For most professional candle makers, the process usually goes smooth and without major issues. With the right equipment and ingredients and by knowing the correct methods, you can’t really go wrong. However, from time to time you might notice that your finished candles are not quite perfect even though you did everything by the book. You might end up with wet spots, weak scent or too small flame. This can be really frustrating and not always so easy to fix. If you have ever ended up with some problems, you might know the feeling. In this article, we are going to cover the cases when your candle just wouldn’t burn right. So why is your candle flame too small and what can you do to avoid or fix it? Let’s see what you need to know about the issue!

What can affect the candle flame?

If you ever used your own candles, you might check out the quality of it. It’s important to know how your candle burns, how strong the scent became and the overall quality of using it. In order to understand what can cause a small flame, apart from checking the candle, you should also know the burning process itself. When you light your candle, the heat starts to vaporize your melted wax which consists of carbon and hydrogen. Carbon and hydrogen reacts with the oxygen in the air thus feeding the flame.

After this rather boring chemistry class, let’s see the point! If your candle flame is too small, it either misses fuel – so wax - or oxygen. Most of the cases, these errors are caused by issues with and around your candle wick.

Firstly, your wick might be too short to create a flame – this obviously results in a smaller flame. It might sound tricky but the solution is simple. After blowing out your candle, melt the wax with a heat gun around the wick until it is long enough to support a normal flame. This way you don’t have to wait too long to use your candle again. Secondly, your wick might be clogged from additives such as fragrance oils or dyes. For that, you don’t really have a solution but you can rather avoid it next time. Lastly, your candle simply might not have good air flow which can be solved by placing it somewhere else or using different container next time.

Things to keep in mind

As mentioned above, some issues cannot be solved after already finishing the candle making process. However, these are good learning moments as you can avoid future mistakes by paying attention. So if you notice that more of your candles have too small flames, you might use too much oil or other additives. If you are sure about the correct amounts, it might be your wax itself. Check the label to see the additives in it as it might be worth switching to a better quality option.

All things considered, a too small flame is usually caused by errors with the which or maybe too much additive. Either way, it is worth examining your candle and figure out the cause of the issue. This way you can avoid errors in the future and keep on making amazing and good quality candles. After all, safety is first when it comes to candles!

If you've got the opposite problem with a flame that's too big, check out this article.