When was the last time you used a quality candle? I would wager that it has been years since you took out your favorite taper or matchmaker and gave them a good work-out by trying some new touches with them.
Most people use candles for decoration these days, but very few do it well. There are many ways to use a roll of waxed paper as a balance stick for lighting your candle, but most people just grab any old piece of cotton from the home store and try using that for the job.
There is an easy fix for this! By investing in some high quality burners and matches, you will be able to light your candle with confidence. Luckily, we have gathered some helpful information here for you to read through and learn how to light a candle like a pro.
Gather your supplies
For this trick, you will need some sort of long thin object that you have around the house. A good choice is a q-tip or cotton swab.
You can also use an old toothpick if you don’t have any other options. Because both of these are solid materials, they won’t burn down too quickly!
If you already have a candle left over from before, then no worries! Simply put the q-tip next to the burnt out wax, and push it into the melted leftover wax. Voila! You now have yourself a lit new candle.
And since the q-tip is not consumed in this process, you can always save them for later uses.
Decide where you want to place the candle
There are two main ways to light a regular, average sized wax-filled candle.
The first is using a match as your fuel source. This requires no additional ingredients except for a good roll of fun! If you have enough matches, it’s best to get one box or even one pack of candles to refresh their shelf.
The second way is by using a lint free, never use paper tissue (Q tips) as your match head. You can also use a dry, folded up piece of paper if you like, but make sure it does not contain any moisture.
To create a better flame, add some kind of reflector such as a sock or empty glass bottle that you can put next to the candle.
Trim your candle
While it is not recommended to use old, burnt-out wax lighters for lighting new candles, you can take extra precautions if you have to. Most stores will give you plastic trimmers or cutters to trim off some of the very tipy layer that grows while the candle burns down.
This way, you can easily put in another lighter to light the rest of the candle. But remember, never burn more than one roll of each type of wick at a time!
By having enough length left, the wick can grow longer and faster, which helps the flame illuminate the whole container. If there’s too much leftover wax, however, then the candle may not be bright enough. This could also pose a fire risk due to possible burning sparks.
Never pour all the melted wax onto the tray of the burner first before putting the torch away! That could clog up the hole and prevent the candle from properly burning.
Using these tips, start with using a fresh piece of cotton swab material to light your next candle.
Make a lighting plan
In doing so, make sure your hands are well-lubricated! Because this process requires direct contact with both the wick and the wax, making sure your hands are well-oiled is very important to ensure success.
After each person has got their own light, have them put down any remaining candles or tapers and then gather all of the lights together. Now, take one white candle (we suggest using a plain white candle because you can add in some decorations later) and place it next to the other lights.
Hold the q tip directly over the top of the candle’s wick and slowly roll it up the length of the wick. Your hand will get pretty warm as the wax melts onto your skin, that is okay! When you reach the bottom, gently press the end into the melted wax to secure it. Repeat for every other light.
General tips: be careful not to burn yourself when rolling the q tips along the wicks, use extra caution if there are hard edges or bumps on the wick. Also, remember that some wicks require more time than others to soak up all of the wax, just make sure yours do eventually catch up.
Light the candle
The hardest part about lighting a new candle is actually getting it lit! Most people start by using their hands which can be tricky if you are not used to working with candles.
To light your new candle, pick a place that has an electrical source or use a power bank for your phone. You want to make sure there’s no dust anywhere so check those containers first!
Next, choose a quality white cotton wick. This will help the wax to burn more easily and slowly, making your candle last longer.
Now, hold the top of the bottle close to the flame and apply gentle pressure. Once the bottle starts smoking (this may take a few seconds), pour some drops of melted wax onto the wick.
Keep pouring until the tip of the wick gets coated in liquid wax and then pull up on the bottom half of the wick to expose the length of the wick. Let this dry for at least one minute before moving onto the next step.
Once done, roll the exposed end of the wick into the middle of the dried down wax pool to create a stick-like shape.
Enjoy the candle
Many people use their hands when lighting candles. This is not always the best way to light your candle. There are some much better ways to do it!
There are two main reasons why using your hand for this task is not the ideal method. The first is that burning your fingers can be painful, so being careful with how you hold the tip of the wax could help prevent this.
The second reason is that most burners have an angled glass plate which contains the melted wax. If you try to pull off just the wick, there may still be hot wax in the groove where the wick used to sit. By instead lifting the top half of the candle, you avoid any contact with these leftover drops of wax.
How to light a candle easily
Video: Best Way To Burn A Candlestick Candle
You will need: short wooden skewer or chopstick, white cotton ball (or tissue), match-strike strip and natural gel roll-on product.
Step 1: Use the skewer to pierce the middle of the dried down bottom edge of the candle.
Step 2: Hold the stick vertically next to the candle’s seam. Using the softball as a guide, push up slightly on the end of the skewer until only about a ½ inch of the stick is left exposed.
Keep the candle away from things that can damage it
Many people use roll-on candles as their favorite way to light a room or start an activity. Unfortunately, using a rolling candle tip requires you to have a steady hand so if you’re not careful, you could burn down your house!
If you are beginner level with using a torch, then never put one close to anything flammable or else you may need to take extra precautions when handling them.
Never apply too much wax to the end of the torch because this takes longer to melt down which could cause it to drip and set something on fire. Also, make sure there is no leftover liquid in the container before applying the torch to the surface.
Some people suggest rubbing the top of the torch against clean dry paper to help spread the melted wax more evenly, but we will going ahead and assuming you know how to use a torch already and giving our tips instead.
Replace the candle when it burns down
Once the wick is fully charred, which takes about an hour for every one of us burners, pull the tip off the melted wax and replace it with a new piece!
This removes any leftover white bits that may have congealed or burnt away in the process, as well as replacing what was burned off.