Your first burn, done right

The first time you light a candle decides how it will burn for the rest of its life. Wax has a kind of memory: on each burn, the melt pool tends to stop where it stopped the time before. Blow a new candle out after twenty minutes and it will dig a narrow tunnel down the middle, leaving a ring of unused wax around the wall.

Give it time

On the first burn, let the candle stay lit until the melt pool reaches the edge, or very nearly. For our vessels that takes around two hours; for a 7 cm pillar, allow two to three. Choose an evening when you will be in the room the whole time.

Beeswax melts at around 63 °C, higher than paraffin or soy, which is why it burns so slowly. It also means the pool spreads gradually. Be patient: the edge usually comes in during the last half hour.

Before you light it

1. Trim the cotton wick to about 5 mm. A long wick makes a tall, smoky flame.
2. Set the candle on a level, heat-safe surface, away from drafts, curtains and shelves above.
3. Light the wick close to its base, so the flame reaches the wax straight away.

After

Snuff the flame, or dip the wick into the melted wax and straighten it again. Let the candle cool completely before you move it: liquid beeswax holds its heat for a while.

From the second burn on, aim for one to three hours at a time, and never more than four. If the flame grows tall or starts to flicker, put it out, trim the wick and light it again.

A candle remembers its first burn. Give it two hours.

Pillars are a little different

A free-standing pillar does not always melt all the way to its outer edge, and it should not: that thin outer wall is what holds the pool in. If a rim builds up over time, press it gently inward while the wax is still warm and soft. It will feed the flame and keep the candle burning evenly.

If your candle shows a soft white film on its surface, that is bloom, a natural sign of pure beeswax. Wipe it with a soft cloth and the gold comes back.