As with any other candles, soy candles must be burned properly to get the most out of them, and for safety reasons. Here is a rundown on how to burn soy candles.

Soy candle wax has what’s called a memory. That means that when you burn a soy candle and then extinguish it, the next time you burn it, the soy candle wax will melt across as far as it did the first time.

This is why it is so important to allow soy candles to burn all the way across to the edge of the container the first time you burn it before putting it out. This ensures that your soy candle does not “tunnel” as it burns, leaving wax along the sides of the container.  A good rule of thumb is to burn your candle 1hr for every inch wide that the candle is. So if you have a 3inch wide soy candle, you may need to burn it for at least 3 hours for a good melt pool.

Speaking of melt pools…
This is where the scent is in scented soy candles. A good melt pool will give off the best fragrance throw.  1/4in deep for the melt pool is what I aim for in my scented soy candles when the candle is burning.

Too shallow of a melt pool will keep the candle from releasing the best amount of fragrance into the room. Too deep of a melt pool means the wick is too big for the candle and the candle will burn too hot , which means the soy candles wax will burn up too fast and the wick would need to be trimmed much more often.

Another tip is to keep your soy candles away from drafts to prevent smoking and soot. Soy candles produce little to no soot when burned properly, but any candle will smoke and create soot if exposed to too much air, which is what happens if there is a draft.

Keeping your wick trimmed to about 1/4in.  will also keep your soy candles from smoking and causing soot.

And most importantly, keep your soy candles away from anything flameable, and out of reach of children and pets.

You may notice some variations in the color of soy candles, especially candles that use 100% soy wax with no other additives. This is called “frosting”. It looks like small, whitish crystals that form on the top of the wax or the sides of the jar. It is similar to how chocolate sometimes forms that white frosted look. I’ve always tried to minimize this as much as possible, but it is very normal for soy wax to do. 100% soy wax candles also tend to frost over time, but this in no way affects how the candle burns.

Two ways to help minimize or eliminate frosting of your soy candles:

1. Make sure you don’t pour your soy wax too hot or too cool. This will most likely cause the candle to frost. Pour at 95-110 degrees. I always poured around 110 degrees and usually got nice results.
2. Make sure the room temperature isn’t too cold. I live in an old house that gets pretty cold in the winter and I always had more trouble with my candles frosting during that time due to cooling too quickly.

Those are the most likely causes of soy candle frosting. Now, some colors will frost over time and there’s not much you can do about it. I just tried to educate my customers about the character of soy candles so they know what to expect.

Now if your candles do frost after they’ve cooled, you can just take a blow dryer to the tops and just remelt the top layer and let it cool again and that usually fixes it.

If you don’t need 100% soy wax, you can also try kinds that have the natural oils added. One kind I’ve tried is the Millenium Blend Soy Wax by Enchanted Lites. I didn’t have much luck with it though and didn’t like the way it handled, so I just went back to the 100% Soy Container wax by Enchanted Lites. I have read in forums that some people really like the Millenium blend though, so you really just need to test it out yourself because there are so many factors involved as far as climate, humidity.