Why Is The First Burn Of A Candle So Important?
The first burn of a candle is the initial time you light the wick and allow the candle to burn. This first burn is extremely important because it helps condition and prime the candle for optimal burning and performance throughout its lifetime. Properly burning a candle that first time sets the foundation for how well it will burn in the future.
When you first light a candle, the wax needs to melt and coat the wick before establishing a melt pool that reaches all edges of the container. This ensures even burning and allows the fragrance to be released into the air. The first burn also helps straighten and center the wick, preventing issues like tunneling down the road. Taking the time to correctly break-in a new candle makes a big difference in how long it lasts and how well it burns each time you light it.
Priming the Wick
The first burn of a candle serves to prime the wick, which helps it draw wax up as the candle burns. When a new wick is first inserted into wax, tiny air bubbles can get trapped between the strands of the wick. Priming melts the wax fully around the wick, letting the air bubbles escape so the wick can absorb wax more efficiently.
As the wick burns during the first use, the heat melts the wax immediately around the wick, helping the wick fibers adhere together and curl up to form the familiar mushroom-like shape at the end. This curled shape creates a small pool of melted wax at the tip that the wick can then draw up through capillary action. Without priming, a new wick may have gaps between strands or be compressed in a way that prevents this shape from forming properly.
Candle makers recommend priming a wick by dipping it in melted wax of the same type used to make the candle and letting it fully dry before inserting into the candle. This saturates the wick and lets it fully absorb wax, as well as removes any wax additives or dyes coating the wick that might affect the initial burn. Priming leads to a better first burn and helps the wick continue burning evenly down the road (source).
Helps the Wick Curl
The heat from the first burn helps the wick curl which improves combustion. When a candle is first lit, the flame melts the wax around the wick and softens the fibers. As the wick heats up, the fibers curl inward toward the flame. This curling creates a small cup shape at the top of the wick that helps capture melted wax. The curled wick also exposes more surface area to the flame so it can burn more efficiently. A curled wick improves capillary action, allowing the melted wax to travel up the wick better. This provides a consistent fuel source to the flame. Without curling on that first burn, the wick would remain straight and rigid. It would provide uneven combustion and struggle to draw wax up. The more tightly curled the wick gets initially, the better it will perform during subsequent burns. This is why it’s crucial not to trim the wick prior to the first burn. Trimming too soon can prevent the wick from curling into the optimal shape (Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/candlemaking/comments/xqra9x/is_this_normal_for_a_wick_to_curl_even_if_i/). Allowing that first burn to curl the wick sets up better performance down the road.
Evens Out the Top
Melting the top layer evens out the surface for more even burning. During the first burn, the wax on the top of the candle melts to create an even pool of liquid wax. This pool should reach the full diameter of the candle container to maximize melt and fragrance (Harlem Candle Company, 2021). If the wax surface has any ridges, unevenness, or imperfections, the first burn will smooth it all out. This prevents issues like tunneling where the wax only melts in the center and leaves the edges untouched (Prosperity Candle, 2022). With an even top layer after the first burn, the subsequent burns will melt the wax evenly down the full diameter of the candle.
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Removes Dye Buildup
When candles are dyed, especially with darker colors like red or black, there can often be an excess of dye that accumulates on the top surface of the candle. This dye buildup can affect the candle’s first burn in a few key ways:
First, burning off this excess dye on the initial burn allows for cleaner, more even burns afterward. If the dye isn’t removed, it may clog the wick during subsequent burns and result in increased soot and smoke (1). The first burn singes off any excess dye, preventing buildup issues.
Second, removing the dyed layer on the surface allows the candle’s intended colors and scents to come through more purely on later burns. Too much surface dye can muddy the color and make scents less crisp when burning (2).
So taking the time to melt off and wipe up excess surface dye improves the candle’s aesthetics and performance for all the burns to come. The difference between an unburned and burned candle is clear – deeper, truer colors and scents await after the first burn.
Improves Scent Throw
The first burn of a candle is critical for releasing and dispersing the fragrance oils and essential oils throughout the wax in order to improve scent throw. As the candle burns and the wax becomes hot, a large amount of fragrance molecules are quickly released into the air from the melted wax pool, producing an intense initial hot throw (Harlem Candle Co.). Warming up the wax helps facilitate the dissemination of the fragrance oils and essential oils so they can fully permeate the candle wax. This allows more fragrance to be emitted into the air during future burns, creating a stronger scent throw. Allowing the wax to reach its melting point during the first burn is key to unlocking the full potential of the candle’s fragrance.
Tests Wick Size
The first burn of a candle is crucial for testing if the proper wick size was selected for the candle diameter and wax type. According to https://www.candlescience.com/learning/how-to-conduct-a-burn-test/, observing the flame during the first burn allows you to evaluate if the wick is too small or too large for optimal performance.
With the right wick, the flame will be steady, upright, and a certain height based on the candle diameter. If the wick is too small, the flame will be dim, sputter, tunnel down into the wax, or go out completely. If the wick is too large, the flame will smoke, soot, or get too high and hazardous.
Candle makers should take notes during initial testing to adjust the wick up or down for the next batch. Getting the right pairing of wick to wax and vessel is essential through testing burns before full production. As https://www.theflamingcandle.com/how-to-perform-candle-wick-testing/ states, the first burn serves as a critical quality control step to optimize safety and performance.
Prevents Sooting
Sooting often occurs during the first few burns of a candle as the wick needs to adjust and curl properly to create an even burn. According to a Reddit user, “Yes! I prefer the thin wicks, the fat ones are a pain!” [1] Burning the candle for the first time allows the wick to curl and prevents excess soot on future burns. Getting through that initial sooty burn helps minimize soot buildup going forward.
Makes It Last Longer
The first burn helps make a candle last longer in a few key ways. As this source explains, candles should burn about 1 hour per inch of diameter, so a 2 inch candle should burn for around 2 hours. The first burn melts the wax and allows it to fully coat the wick. This primes it to maximize efficiency for future burns. If you skip the first burn, the wax doesn’t melt evenly and the wick won’t be properly saturated. This can lead to tunneling or uneven burning later on. Properly priming a new candle makes the wax melt more efficiently with future burns. The candle will burn slower and more evenly, maximizing its total burn time.
Conclusion
The first burn of a candle is a crucial step for several reasons. It primes the wick, helps it curl properly, evens out the top of the wax pool, removes any dye buildup or residue, improves scent throw, tests if the wick is the right size, prevents sooting issues, and helps the candle burn evenly and completely for its whole life. The key tips for an optimal first burn are to let it burn for at least 1 hour per inch of candle diameter, keep it away from drafts, trim the wick if needed, and make sure the top level of wax liquefies evenly across the candle.
Taking the time to do the first burn correctly ensures the candle performs at its best throughout all subsequent burns. It is an important investment that pays off in a candle that is long-lasting, smells great, and burns cleanly from top to bottom.[1][2]
