Dharma Rose Candle Guide
Candle Care - a guide for safety and enjoyment of scented candles
Candle Care
Scented candles are a simple pleasure that can have a great impact on one's sense of well-being. We offer these guidelines for safety and to enhance your enjoyment.
Safety
Rule Number 1: Never leave a burning candle unattended.
Burn candles on a fireproof dish or candle holder. Even glass containers and votives should be placed on an additional heatproof container or surface.
Do not allow the flame to touch glass surfaces - even approved glass candle holders can shatter it they get too hot, particularly when the heat is concentrated.
Do not burn candles after only 1/4" of the wax remains;after that point they can burn too hot, or unpredictably. The votive holder on the right cracked when the wax was finally completely consumed and the wick was still burning. This applies to pillars as well as candles in glass.
Keep flames away from flammable objects. Yes, this seems obvious, but often the obvious is overlooked.
Keep candles out of the reach of small children and pets. We have learned this one the hard way: both our dog and our cats have had encounters with candles resulting in singed hair. The consequences of them knocking over a lit candle could be far more serious.
Burning Tips
Keep your wick trimmed to about 1/4". A longer wick will cause the candle to burn too hot and too quickly. I use a pair of fingernail clippers to trim my wicks as they are easier to maneuver in the well of a candle. Many of our candles come with a bead to guide the initial trimming; it can be retained as an aid for future cuts. Do not trim wicks while they are burning!
candle with a well burned quarter-inch well
candle with a tapered well
Drafty places will cause candles to burn unevenly and too quickly.
When burning pillars, allow a consistent well to develop, burning for about two hours at a time (top picture). With some care you can allow the top of the well to taper, but avoid allowing the middle of the wall to melt through. The translucent tapered walls are can be particularly beautiful (bottom picture).
I tend to care for my candles by carving the walls of the well, keeping the candle trim and feeding it the carved wax. This is not necessary, but I enjoy it and it improves my burn times. Again, you should burn pillars on a candle holder to catch any wax that might melt through.
Votives are easier to care for as the glass acts as a well, containing the molten wax. Similarly you can use a glass candle holder to contain pillars provided that it is only slightly larger diameter than the candle.
Our Candles
At Dharma Rose, we love candles. Terrie and I almost always have one or two going while we are sitting at our desks (remember, never leave a burning candle unattended). Our loyal customers know how important quality is to us; we are exceptionally pleased with the candles we now offer.
All our candles have cotton wicks, without lead cores. Most common candles are paraffin based (a petroleum product); with the exception of the Gonesh line, ours are all made from natural waxes which burn cleaner and longer.
For those who are unfamiliar with these candles, we suggest trying one of our assorted sets (at discounted prices), or creating your own selection of several smaller pillars or votives. Not only is this an excellent way to find out which are your favorite scents, but variety truly is the spice of life. Even after you settle on favorites, new scents will help keep those from getting stale.
Typically, I burn as many as six to eight different candles throughout the day, each for an hour or two (I have over a dozen in current use). I find the individual candles have very distinct effects on the ambiance of my office, and use them to complement (or improve!) my moods. The sequence varies greatly from day to day. My first burns are often either Green Tea, Black Tea and Honey, Chi-Vital Energy, or Gonesh number 3. Ritual, Nag Champa, Patchouli Sage, Gonseh 11 are typically afternoon burns, while Anti-Stress, Relaxation, and Lavendar Pettigrain help me wind down at the end of the day. Then there are the specialty candles like Meditation, Tantra-Sutra, and Sensuality.
Herbal Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy candles with botanicals There are a dozen exquisite scents in the herbal aromatherapy line, from the restorative, to the spiritual and sensual. These beautiful candles are hand crafted using the finest ingredients, strarting with natural non-GMO soy wax which burns virtually soot- and smoke-free. The wicks are pure cotton with paper cores, and never contain lead.
You will notice botanicals (herbs and other aromatics) sprinkled on the tops of these candles, adding to the exquisite ambiance with which they grace any room.
Tea Collection
Candles made with green tea extract
The candles in the Tea Collection are some of the most unique we have encountered. They are lovingly crafted by hand from clean-burning natural palm wax and have a beautiful plam leaf pattern that forms naturally on the candle. The wicks are pure cotton with paper cores, and never contain lead. We find a warm sense of well-being whenever we burn these exquisite candles.
Soy Naturals
natural soy wax candle pillars
These Soy Natural candles are the purest we have found. They are made from non-GMO soybean oil wax, with 100% plant and flower essential oils and essence and with cotton and paper-core wicks. No synthetic fragrance, no artificial dyes or pigments, and no petroleum products are used used.
They cost a bit more than our other candles, but we find the purity well worth it.
Pure Palm Candles
palm wax candles
These beautiful palm wax candles are available in seven sublime aroma blends, each complemented with a rich color and a naturally-forming tortoise shell pattern.
Clean-burning, palm wax candles are a natural, environmentally-friendly alternative to paraffin candles. They are made from a renewable resource, and burn cleaner and longer than paraffin wax (which is a petroleum by-product). Virtually smoke- and soot-free,palm wax candles won't blacken your ceiling and are a healthier alternative to paraffin.
Gonesh Hand-Carved Candles
Number 7
These are perhaps the most heavily scented candles we offer.
 Number 9
Over the past eighty years, Gonesh has mastered the mysteries of fragrance, crafting exquisite incense based on precious oils extracted from herbs, spices, flowers, woods and fruits. This same art and care has now yielded these beautiful candles. They are perfect for uplifting the ambiance of any home, office, or studio.
Terrie's Favorites: Tantra Sutra, Black Tea & Honey, Chai Tea, Passionate Plum, Tobacco Flower, Gonesh 7
John's Picks: Black Tea & Honey, Green Tea, Patchouli & Sage, Ritual, Nag Champa, Balsam Incense, Anti-Stress
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