The world of candles can at times appear to be never ending - it is a big market and product place without doubt. Here at 150, we learned that the candle world literally has its own unique language. So, we decided to write a post about all the candle terms you should know as a consumer of candles - wish we knew all these all those years we were buying other candle brands !!!
Do you know what mushrooming is? Are you puzzled when you hear someone talking about your candle's throw? Some might say, isn't a throw for a couch!! Well, don't worry because today's blog post is here to help you make sense of it all and to decode this lingo. Here's your guide to all the terms you should know as a consumer of candles .
1.Burn Time: this relates directly to your candles lifespan. The burn time is basically the amount of time a candle burns before it simply cannot burn anymore. You should always look for this information when purchasing your candles - 150 candles have a burn time of 50 hours (we are super proud of this)
2. Burn Cycle: This is one of the most important things when it comes to burning candles. For a little more information on that all important first burn you can click on our blog post called The Burn Cycle is the process of burning your candle for four hours before you blow it out. Many crafters will use a burn cycle to test the quality of their products from burn time, scent throw and how well the wick burns.
3. Cold Throw: This is all about the scent of the candle and the intensity of the scent - BEFORE you actually light it for the first time. So, when you go into a shop and smell a candle before you purchase it. you are experiencing its cold throw. It is what you smell in the store when shopping for candles.
4. Wooden Wick - there are an array of wicks to choose from within cotton and wood wicks. Here at 150 we choose the wooden wick and our wicks are FSC certified. Wooden wicks produce a soothing crackling sound which is very comforting to listen too. One of the reasons we choose the wooden wick is also down to the fact that a lot of cotton wicks are susceptible to 'mushrooming' - check out the next point to find out all about this!
5. Mushrooming: The all elusive term of the candle world! This word describes what happens when there is a build up of carbon at the top of the wick while the candle is burning. This carbon build up omits extra smoke and this will certainly cut through the quality of the fragrance that your candle gives off. The best way to prevent your wick from 'mushrooming' is to keep your wick trimmed - but wood wicks do not suffer from 'mushrooming'
6. Hot Throw: So, this is the opposite to the 'Cold Throw' we talked about earlier. This term describes how the candle smells when it is burning and you will find it can be quite different to the 'cold throw' scent.
7. Soy Wax: We use soy wax in all of our candle products here at 150. This wax comes from soybeans, and so it is the perfect choice for our brands eco conscious ethos. It is completely biodegradable and compostable. Soy wax candles are also much better for your health as they produces less soot and do not produce the same toxic fumes that paraffin wax candles do. If you ever look at a candle vessel and see black all up the sides of it - that is the remnants of those toxic fumes.
8. Fragrance Notes: a scent is make up of Top Notes, Middle Notes and Base Notes. Fragrance Notes describe the different fragrances that make up a candles scent profile.
We hope this blog was educational for you. We love creating our blog posts as we have worked so hard to become experts in our craft. If you have any thoughts or comments or questions, feel free to pop them in the comments below.
Lots of love
Ashling, Janna & Tracy
