Understand Why a Wick Burns Too Fast
If you’ve noticed your candle's flame growing large and burning out quickly, it usually means the wick is too long or thick. This leads to excessive melting, high flames, and soot. Fixing this starts with understanding the wick's behavior. Our hand poured candles at Karessa Candles are crafted with balanced wicks for a clean burning candle experience, but if trimmed incorrectly, even the best wick can burn too fast.
Trim the Wick Before Every Use
The first and easiest fix is to trim the wick to about ¼ inch before each burn. Use a wick trimmer or scissors to cut it cleanly. This prevents the flame from growing too large and overheating the wax. When using soy wax candles, like the ones in our luxury candle jars, a trimmed wick ensures a slower, more controlled burn and extends the life of your candle.
Avoid Drafty Areas and Let a Full Melt Pool Form
Airflow plays a huge role in how your candle burns. A fast-burning wick can be made worse if the candle is placed near fans, open windows, or AC vents. Moving your candle to a stable area ensures an even melt and helps you create a full melt pool. This is crucial for long lasting candles and stops the wick from tunneling or consuming wax too quickly. It’s a smart part of ongoing candle maintenance.
Choose Properly Designed Candles
A lot of issues with fast-burning wicks come from poorly made candles with oversized wicks or low-quality wax blends. When you choose thoughtfully formulated eco-friendly candles from Karessa Candles, you benefit from carefully measured wick-to-jar ratios that burn at the right pace. Our blends are designed for consistent performance, so once you manage wick length, the rest follows naturally.
Re-center the Wick if Needed
Sometimes a wick may lean or tilt during burning, causing one side of the candle to melt faster. After extinguishing the flame, use a wick dipper or a toothpick to gently reposition the wick toward the center. This allows even heat distribution and avoids one-sided burning. Proper alignment, especially in candle wick repair, is key to controlling the burn rate and keeping your fast burning wick in check.
