Have you ever found a special candle that you didn’t want to burn? Thought to yourself, to burn or not to burn a candle?
Maybe you picked up the candle during a special vacation and having the candle reminds you of fun family times. Or you have a sentimental attachment to the candle. Maybe its aroma is so heavenly you don’t want to risk trying to replace the candle. Regardless of the reason, unburned candles hold a mysticism, an unknown build-up calling out to be burned.
Because smell is so tightly tied to memory, the effect of a given scent depends in large part on how you’ve experienced that scent in the past. So it’s no wonder you might not want to light a candle that brings back memories for you.
To Burn or Not to Burn a candle
To burn or not to burn a candle. The beauty of an unlit candle is just that, it’s still new and clean. The wick is still pristine, the wax untouched, and the aroma intact. Your unburned candle is known in the industry as a cold throw candle. A cold throw candle is one that is being used to throw off its aroma “cold” or unburned.
It’s a candles’ untouched ambiance that attests to its ability to hold a strong aroma without being lit.
You know it has the potential to be a good candle when it puts out an amazing aroma and you haven’t lit it yet. It’s a testimony to the quality of the candle when it’s cold, though it’s potent enough that it smells amazing without being lit.
Anticipation of the first lighting with a candle
Anticipation of the first lighting with a candle can be fun. The anticipation prior to burning the candle is exciting to a candle enthusiast. The first lighting of the candle wick with drum rolls and all that. I might be getting carried away but there is a primal excitement to that first new candlelight. A spark of joy with the first connection of match to flame as the fire starts to melt the wax wick. The flame licks higher as it attempts to burn away the wick wax residue from the wax pour. Once the flame gains ground, it settles down to its natural flicker of deep orange and yellow hues based on a sepia glow.
The first lighting of the candle aroma can be a time warp
The first lighting of the candle can be a time warp. The onslaught of aroma hits your olfactory and you are instantly thrown into a memory bank filled with moments of childhood. The blissful aroma is reminiscent of sitting at the kitchen table making a cinnamon bundt cake with grandma. You have lit your Cinnamon Bundt Wood Wick Lotion candle and it smells even more wonderful being lit than just as a cold throw candle.
And why is that? There is magic to the lighting of a candle. The way it pops when it is first lit and if you have a wood wick candle, oh, that ongoing crackle sound as the flame dances on the wood. When lit, the chemicals from the fire flame enact with the oxygen in the air. As the wax melts the aroma molecules are released from the wax and binds with oxygen molecules putting out a robust intense aroma. This chemical reaction often enhances the strength and potency of the aroma.
So, if you are undecided as to whether to burn or not to burn a candle, consider the missed opportunity of seeing that beautiful flame lit, hearing the crackling of the wood wick, and embracing the full potency of its aromatic bounty.
And in the end, candles are made to be burned.
Enjoy our intense smelling natural aroma candles at PureSoapsAndCandles.com. Choose from over 50 different natural-inspired candle aromas. Many aroma blends are unique to our company.
