What is Candle Tunneling and How to Avoid it?

July 23, 2021

Candles are supposed to be calming and beautiful, and when burned correctly, they are exactly that! However, as with most things, you can’t just simply “burn” a candle, there is a little more that goes into it. You may have noticed before that there is a ring of hardened wax around the outside edges of the melted wax and this ring simply continues down throughout the candle everytime you burn it. Eventually, it might become difficult to even light the candle and when you do, the candle might go out rather quickly because the melted wax, encased inside this stubborn ring of wax that won’t seem to melt, is flooding the wick and causing the flame to go out. To make sure you don’t have to experience the frustration of this experience and get the full use out of the next TLC candle that you buy and light, listen up cause we are going to give you some explanations!

The first time you light and then proceed to blow out your candle is setting the pattern for the rest of its life - you’ve made an irreversible mark. Whatever diameter the flame was able to melt the wax to, will forever be the same after that first snuff of the wick. For example, say you snuffed the wick for the first time while there was still half an inch of harden wax left around the outside, everytime you now light that candle, that half an inch of unmelted wax will be there, creating a tunnel, as is why this event is referred to as candle tunneling. Although candle tunneling is rather annoying and makes you feel as though you're wasting parts of your candle, there is a rather easy way to avoid it happening again! Once candle tunneling has occurred, you can’t get rid of it, but you can make sure it never happens again by simply becoming a little smarter with how you burn your candles. The next time you buy a fresh and new TLC candle and strike a match to it for the first time, let the wax melt all the way to the edges of the canister before you safely snuff the flame. This will ensure that the next time you light your elegant TLC candle, and every time after that, the wax will always melt to the edges and you will not have to deal with the hassle of candle tunneling and the annoyances that it brings.

Candles are meant to help in bringing relaxation and beauty into your life, and to help ensure that your candles are able to properly do their job as intended, you have to be conscious about how you are burning your candles. With a little bit of attention to detail and care, every light of a TLC candle can bring a moment of “me time” into your home.

-Kenzington Baxter, Guest Writer

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