Woman explains how people have been burning candles the wrong way all this time

Humans have been using candles to illuminate the world for thousands of years. From ancient Egyptians who used candles by dipping reeds in melted animal fat to modern-day humans who use candles daubed in aromatic oils, candles are everywhere, and in every season. From pumpkin-spiced candles in autumn to chocolate-scented candles in winter, these sculpted blocks of colored wax adorn the shelves of nearly every home. Yet, humans still don’t know there is a right way to light the candles. A woman who goes as KK (@kktweetshaha) on X shared a post, revealing how most people have been lighting candles incorrectly and instead, how it should be done.

KK’s thread, posted in March 2024, has caught the attention of more than 11 million people, who she calls the “candle clueless fools.” In the first tweet, she wrote, “Just learned that my fiancé, who buys candles all the time and we literally always have candles burning, did not actually know how they work and blew out a medium first burn candle 30 minutes after I lit it when I wasn’t paying attention and ruined it.”

In the following tweet, she shared the picture of a lighted candle, glowing orange and gold, with its orange wax accumulating on the edges and sinking in the middle. “If a candle is not burned for long enough on first burn to melt edge to edge it will create a ‘memory ring,’” she described. “Once a candle has a memory ring, it will continue to tunnel and never burn all the way across.”

As it turns out, this process, in technical terms, is called “candle tunneling.” According to Harlem Candle Company, candle tunneling is a problem that occurs when a candle isn't burned carefully, and “when a hole forms down the center, leaving unused wax at the edges.” It happens when only a small portion of the wax surrounding the candle is used up for burning. Instead of evenly melting, the flame will start melting away a tunnel into the wax block, which will lower the level of the wick in the liquid. 

Once the wick sinks deeper into the wax, the flame won’t be able to get enough oxygen to sustain itself, causing the candle to whiff out. Hence, over time, it will become difficult to light up the wick again. Plus, think about all that expensive wax daubed on the edges, that will go to waste. KK referred to this hard outer ring as the “memory ring.”

Continuing the thread, KK shared an image of a pastel yellow candle, demonstrating what candle tunneling looks like for real. In another tweet, she wrote, “This is why you should not light a large candle at night, which is unlikely to burn all the way across before you need to blow out to go to bed. Allow at least one hour per inch of candle width.”

In the comment section, where people shared their opinions and experiences about candles, @jrumrman brought attention to the factor that it depends on what brand the candle has. “Some brands burn better than others. I never have this issue with Sugar Shack candles.” In another comment, @composttraining asked KK whether there is a way to prevent candle tunneling. To this, KK recommended “wrapping the candle in tin foil to increase the temperature across the surface.” @casper70000 even shared a picture of a burning candle wrapped at the edges with silver foil.

Harlem Candle Company explains that to prevent candle tunneling, all one needs to do is melt the outer wax surrounding the tunnel and make the surface even again. This can be done either with a heat gun or a hair dryer. Plus, the aluminum foil method that KK wrote about, also helps to trap and reflect the candle's heat to melt the extra wax and smooth over the top layer, while filling up the sinkhole. Furthermore, to prevent tunnelling they suggest burning the candle long enough each time so that the entire top surface of wax is melted. 

@boobyjargon shared a picture of their candle tunneling, looking at which KK felt hurt. @thanksrolf said, “Sounds more like a design issue. Those candles were made for power users that don't exist anymore.” This is true. Harlem Candle Company explains that “improperly sized wicks” are one of the causes of candle tunneling. If the wick is too small, it might not be able to generate enough heat to melt the wax all the way. This is a problem with the candle design, which is why, mass-produced candles experience tunneling more often than luxury, custom-made candles.

Another reason behind tunneling is poor candle-burning habits. This is because wax contains “memory.” So, the wax that has been sitting around in the candle cup is usually harder than the unmelted wax that was cooled again. So, while burning the candle a second or a third time, the softer wax will melt more easily and quickly than the harder portion of wax, which can trigger tunneling before the candle is snuffed out.

“Diving into the world of candles and discovering the whole ‘memory ring’ saga is like stumbling into a secret society of candle lovers who speak in hushed tones about the right way to burn the wax. Who knew, right? It’s almost like there should be a candle-burning manual handed out with every purchase because getting it wrong can turn your beautiful new candle into a tunneling disappointment that looks more like a sad cave than a source of light and warmth,” wrote @arrtnem in a poetic comment.