Congratulations on choosing to burn natural beeswax candles. For centuries beeswax candles have been sought after for their elegance and clean burning. Beeswax candles are smokeless and drip-free, and are said to naturally release negative ions, thus cleaning the air, as they burn. While initially more expensive, beeswax burns so much slower than paraffin candles the costs start to even out. Beeswax also burns hotter than paraffin resulting in that special golden glow that so many people associate with beeswax candles.
While many people choose beeswax candles purely for the joy, the burning of beeswax is the more environmentally friendly and health conscious choice as well. Unlike paraffin, a by-product of refining petroleum, beeswax is naturally produced by bees as they work the honey they created from the pollen they collected. In fact, it takes about 8 pounds of honey in order to produce 1 pound of beeswax. Beeswax will vary in its smell and colour depending on the variety of pollen available at the time. We do not dye or add perfume to any of our beeswax candles.
The beeswax we use for our candles is produced by either our own bees or by local beekeepers, and is all within a 100 mile radius of Winnipeg. While we import our wick (as there is no local source), we use only 100% natural fibre wick with no metal core. While other beeswax candlemakers use pre-waxed (paraffin!) wick for votives and tealights, we wax the wick for our tealights and votives ourselves. While much more work, the benefit of this is that our tealights and votives are truly 100% beeswax, and it allows us to use wick that is better suited for beeswax than that which is sold for paraffin candles.
For best results, trim wicks to 1/4 inch prior to burning. As a candle burns, carbon builds up on the wick – choking the wax supply and shrinking the flame. If you burn for extended periods of time, it may be necessary to re-trim the wick and re-light to return flame to full size. It is also best to burn pillars until there is a sizable wax pool before extinguishing. If you burn repeatedly for short periods of time, the candle will burn down and not out, shortening the life of your candle. When relighting a candle, it works best to place the candle lighter at the base of the wick so that a pool of wax will form.
Safety Precautions - Never leave candles burning unattended, and always use extra caution when burning candles with children or pets present. Remember the flame, melted wax, candle holders or glass can become quite hot. Seat candles firmly in proper holders, and please keep flame away from other burnables.