Q:  Why don't you use essential oils in your candles?
Premium fragrance oils are often chosen for candles over essential oils for several key reasons, all while maintaining safety:

1. Stronger and More Consistent Scent Throw
Premium fragrance oils are specially designed to perform well in the high heat of a candle’s flame, producing a consistent and strong scent throw. Essential oils, due to their natural composition, often don’t have the same scent intensity when burned in a candle. This means fragrance oils provide a richer, longer-lasting aroma throughout the burn.

2. Wide Variety of Scents
Premium fragrance oils offer a much broader range of scents that might be difficult to replicate with essential oils alone. From complex floral and fruity blends to sweet and savory aromas, fragrance oils give candle makers the flexibility to create unique scents that essential oils might not be able to produce.

3. Stability and Durability
Fragrance oils are specifically formulated to maintain their scent when exposed to high heat. Essential oils, while natural, can degrade or evaporate too quickly when burned, which may result in a weaker fragrance. Premium fragrance oils are engineered to burn cleanly and evenly, ensuring a more stable and consistent scent experience from start to finish.

4. Cost-Effectiveness and Sustainability
Premium fragrance oils are typically more affordable than essential oils, which require large amounts of plant material for extraction. This makes fragrance oils a more economical choice for producing high-quality candles, while also being more sustainable and efficient.

5. Safety of Premium Fragrance Oils
When sourced from reputable suppliers, premium fragrance oils are carefully formulated to be safe for use in candles. These oils are specifically designed to be burned, and the manufacturers rigorously test them to ensure they meet safety standards for combustion, making them safe for your home. Fragrance oils are often free from harmful additives, and when used as directed, they do not release toxic fumes when burned. Additionally, they comply with industry regulations, such as those set by IFRA (International Fragrance Association), which ensures that the oils used are safe for consumers and the environment.

In summary, premium fragrance oils are a safer, more reliable option than essential oils for candles because they offer better scent performance, variety, and stability while still being thoroughly tested for safety in candle use. They provide an excellent balance of quality, affordability, and safety when creating beautifully fragrant candles.

Q:  Why is my candle not burning evenly?

People sometimes mistake tunneling as an issue of candle quality. 

Candle tunneling can occur with any type of candle. The main causes are poor burning habits and improperly sized wicks. At FREE + LIT,, we emphasize burning the candle for at least an hour on its use to prevent tunneling. This is due to the wax's "memory," which can lead it to harden in a based on the initial burn.

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Candle Care

Please follow our candle care tips below.

1. When lighting for the first time burn until wax melts across entire surface to the sides of vessel (this prevents tunneling, and creates an even burn for the duration of the candle’s ‘life’) This may take up to 2-4 hours.

2. Trim wick to ¼ of an inch before each burn to promote an even burn, steady flame and limit sooting/mushrooming of wick.

3. Trim the candle wick after each burn. This is very important to prevent the candles from smoking on the next burn or from burning the sides of the glass. We recommend trimming them to 1/4th to 1/8th of an inch each time.  Invest in a good pair of wick trimmers that will cut and remove the excess wick cleanly.

4. If soot ever forms on the inside of the vessel, extinguish candle, wait for it to cool, then wipe with a clean damp cloth. Trim wick and relight.

5. Please keep the wax pool free of wick trimmings, matches and debris at all times.

6. Extinguish candle with a snuffer, or dip wick into melted wax and then straighten wick to prevent smoking and also prevent hot wax from splattering. Do not blow out.

7. Extinguish a candle if it smokes, flickers, or the flame becomes too high. These signs indicate the candle is not burning properly and the flame isn't controlled. Let the candle cool, trim the wick, then check for drafts before re-lighting.

8. Always store your candles in a cool, dark and dry place.  Avoid placing your candles where they will be directly exposed to sunlight or harsh indoor lighting.

9. Do not burn your candle all the way down.  Always leave at least ½ inch of non-molten wax at the bottom.  

10. Always burn candle within sight.

11. Once your candle nears end of life, remove the label, toss the remainder of the wick, clean out the wax and recycle the glass for a sustainable recycle!

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