BREAKING: You've Been Burning Candles Wrong Your Entire Life

Photo credit: Instagram/@bathandbodyworks
Photo credit: Instagram/@bathandbodyworks

From Seventeen

Before you break into the 27 assorted Yankee Candles you got gifted over the holidays, read this, because you've probably been burning candles wrong literally forever.

Apparently there's more to it than just taking off the lid and flicking your BIC lighter. Candle experts say you should actually be trimming your wicks before you ever even light them.

Yep, I couldn't believe it either.

According to the Yankee Candle website, "Keeping their wicks trimmed properly will help your candles burn fully and last longer. Specifically, your candle's wick should be trimmed after every 4 hours of burn time."

The site also explains that giving your wick a haircut will give you a "clean, even flame for a longer lasting candle and maximum fragrance."

Related Video: How to Turn Dollar Store Candles Into the Most Charming Snowmen

You might think this is just a ploy to sell you fancy wick-trimmers (yes, that's a thing), but Vogue recently interviewed a candle-maker and it's totally legit.

"I’ve heard that wicks should be a quarter of an inch, but in my experience, that’s too short," explained Alia Raza, cofounder fragrance brand Régime des Fleurs. "Eyeball it for a third of an inch."

Sadly, that's not the only mistake you've been making in your candle burning.

Raza told Vogue: "In general, when you burn a candle, and especially the first time you burn it, you want to burn it for about two hours or more, depending on the size of the candle. That means the whole surface will burn evenly so it won’t create those dips."

The point of this two-hour rule is to melt the entire top layer of wax, so it dries smoothly, instead of creating that ugly hole that your wick can get lost in.

Photo credit: Getty Images
Photo credit: Getty Images

Now that you've learned the error of your ways, you better start trimming.

Kelsey is the assistant style editor at Seventeen.com. Follow her on Instagram!

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