Trim your wick

Before lighting a candle, you should always trim the wick to about 5mm long. You can use a wick trimmer or scissors, but remember to do this every time you burn your candle. Properly trimmed wicks burn brighter and cleaner (meaning less smoke) and don't leave black soot marks on the inside of the candle holder.

Allow the wax to melt almost completely

Now that your candle is burning, do not extinguish it until the wax has melted and collected up to the edges of the vessel. In other words, most of the top layer of the candle should be liquid wax. This can take 3-4 hours, depending on your candle, so don't light it if you plan to leave the house. Allowing the top to melt prevents the wax from tunnelling and melting unevenly.

Don't burn the candle for too long

On the other hand, you don't want to burn a candle for longer than four to six hours. If you burn a candle for too long, the candle can get too hot, and for safety reasons, it's better not to let that happen.

Don't blow it out

When you blow out a candle, black ash particles fly into the melted wax. Instead, use a candle snuffer or place the candle lid on top to gently extinguish the flame.

Choose the right spot

Place your candle on a flat, non-flammable surface, away from curtains or other types of fabric. You should also keep your candle away from moving air caused by fans, open windows, or people frequently walking back and forth – this helps the candle burn evenly.

Never burn your candle all the way down, leave 1 cm of wax

Never burn your candle when there is only one centimetre of wax left. If you light your candle without enough wax, the glass can overheat and crack.

The good news is that we have our own candle factory. So we can refill your empty candles... You can bring your empty candle (don't forget to always leave 1 cm of wax in the jar for safety reasons) to our shop in Knokke and we will refill it in our factory. The concrete candles all have the same shape, so you can also buy them online.

Black smoke can have many possible causes:

The wicks are too long.

We recommend trimming your wicks to no longer than 0.6 cm, even if the candle is still burning.

The candle has been burning for too long.

Once the wax is fully liquid, we recommend blowing out your candle no later than an hour after. As soon as the surface is liquid, the inner wax of the candle heats up and starts to evaporate very quickly. The candle then becomes unstable, causing the flame to burn erratically. The more the flame moves, the more likely it is to release soot.

The candle is exposed to drafts.

This causes the flame to move and release soot. In this case, rotate the candle or move it to a less exposed area.

The inside of the glass has never been cleaned.

In this case, the accumulated soot from previous burns falls into the wax and heats up. This mixture of soot and wax creates black smoke. It is therefore advisable to clean your candle regularly with a cloth and an alcohol-free cleaning product (never use an alcohol-based product to clean your candle).

The candle does not have enough space.

All candles release a little soot. An XXL glass candle with 7 wicks is quite tall. Therefore, a significant ceiling height is required to disperse the smoke. Candles of this size are recommended for large spaces.

The natural wick has an above-average thickness.

Every wick has an average thickness, but it is a natural product that can vary. Sometimes the wick can be a bit on the heavy side. In that case, send us photos of the burning candle so we can advise you.

Our candles are made with only the finest ingredients and materials. However, it is very important that you burn candles responsibly to ensure safe use. Follow these guidelines to ensure your candles remain a bright and beautiful part of your life.

• Remove all packaging before lighting.
• Place on a protected, heat-resistant, dry surface, away from anything that can catch fire and out of reach of children and pets. Use holders designed for the specific candle style.
• Keep the wick(s) trimmed to the length indicated on the top label of your candle.
• If the candle smokes, check for drafts or air currents, which can cause the flame to flicker and smoke. Also, make sure the wick is trimmed to the length indicated on the top label of your candle. If the wick is longer, extinguish it, trim the wick, and relight it.
• Keep the wax pool free of wick trimmings, matches, or other flammable materials. Keep the wick centered.
• Avoid burning candles in drafts.
• Never leave burning candles unattended. Always keep them in sight.
• Keep all matches and lighters out of reach of children.
• Teach everyone in the family the rules for safe candle use.

OSCAR candles are known for their long burn time, thanks to the wooden wicks that burn very evenly.

The burn time depends on the size of your candles plus the number and thickness of the wicks. The more wicks, the larger the flame, the faster the candle burns. When making our candles, we always have to choose between a large and vibrant flame and the number of burning hours.

The concrete candles
small up to 40 hours
medium up to 80 hours
large up to 120 hours
extra large up to 150 hours

The hand-blown glass candles
medium up to 80 hours
large up to 140 hours
extra large up to 220 hours
XXL up to 300 hours

to use.

We carry out thorough and systematic quality controls to guarantee the quality of all our products. Should, despite these precautions, one of our products not completely satisfy you, please send us the following information via our contact form so that we can provide an appropriate answer to your query:
- your order number,
- your candle,
- photos of your product.

Each product is handmade and sometimes the thickness of the wooden wicks can differ from the average wick. This can result in a more or less intense flame. If the flame is too intense, it may be due to the wick being too long. When the candle has just been lit, the flame is always a bit stronger, so it is best to wait a moment to see if everything settles down. It is absolutely normal if the flame burns only lightly; we do this to prevent your candle from burning out too quickly.