Candle care

Get every hour out of your candle.

A Moon & Back candle is built to burn for 50–60 hours. Whether it reaches that depends almost entirely on how you treat it in the first few burns.

The four golden rules.

Rule 01

The first burn sets the memory.

Wax has memory. The first time you burn your candle, let it burn long enough for the melt pool to reach the edge of the jar — wall to wall. This usually takes 2–3 hours. If you extinguish early, the wax will only melt to that radius on every subsequent burn, creating a tunnel.

One hour of burn time per inch of candle diameter. A 3.5" jar needs at least 3–4 hours on the first burn.

Rule 02

Trim the wick before every burn.

Break off the charred end of the wick before every burn. Aim for ¼ inch. A wick that's too long produces a large flame, excess soot, and uneven burning.

Signs your wick needs trimming: large or flickering flame, dark smoke, mushrooming at the tip, or black marks on the inside of the jar.

Rule 03

Never burn for more than four hours.

After four hours, extinguish the candle, let the wax fully solidify, trim the wick, and relight.

Always let the candle cool completely before relighting — at least 2 hours.

Rule 04

Stop at ½ inch of wax remaining.

Burning beyond ½ inch overheats the jar. Clean and repurpose the frosted glass jar.

To clean: warm oven at 170°F for 5 minutes, pour out wax, wipe, wash with soap and hot water.

Your first burn, step by step.

Remove all packaging before burning

Check wick — ¼ inch, break off black tip if needed

Choose your moment — plan for 2–4 hours minimum

Wait for full melt pool — edge to edge across entire surface

Extinguish and cool — at least 2 hours before relighting

Common mistakes to avoid.

Burning in a draught

Uneven burning, excess soot, fire risk.

Moving while lit or warm

Displaces wick, causes tunnelling.

Using water to extinguish

Never safe with hot wax.

Storing in direct sunlight or heat

Degrades fragrance oil.

Leaving it unattended

Safety rule, always.

Relighting warm wax

Wax not fully set, wick may be submerged.

Common questions.

Why is my candle tunnelling?

Almost always caused by extinguishing too early on the first burn. Can't be fully reversed but improve by burning longer and placing foil loosely over the top.

My wood wick won't stay lit — what's wrong?

Wick too long or not trimmed. Break off charred tip to ¼ inch. If still won't light, absorb some wax with a paper towel before relighting.

The scent seems weaker — is that normal?

Likely nose blindness. Try burning in a different room or take the candle away for a day — you'll find the throw is just as strong.

Can I reuse the jar?

Yes — intentional. 170°F oven for 5 minutes, pour out wax, wipe clean, wash with hot soapy water.

White discolouration on top — is it damaged?

This is frosting — completely normal with coconut wax. Doesn't affect scent or performance.

How should I store my candle?

Cool and dark — drawer or cupboard away from direct sunlight. UV degrades fragrance oil.