FAQ's Candles and Soapery

"a chandler is a maker and seller of tallow, wax candles, and also usually soap". 

A chandlery was originally the office in a wealthy medieval household responsible for wax, candles and soaps as well as the room in which the candles were kept. 

The meaning of the word "chandler" comes from the Old French word "chandelier," which means "candlestick maker." Chandlers have been around for centuries, and their work has played an important role in human history.

In the early days, candles were made from animal fat, such as tallow or lard. These candles were often smelly and smoky, and they didn't burn very well. However, they were the best option available at the time.

Modern Day Chandler

We are a modern-day candle chandler, hand pouring soy wax candles using traditional methods and skills but also other fragrance items such as reed diffusers and wax melts. Our eco-friendly candles are made from sustainable and renewable plant-based candle waxes.

Eco-friendly and sustainable products are important to us and that is why we choose soy wax (or other plant-based waxes) and eco-friendly wood or lead-free cotton wicks for our candles. 

Packaging and Shipping

• Working with Shopify Planet, all our shipping emissions are automatically calculated and are reduced to ZERO with appropriate carbon offsets. Our contributions fund cutting-edge carbon removal projects that have the potential to reverse climate change.
• All of our packaging, parcel boxes and protective materials are recyclable or biodegradable and are 99.9% PLASTIC FREE.
• We believe that over 99.9% of our products do not contain any plastic at all. As a matter of policy, we do not offer plastic products for sale. Our packaging and our products are over 99.9% plastic free. We believe that we are close to "Plastic Freedom". 
• The carbon emissions generated by our website are offset or reduced to zero by planting trees we buy from Tree Nation. Our website emissions, less our carbon offsets equal a net zero emissions website. Read on, Click here...
  
  

Our candles and other home fragrance products such as reed diffusers, tealights and wax melts are all handmade and hand poured by us in Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK.

Our range includes Candles in Tins in various sizes, the luxurious 3-wick candles, premium glass candles, and our 'Signature' style candles. Our well-known signature candles are made in matt white and grey glass jars with branded oak wood lids and are finished with a wood wick. Read on, Click here...

Lumens are the standard unit of measurement for the total amount of visible light emitted by a light source. 

A standard candle produces about 12.57 lumens. The brightness of a candle is affected many factors, but the type of wax, the length and quality of the wick, and the burning temperature are the most important.

By contrast a candle lumen is very dim compared to modern-day light sources such as,

• LED light bulb: 800-2000 lumens
• Flashlight: 10-1000 lumens
• Car headlights: 1000-2000 lumens

Candle Wick Length

• A candle wick should be approximately five millimetres or one quarter of an inch from the candle wax to the top of the wick.
• There are different candle wicks available, cotton or wood but the five-millimetre advice is the same for all wicks.
• You can use scissors to trim wicks, but for the best results use a purpose designed candle wick trimmer to trim your wick.
• We also suggest that the wick should be trimmed every 4 hours of candle burn time. Read more, Click here...

Here are five ways to get wax out of a candle jar, cleanly and safely and just using everyday kitchen or household equipment.

1. Freeze the Candle Jar

This is the easiest way to remove candle wax from a candle jar.

• Put the candle jar in the freezer for a few hours, or overnight. This will cause the wax to harden, shrink and separate from the glass jar.
• Once the wax has hardened, you can easily remove it from the jar using a knife or a spoon.
• Let the jar slowly warm up to room temperature naturally, no heating. Read more, Click here...

If you want a crackling wick candle, then your candle must have a wooden wick!

When any wood is heated, its molecules start to break down and release water vapour. This water vapour can become trapped in the pores of the wood, creating small pockets of air. As a wooden wick candle burns, the heat from the flame causes these pockets of air to expand.

Eventually, the pressure inside the pockets becomes too great and they 'explode', releasing a burst of steam - this creates the desirable candle crackling sounds. Read on, Click here...

All our home fragrance products are handmade in small batches and hand poured with personal care and attention - part of the beauty of a handmade product.

The making of hand poured candles in small batches is literally a manual handmade process. There is no machinery or mass production involved at any stage of the making. After we have melted the soy wax, the wax is poured by hand into our glass candle jars or tins. We place the candle wicks in the centre of the candles and wait for the wax to harden. As this is a manual process, hand poured candles can be repeated but can never be exactly the same, part of the beauty of a handmade, hand poured candle!  Read on, Click here...

A candle flame is not a steady source of light, and candle flicker is normal for candles unless the flickering becomes excessive. So why do candles flicker?

• As the wax in the candle melts, the wax is drawn up the wick by capillary action. The heat from the flame then vaporises the wax, creating a mixture of wax vapour and air that is ignited by the heat of the flame. This creates a region of hot, glowing gas that rises above the wick.
• However, the flame is not perfectly stable, and is affected by a number of factors, such as the movement of air currents in the room, the shape of the wick, and the composition of the wax.
• In addition, as the hot gas rises, it cools and mixes with cooler air, causing it to contract and become denser. This creates a flow of air that can cause the flame to flicker even more.

