Here’s a Fun fact: Emmerse was originally determined to be a wooden wick candle company, only. When I started making candles, I intended to only make wooden wicks because the crackling really does help people relax. After launching candles, I could see that people were very apprehensive towards wooden wicks. People didn’t know how to burn them or trim them, and people had a phobia of the wooden wicks in general. Seeing this, Emmerse became a cotton and wooden wick company.
With this being said, our customers and visitors alike constantly ask us which wick is better, cotton or wooden wicks. Here is our take:
Traditional cotton wicks are what you usually find in grocery and big box stores like Walmart and Target. Mostly, anyone who has burned a candle has burned a cotton wick. Our cotton wicks are two pieces of cotton, tightly woven together, anchored by a metal tab to keep them in place and to help extinguish the candle when it has reached its full burn time. They need to be trimmed to help the performance and scent throw of the candle; we can’t stress this enough. They are best trimmed with a pair of wick trimmers. (Shop our sexy chrome wick trimmers here). Because most people have burned cotton wick candles, there is a higher comfort level with them.
Wooden wicks are still relatively new to the market for most makers and customers, and they are literally a piece of wood anchored by a metal holder to keep it in place and again, to help extinguish the candle when it has reached its full burn time. Some wooden wicks crackle and some don’t. At Emmerse, we only use cracking wooden wicks. Our customers love the crackling sound because it helps them to relax when they are winding down. While you can trim a wooden wick with a wick trimmer, we suggest you trim it with your finger to lightly remove burned debris from the wick prior to relighting it.
Whether you choose cotton or wooden wick candles here are some things to keep in mind:
1. All wicks must be trimmed prior to relighting them. It helps to maintain the scent throw and prevent unnecessary black smoke.
2. According to our testing, wooden wicks and cotton wicks have similar burn times, but some of our customers say their wooden wicks burn longer.
3. Whether you choose a cotton or wooden wick candle, allow the candle to burn the full diameter of the jar, on the first burn, before blowing it out. This will help establish a good burn pattern being that candles can be very habitual.
4. What’s more important than the wick you choose is making sure the wax and scent is healthy for you. Candle scents needs to be phthalate and paraben free and vegetable and beeswax candles are healthier for you and the environment (shop our 100% soy wax, phthalate and paraben free candles here).
5. The ultimate rule of thumb is to enjoy the candle! Sit back, grab your favorite beverage, kick your feet up and don’t be afraid to let it burn.
With Love,
Val Barnett
President and Chief Maker
Emmerse LLC
Instagram/Facebook: @getemmersed