You know what's sad? A beautiful candle that tunnels down the middle after three burns and gets tossed half-full. Soy wax candles already burn longer and cleaner than paraffin — but most people accidentally cut that burn time short. Here's how long yours should last, and how to squeeze out every hour.
Soy candle burn time by size
- 6 oz: roughly 30–35 hours
- 8.5 oz: roughly 50–55 hours
- 12.5 oz: roughly 70–80 hours
That's nearly double what you'd get from a paraffin candle the same size — and without the soot and headache-inducing fumes.
5 ways to make your candles last longer
### 1. The first burn is everything
Let the wax melt all the way to the edge of the jar on the first light. This sets the candle's "memory" — if you blow it out early, it'll tunnel every time after.
### 2. Trim the wick. Every. Time.
A quarter inch. Untrimmed wicks burn too hot and too fast, create soot, and eat through your wax. This single habit adds hours to every candle you own.
### 3. Keep them out of drafts
Drafts make the flame dance, burn unevenly, and melt wax faster on one side. Still air = slow, even burn.
### 4. Don't burn longer than 4 hours
After about 4 hours the wax pool gets too deep and the scent starts to fade. Blow it out, let it reset, relight later.
### 5. Burn them somewhere you'll actually enjoy them
This sounds silly, but the #1 reason candles get wasted is they sit unlit on a shelf. Light the thing. Tuesday night deserves ambiance too.
Why soy wax in the first place?
Soy wax is toxin-free, renewable, and burns cleaner than paraffin — no black soot on your walls, no petroleum byproducts in your air. If you're trying to clean up your home, your candles are one of the easiest swaps you'll ever make.
Shop our hand-poured soy wax candles — bold scents, clean burn, zero toxins. Your Tuesday nights will thank you.