Sanne Olive Candle

Homemade candles by Sigrid van Apers. 

A burning beeswax candle is a living light. And those require your care and attention. Here some tips for sage and pleasant use:

• Do not leave bees wax candles burning unattended, as with any other candles.
• Do not place your bees wax candles too close together or next to another heat source.
• Make sure that the flame from your bees wax candle is kept away from flammable materials.
• Avoid draughts. Beeswax candles will also soot, drip and burn unevenly.
• If a bees wax candle burns unevenly, you can carefully bend the burning wick.
• In order to burn beautifully and evenly – especially with bigger candles – it is important that the entire surface becomes liquid every time. So let the candle burn for a long enough time.
• If the flame is a bit small it sometimes helps to let a little beeswax flow away and give the wick a little more air.
• If the rim around the wick is too high, the candle might not burn as nicely. You should therefore cut the rim when the candle has just gone out and the bees wax still feels warm.
• The ideal length for a wick is about 1 cm. A longer wick will usually soot. If it does, cut it back to 1 cm.
• Do not place the candle in direct sunlight or near a heat source such as a stove, so the candle doesn’t lose its shape.
• Soot and smoke-free extinguishing the candle is done by pressing the burning wick into the liquid bees wax. Do this with a quick, controlled movement. Then straighten it again. This will prevent the candle from smouldering. Moreover, this will make it easier to light your Dipam candle again.