"What are those for?" is a question that I am asked the most as someone points to a fancy set of scissors at my market booth.
When I tell them that they are wick trimmers, most people are confused or they have never heard that you need to trim your candle wicks.
Wick trimming entails a lot more than just getting to play with a fancy set of scissors--although that is reason enough for me--if you know me, you know that I can't get enough of the fancy little candle accessories!
Three reasons to trim your candle wicks
1) Trimming your candle wick extends the life of your candle. Trimming the wick ensures that the candle does not get too hot, and the wax pool melt too deep. If the candle flame is too big, you will use up your candle way faster than if you gave that sooty little wick a trim.
2) By trimming your wick you are making sure that the glass jar does not get too hot. We have all been a culprit of letting our wick get too long, and your flame getting out of control. A flame that is too big will make it so that the jar can get too hot and potentially crack. This is a big hazard and a big no-no. A flame that is running wild will also make black sooty smoke that will build up on the outside of your candle jar (not pretty) and that smoke can stain your walls--yuck.
3) Trimming your candle wick makes it so that the fragrance and scent is properly released into the room. If your candle flame gets too big and out of control not only is it a safety hazard, but it can also affect the strength of your candles. If the flame is too big, the fragrance and natural essential oils in your candle could potentially burn off and combust before they are released into your space leaving you with a candle with no smell.
How To Trim a Candle Wick
Never trim a wick while the candle is burning. When you purchase a soy wax candle from Wax Crescent, the cotton wick is the perfect length for lighting. Before the next time you light the candle, if you notice that the wick has curled, is longer than a 1/4" or is mushrooming (where it kind of looks like the end has split) take scissors or wick trimmers and give that candle wick a little snip. Make sure not to let the wick trimmings fall into the candle jar.
While you can certainly use scissors to trim your soy wax candles, I recommend using wick trimmers for a few reasons. Wick trimmers have a little dish at the end to catch the wick trimmings so it does not fall back into your candle, and the wick trimmers are slanted so that they can reach the bottom of the jar as you get near the end of your candle.
No matter your tool of choice, alway trim your wick!