid.

Blowing can cause wax splatter and smoke contamination. Using a candle snuffer prevents smoke from affecting the fragrance.

6. Don’t Waste The Remaining Wax

For safety, stop burning when around 10mm of wax remains.

To enjoy the remaining fragrance, use a candle warmer to melt leftover wax without a flame.

Soy Candle FAQ

- How long should you burn a soy candle?

Burn for 2–4 hours at a time for best performance.

- Why is my soy candle tunnelling?

It likely wasn’t burned long enough during the first burn.

- Why can’t I smell my candle?

Room size, drafts, or nose blindness may affect scent perception.

- How often should you trim a candle wick?

Before every burn.

When burned correctly, a high-quality soy candle should burn evenly, release consistent fragrance, and last longer. Browse our collection of hand-poured aromatherapy candles, made in Wiltshire using pure essential oils.