How to Get the Most Out of Your Candles
Unboxing the Candles
Hurray! After carefully deciding which scents to try, you placed your order. Our Mythologie Elves hand-poured them with love and wrapped them carefully to send across to you, and now they've arrived, it's time to get super excited!
Our candles aren't just wax and fragrances. From the packaging to the scents, we created them so that you could experience a moment of enchantment in your home and immerse yourself in a fantasy realm, so why not turn it into an experience?
We recommend playing some music, getting comfy, and taking your time to unwrap them. Once you've opened the box, first read the card that comes to learn how to care for your candles (more on that later on this page too!)
We work with talented artists to ensure that each of our boxes is covered in unique, custom art that tells a story. Whether it's the streams and pathways of a fantasy map or an illustrated scene of enchanted forests, seasonal celebrations, and faraway places, each piece of art is filled with tiny details from small animals, to patterns and symbols. Look them over and see what you can spot!
We write our descriptions to immerse you further into the story, so read over the text on the boxes and the postcard to experience the world of that candle or collection.
Once you open the candle box and see the candle for the first time, take a moment to admire the beautiful black tin or glass, the wooden engraved lid (if you purchased deluxe), as well as the label art and scent description.
Then, it's time to smell your candle.
Burning Your Candle for the First Time
Now that you've smelled your candle cold and unboxed it, it's time to burn it for the first time. Here's what we recommend for your first burn:
- Trim the wick to ⅛ - ¼ inch
- Burn in a well-ventilated area, away from drafts and strong air currents
- Look for a calm, steady flame (not too much flickering, high flame, or smoking)
How to Properly Smell a Candle
Building the best scents involves creating multiple scent layers, called 'notes'. When you smell your candle, see which scent layers you notice.
Top Notes
Top notes are the things you smell first and are often made up of fragrances that are light and fresh, such as a herbal or citrus scent. The top notes are what pull you into the scent and create a transition into the deeper middle and bottom notes.
Middle Notes
The middle notes are what form the basis of the scent and make up most of the fragrance, often referred to as 'heart notes'. Middle scents might include fruit, spice, black pepper, and pine.
Base Notes
Base notes are used in complete contrast to the top notes. Rather than being fresh and invigorating, they have a richer, more complex depth to them. Base notes are often woodsy or musky and can include things such as amber, patchouli, and sandalwood.
Basic Candle Care Instructions
It's important to care for your candle properly so you can get the most out of it, we recommend always following this advice:
- Avoid short burns - when you burn your candle, you want to create a melt pool (where the whole top of the candle melts), this will prevent something called 'tunneling', where the edges remain unmelted but the center melts inwards
- Don’t touch the wax while it is melted - it's hot and can damage the even burn of the candle
- Don’t burn the candle all the way down - the bottom of the wax has a higher amount of fragrance oils (which are flammable), so burning it all the way down can cause a fire hazard
- If burning more than one candle at a time (we love combining scents!), place them at least 3 inches apart
- Keep the wax pool free of debris and wick trimmings for a clean, safe burn
- Place on a non-flammable surface with space around and above it
- Don’t let a cotton wick ‘mushroom’, this means it has been burning for too long
- Watch the flame height - make sure it’s not too tall or out of control
Storage:
- Store your candle in a cool, dry place to ensure it stays in top condition
- Keep your candle out of direct sun (it could cause it to fade)
Common Questions
Trim the wick to ⅛ - ¼ inch.
Clear the candle of debris.
First, try trimming the wick to ⅛ - ¼ inch. If there is a lot of smoke, make sure the candle is in a place with a little less ventilation to remove any drafts.
1. Either melt the edge tunneling with a lighter or heat gun if you have one, or you can use a knife and gently scrape the tunneling off the edges and into the middle. This won’t look pretty at first but don't worry, it melts ;)
2. Next, take a pair of needle-nose pliers (really any pliers will work) or your fingers if they are strong and gently wiggle the wick slightly from side to side to loosen it from the wax (width-wise).
3. Now you can gently pull the wick up almost like you are pulling it right out of the candle but you are only going to pull it up enough to be at the right height so when you light it the flame can melt the wax you removed from the sides.
You might need to adjust the wick height again after you get that burn pool going again but you will have saved the candle from continuing to tunnel!
Different size candles work best in different rooms, and each fragrance is slightly different in strength.
The sample size candles usually do not have enough scent throw to cover a large area, so we recommend that they are used in small rooms and well-ventilated spaces (airflow can really influence how much a scent travels) as they are samples and don't have the power of a full-sized candle.
We use vegan ingredients that are considered much more natural than what you get at big box stores, which means less harsh chemicals and more natural fragrances which sometimes aren’t as “hit-you-in-the-face” strong as the big stores.
We use the maximum amount of fragrance load that is safe for our wax. If we were to go higher than that it can become dangerous and flammable!
Be mindful of where you place your candle. A well-ventilated room will spread the scent of the candle better than a stagnant room. If you are trying to smell your candle better, do not lean directly over the flame to smell - that won’t work. Instead, go near it, and try to waft the air toward you with your hands from a safe distance.
Finally, the olfactory part of your brain (the part that distinguishes and records smell) is unique to you and everyone has a different “nose”. What one person finds to be a light scent, someone else finds overpowering!
People also pick up different notes, just like wine, as everyone’s palate is slightly different. If you are concerned about your candle, please send an email to care@mythologiecandles.com , we'd love to help out.
What Should I do After my Candle is Finished?
Remember, don't burn your candle all the way down as this can cause a fire hazard.
We recommend putting your candle in the freezer and popping the spare wax out, you can use this in a wax warmer if you like or just dispose of it.
Now you are left with a beautiful tin or jar! It can be recycled (always check your local recycling), but why not use it?
Our Facebook groupis filled with wonderful ideas on how to reuse your candle jars, everything from pencil holders to plant pots!
If you have a great idea, join the group and share it!