Modern candles are being designed with multiple wicks, but are these better than the traditional one-wick candles? The following guide will answer all your questions regarding this.
The newer, 3-wick candles are considerably better than the old 1-wick style. They burn brighter, longer, and have many other benefits over the different designs. This is why they are quickly gaining popularity over one-wick candles.
To know more about multiple-wick candles, how you can use them, and how to create one for yourself, keep on reading.
Why Do You Need Multiple-Wick Candles?
The general guideline regarding candle-burning is that you leave them on for a few hours, let the top layer of candle wax melt evenly, and blow it out.
Specific shapes of candles, however, do not allow this procedure to take place efficiently. This is especially true for containers with irregular or odd shapes like a large rectangle or square candle.
These candles require more than one wick. If not, the wick will burn through the wax, digging a small hole in it. The top layer of the candle will not burn evenly. The wax will accumulate on the sides, a large part of the candle will be wasted, and it will be a mess to clean. Read more about Candle Tunneling and how to fix it and Why Do Candles Have Multiple Wicks.
This is why multiple-wick candles are required.
How Are Multiple-Wick Candles Better Than The Traditional One-Wick Candles?
This new design has many benefits. Apart from being more efficient in terms of an even candle-wax burn, they provide several other favorable features.
- Less wastage
If you genuinely love scented candles, you must know how upsetting it is to throw away wasted candle-wax, knowing that you did not get the most out of it. To avoid this, multiple-wick candles are the best option. They melt candle-wax evenly so that none of it gathers around the jar and gets wasted.
- Brighter burn
Because of the multiple fires blazing inside the jar, the room becomes brighter. The candle gives more light and offers more functionality.
- More fragrance
In contrast to the single-wick candles that need to be lit for several hours to get maximum fragrance in the room, these multiple-wick designs work more efficiently and distribute more fragrance in a shorter duration. This means that you will have to light the candle for a shorter period and can blow it off when there is an equal and satisfying distribution of scent in the room.
- Aesthetically pleasing
Let’s be honest, multiple-wick candles just look much more pleasing to the eye than the regular ones. They’re stylish, modern, and more ambient. They light up the room nicely, but they’re very elegant to look at too. Every candle-lover wants to have at least one of these in their collection.
- Reusable containers
Multiple-wick candles are usually large to compensate for their quick burning. They have a larger amount of candle wax in a much bigger jar. These jars can be reused after the candle has burnt out. They are big enough to be utilized as jewelry boxes, pin-holders, stationery cups, and anything else you can think of.
The Drawbacks Of Having Multiple-Wick Candles
- Decreased durability
As a result of multiple fires burning in the jar, the candle wax melts faster and the jar empties quicker than one-wick candles. On average, multiple-wick candles burn approximately 30 to 50 hours. Hence, these will last you a shorter amount of time than the traditional style of candles.
- More expensive
These multiple-wick candles are more expensive than the single-wick ones because of their decreased durability and modern design. This can be quite a pickle for those who are not willing to spend a lot of money on scented candles.
Read our full review on Best 3-Wick Candles.
How Can I Get The Most Out Of My Multiple-Wick Candle?
Since these candles are quite expensive, you must know how to get the most benefit out of them. You don’t want to waste a good candle, do you? The following are some of the ways you can make your multiple-wick candle last longer.
- Select thoughtfully
Candle waxes that are made of pure soy have a longer life and are much more durable.
- 4 hours duration
As mentioned earlier, ideally, you should only let a candle burn for less than 4 hours at a time. Any more than this can give birth to negative aspects of the candle. So, to make sure that you are using the candles right, without harming yourself, let them burn for a maximum of 4 hours and blow them off.
- Trim the wicks
Trimming is essential to maintain the quality of the burn and improve the life of the candle. Every time you blow the candle out, let it cool and then trim its wicks. About 1/4th inch is enough.
Doing this will improve the quality of the fire blaze, but it will also make sure that the wicks burn through a smaller amount of wax the next time you light them up.
Plus, trimming wicks can help decrease the level of harmful smoke and soot released by the candle.
- Avoid humidity and wind.
Contrary to what most people believe, the wind will not just blow out your candle. Keeping your candle lighted outdoors or in a windy environment will irritate the burning wick and make it struggle to stay alive. This way, it will use up candle wax and will result in a faster burn. Your candle will run out much quicker than it initially would have.
Similarly, humidity in the air will swell your candle wax and form air pockets in the wax. The wicks will burn much faster through the air pockets and make your candle run out quicker.
If you are to use the candle outdoors, or in a humid environment such as the bathroom, cover it with a lantern or a glass jar to reduce the exposure of wind and moisture to the fire.
How Should I Maintain My Multiple-Wick Candles?
If your candle is not burning evenly and the surface of candle wax is irregular, the simplest way to solve this issue is to let the candle burn for a few minutes. Now, blow it out and let it cool down completely. Next, take a spoon and carve through the candle wax parts that are higher or irregular. Level down the wax inside the jar and trim the wicks. The wax that you carved out can be melted and reused.
Can I Make My Own Multiple-Wick Candle?
If you don’t want to go out and by a multiple-wick candle for yourself, making one at home is an easy and fun activity. Let us break it down into steps for your ease.
- Select a strong, durable, glass jar that you want to make the candle in. Clean it properly and dry it completely.
- Get a suitable amount of candle wax and melt it.
- Grab a few of your favorite essential oils and add a few drops to the wax.
- On the side, cut a good, generous length of three wicks for your candle. As an approximate length, keep the wicks an inch taller than the height of your jar.
- Place the wicks inside the jar, making sure that all of them have an equal distance in between and a good distance from the sides of the container.
- If your wicks are too close to the glass it is likely to raise the temperature too high and break the jar.
- If you are making a double-wick candle in a round jar, the distance between the two wicks should be equal to their distance from the sides of the jar.
- If you are going for a triple-wick candle, divide the jar’s diameter into three equal parts and place the wicks accordingly.
- The same rule applies to any number of wicks that you decide to use.
- Now that the wicks are in place pour the hot, melted wax inside the jar and leave it to cool. Ensure that the wicks are secure and will not move, because if they do, it will be very hard to fix them after the wax cools and hardens.
- Add more wax on top and cut off the excess wicks to maintain an appropriate length.
- Your DIY multiple-wick candle is ready!
Why Do Candles Have Multiple Wicks?
More specifically, multiple wick candles have emerged. Multiple wick candles help distribute enough heat to burn bigger candles. Because of the larger size, these candles cannot rely on a single wick to burn the wax properly or produce enough light or scent into the surrounding areas. Multiple wick candles also produce a bit more light due to their being more light source.
The wick is the most important part of a candle as it produces the light and scent as it burns down into the wax. Wicks are typically made from braided cotton. This material burns the best and is able to keep a steady flame among the wax.
How Many Wicks Can You Have In A Candle?
Even though it depends entirely on your personal preference, the rule of thumb states that you can add one wick for every one-inch container for any larger than three inches. So, if you have a four-inch-wide jar, you can place two wicks at a distance of two inches. You can add five wicks in a jar that is as wide as five inches, and the mathematics goes on.
Apart from this, if your container is large and has a lot of candle wax, you can add multiple wicks to it. However, a lower jar of candle wax with less depth and quantity might not burn for long if it has multiple wicks.
Hence, the answer to how many wicks you can add to a candle is answered by the total diameter of your container and the amount of candle-wax in it.