How Soon Can You Burn A Homemade Candle?

Candle making is an ancient craft that dates back thousands of years. In fact, archeologists have found evidence of early candle making as far back as 3000 BC. For most of history, candles served as one of the main sources of light and were vital for daily life. Nowadays, candle making has experienced a resurgence in popularity as a hobby and creative outlet. With just a few simple ingredients like wax, wicks, and fragrance, anyone can make their own homemade candles.

However, there is an important step between finishing the candle and lighting it up – the curing process. Properly curing a candle allows the wax to stabilize and helps ensure proper burn and performance. Rushing to burn an uncured candle can be risky. This guide will walk through the curing process and provide tips for safely testing when your homemade candle is ready to burn.

Safety Concerns

Burning a freshly made candle before it has had time to properly cure can be dangerous. According to quora.com, candles have an open flame that can easily ignite nearby flammable materials if left unattended, posing a fire hazard (Is it Safe to Burn Candles Unattended?). Burning too soon can also lead to issues like tunneling, where the wax melts unevenly, or poor scent throw. Allowing the candle to cure gives the fragrance and oils time to set up properly within the wax. Burning before the oils and scent have stabilized can cause them to burn off too quickly or unevenly.

Curing Process

The curing process is an important step after pouring candles that helps them burn properly and have an even wax pool. According to The Spruce Crafts, curing allows excess moisture from fragrance oils and dyes to evaporate from the wax. If a candle is burned too soon, this moisture can cause issues like cracking, frosting, and tunneling of the wax. Curing allows the wax to harden fully and strengthens the scent throw. The curing timeframe depends on the wax type.

Testing Candle Readiness

Before burning a new homemade candle, it’s important to test if it’s fully cured and ready to burn safely. Here are some tips for testing candle readiness:

Conduct a dent test by gently pressing into the candle with your fingertip. If the indentation springs back, the candle has cured. If the dent remains, it needs more time. Wait a full 7-14 days for soy candles or 2-4 weeks for paraffin candles before testing.

Check wick stiffness by gently bending the wick. It should be upright and firm, not limp. The wick needs to stand up straight to ensure proper burning. Let candles cure for at least 48 hours before testing wick stiffness.

Do a burn test by lighting the candle for 30-60 minutes. The top should melt evenly across the entire surface. The flame should be steady and not produce smoke or soot. If the candle tunnels or has an uneven melt pool, it may need more curing time.

Refer to this guide for details on performing a complete burn test.

Ideal Cure Times

The cure time needed for candles depends on the type of wax used. Here are some general guidelines for recommended cure times with different waxes:

Paraffin Wax – Cure for 24-48 hours. Paraffin wax candles can typically be burned after 1-2 days of curing time according to Candle Curing for Beginners.

Soy Wax – Cure for 1-2 weeks. The general recommendation for soy wax is to cure for 1-2 weeks before burning, with as close to 2 weeks as possible. Soy wax remains somewhat pliable as it cures, so maximum hardness is achieved after 14 days per Candle Curing for Beginners.

Coconut Soy Blend – Cure for 72 hours minimum. Coconut soy wax blends should cure for at least 3 days according to manufacturers like Virgin Coconut Soy Wax. Longer cure times up to 2 weeks are recommended for maximum hardness.

Beeswax – No cure time needed. 100% beeswax candles do not require any curing time and can be burned immediately after pouring and cooling per beekeeping sources.

The longer cure time, the better for any candle wax. But following these general guidelines will help ensure your homemade candles have hardened properly before lighting.

Tips for Faster Curing

There are a few key conditions that can help speed up the candle curing process:

Temperature – Exposing the candle to mildly warm temperatures between 100-125°F can help the wax finish crystallizing and curing faster. This can be done by placing candles in a warm room, near a heat vent, or using a blow dryer or heat gun to gently warm the outside of the container [1]. Don’t overheat or you may cause sinking or separation.

Airflow – Allowing air circulation around curing candles helps carry away evaporating volatile scents and solvents from the wax. Avoid curing candles in enclosed boxes or bags. Let them cure open to the air instead [2].

Diameter – Candles with a smaller diameter will cure faster than thicker candles because the wax throughout is closer to the surface where evaporation occurs. Large pillar candles may require longer cure times than thinner tapers or votives.

Burning Cured Candles

Once a candle has been properly cured, you can expect an optimized burn when you light it. A fully cured candle will provide an even burn across the entire wax pool, without tunneling (where the flame melts through the center but leaves wax around the edges). The wax will melt from the edges inward at an even rate.

In addition to a proper melt pool, a cured candle will also have an enhanced scent throw. During the curing process, the fragrance oils and waxes have time to fully marry and bind together. This allows the scent to release cleanly when the candle is burned, without being distorted by excess oils leaching out.

According to candlemaking experts, burning a candle before it has cured can lead to issues like poor scent throw, tunneling, murky melt pools, wet spots, dripping, and more (cite source). Candle curing requires patience, but allows for the best possible performance.

Troubleshooting

Burning a candle before it has fully cured can lead to several issues, most commonly soot buildup, drowned wicks, and poor hot throw. Soot occurs when the wax near the wick does not get hot enough to fully liquefy and vaporize. The unmelted wax particles escape up the wick and into the air as black soot. Drowned wicks happen when the melted wax pool is not deep enough to keep the wick upright, causing it to flop over into the wax and become snuffed out. Finally, poor hot throw refers to the candle having a weak scent when burning. When candles are not fully cured, the fragrance oil can seep out of the wax before being locked in, resulting in less scent throw when burned.

To avoid these problems, it’s crucial to let candles cure completely after pouring and cooling – usually 48-72 hours. Test the readiness by gently poking the top of the wax with a toothpick. If the indentation remains, it needs more time. Once cured, trim wicks to 1⁄4” before burning to prevent excess soot. Additionally, pour candles high enough to support the wick as the wax pool melts. Following proper curing and wick prep steps will help homemade candles burn cleanly and strongly.

Storing Cured Candles

After a candle is cured and ready to burn, proper storage is important to preserve the quality and shelf life before burning. Here are some tips for storing cured candles:

Store candles in a cool, dry place away from direct light and heat sources like windows, stoves, or heating vents. Fluctuating temperatures can cause wax to sweat or candles to get misshapen (source). An ideal storage temperature is around 60-75°F.

Keep candles stored in their original container if possible, as this prevents wax exposure to air, light, and dust. If transferring to storage boxes, use opaque, airtight containers like rubber bins or boxes (source).

Store candles away from aerosols, perfumes, cleaning products, or scented soaps that could interact with the fragrance. Don’t store in places like bathrooms or near chemicals.

Avoid storage areas prone to moisture like basements, garages, or sheds. Humidity can damage candles (source).

With proper storage, most candles will stay fresh and ready to burn for 6-12 months after curing. Soy candles may last 1-2 years, while beeswax can last 2+ years before use.

Conclusion

To recap, properly curing your homemade candles before burning them is crucial to achieving optimal performance. Rushing to burn an uncured candle can result in issues like poor scent throw, tunneling, and cracking. Most candle wax blends require a minimum curing time of 24-48 hours before lighting. However, longer cure times of 1-2 weeks are ideal for allowing the fragrance to fully set and the wax crystals to stabilize. While it may be tempting to sample your creation right away, a little patience goes a long way in candle making. Taking the time to properly cure your candles will be rewarded with stronger fragrance, better wax adhesion, and more even burn properties. With the right techniques, you can speed up cure times to some degree. But never burn a candle before it has had at least 24 hours to cure and harden fully. Following proper curing and testing procedures will ensure your homemade candles burn beautifully from the very first light.