Overall, the flickering of a candle flame is a complex phenomenon that arises from the interaction of many different factors, and it is one of the things that makes candles such a fascinating and captivating source of light. Read on, Click here...

On average, a 100ml glass bottle reed diffuser should last between three and four months. But what does 'on average' mean? Factors affecting this average,

• where the reed diffuser is placed. Try to avoid placing them near to outside doors or even doors to halls where the fragrance can get 'lost'.
• also try to avoid radiators as the heat will cause the reed diffuser oil to evaporate more quickly.
• more reeds in the reed diffuser will cause the diffuser oil to evaporate more quickly
• the quality of the reeds. Read on, Click here...

Tealights come in many different sizes which has a significant impact on how long tea lights burn for. In general, most tealights are designed to burn for between 3 and 6 hours although, giant versions can burn up to ten hours.

Currently our tea lights on our website are 38mm diameter by 19mm tall with a burn time of 4 hours. Read on, Click here...

A Reed diffuser consists of three parts.

• a container, usually a glass jar.
• the diffuser oil containing your chosen fragrance.
• reeds (long sticks) to absorb the diffuser oil.

They can vary in size but most popular is a 100 ml reed diffuser glass jar.  

Reed Diffusers disperse fragrance into a room or a home, not by a candle with a lighted flame but from reeds inserted into glass jars. These glass jars contain diffuser oils which are infused with fragrance oils. As the reeds absorb the oils, the fragrances are released or evaporated into your home. Read on, Click here...

No, Wax Melts do not Evaporate

The wax itself remains in the wax warmer or burner, and only the fragrance evaporates. The heat from the burner causes the wax to melt, but it does not get hot enough to evaporate the wax. The fragrance oils, on the other hand, have a lower boiling point than wax and do evaporate.

The fragrance in wax melts will eventually dissipate, but the wax itself will remain. When you can no longer smell the fragrance, you can remove the wax melt from the wax warmer and discard it. Read on, Click here...

Wax melts are warmed in a wax melt burner as opposed to being lit with a match. Wax melt burners can be a flame-less electric wax melt warmer or a traditional wax melt burner, where the wax is warmed by tealights.

Follow these steps to discover how to use wax melts. 

• place your wax melt(s) on the top of your wax melt burner.
• insert a tealight in the bottom of the wax melt burner.
• light the tealight with a match.
• wait for the wax to melt. As it melts, its fragrance will be released.
• enjoy the fragrance! Wax melts can last for several hours. Read on, Click here...

The burn time refers to how long you can burn a wax melt before it stops releasing its fragrance. On average, we expect our wax melts to last between 6-8 hours. On average? There are factors that affect the burn time of any given wax melt, for example,

• fewer larger wax melts tend to last longer than a number of smaller ones.
• the type of wax used, with soy wax and beeswax usually having the longer burn times
• where the wax melts burner is placed. Try to avoid placing them near to drafty places such as outside doors or even doors to halls where the fragrance can get 'lost'. By placing your wax melter as near to the centre of a room as possible, it will allow the wax melt fragrance to circulate. Read on, Click here...

Cleaning a Wax Melter

• Allow the wax melter to cool.
• Remove any solid wax.
• Wipe the interior.
• Clean the removable parts.
• Clean the exterior.
• Dry and reassemble the wax melter.
• Replace wax or fragrance. Read on, Click here...

Wax melts have become increasingly popular in the world of home fragrance, providing a safe and convenient alternative to traditional candles. These small, scented blocks of wax are designed to be melted slowly to release their aromas and fragrances. A single wax melt can last for several hours. 

7 Tips on How to Use Wax Melts

• Wax melts come in various shapes, sizes, and fragrances. Select a wax melt that appeals to your preferences. There are many options available, ranging from floral and fruity fragrances to earthy and seasonal aromas.
• A wax warmer is a device designed to melt wax melts safely and release their fragrance into the air. There are different types of warmers available, including electric warmers and tea light-powered warmers. Choose one that suits your needs.  All our Wax Melts Burners require an unscented tealight to warm the wax melts. A tealight and wax melt together combines the convenience of a wax melt with the flame flickering ambience of a tealight. Read on, Click here...

A wax melts burner is designed to warm or heat wax melts and release their fragrance. They come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and materials, but they all work in the same basic way.

Every wax melts burner has a heat source, such as an unscented tealight candle or electricity, which heats up a metal or ceramic dish. The dish is filled with wax melts, and as they warm up and melt, they release their fragrance into your room, space or home. Read on, Click here...

Wax melts, also known as wax tarts or wax cubes, have gained immense popularity in recent years as an alternative to traditional candles for creating pleasant scents and ambience in homes, offices, and other spaces.

These small, scented wax blocks are known for their strong fragrance and long-lasting effects. Unlike traditional candles, wax melts do not have a wick. Instead, they rely on the heat from a wax warmer to release their fragrance into the air. When the wax is heated, it melts and releases the scent, filling your home with a delightful aroma. Read on, Click here...