FAQs (no accordian)

Why do you use coconut and rapeseed wax?

We use 100% natural waxes that burn cleanly so you don't have to worry about polluting your home. 

Coconuts are a sustainable high yield crop and harvesting the oil to make wax is an organic process. It's one of the most expensive waxes around but it's worth the price due to its slow even burn and great scent throw. Coconut wax is very soft on its own so we add rapeseed wax to firm up the natural texture of our candles.

Rapeseed wax is a sustainable wax that is widely produced in the UK and Europe. The wax also has a great scent throw and a long burn time compared with other natural waxes. When flowering, the rapeseed plant is also the main crop visited by honeybees!

In our opinion, coconut and rapeseed waxes are currently the most sustainable waxes on the market.  In comparison to other waxes,  they have supply chains with the most ethically transparent practices, which is important to us.

  

Why cotton wicks?

We use natural cotton wicks to make sure our candles burn cleanly. Our wicks are not coated in paraffin, which releases toxic compounds when burned.

 

Why natural essential oils?

There’s a lot of confusing information about what ‘natural’ really means. Most conventional candle and fragrance brands use petroleum wax, synthetic fragrance and scent boosters. This means they can make a small amount of fragrance go a lot further, which makes producing candles much cheaper. Unfortunately, synthetic candles are full of toxic compounds and when burned, they can release acetone, benzene and toluene – all known carcinogens.

For a fragrance brand to be 100% natural, it needs to use only 100% natural fragrance or 100% pure essential oils.

Essential oils are basically plant extracts. They're made by steaming or pressing various parts of a plant (flowers, bark, leaves or fruit) to capture the compounds that produce fragrance.

Natural fragrance is clean, isn’t overwhelming or intense, it doesn’t give you a headache or make you feel nauseous. We like the analogy that the difference between natural and synthetic fragrance is like comparing a pine scented air freshener to walking through a pine forest. No brainer, we'd take the forest any day!

 

What is aromatherapy? 

Aromatherapy is a holistic healing treatment that uses natural plant extracts (essential oils) to promote health and well-being.  Essential oils are great, not just for their smell, but also for their scientifically proven aromatherapeutic benefits. Check out our scent descriptions to find out more about the health benefits of the carefully selected essential oils we blend to make our candles.

 

What is the burn time?

Our candles burn for around 50 hours.

 

Where are the candles made? 

Our candles are proudly made in our kitchen in London using sustainable and ethically sourced materials.

  

How long should the wick be?

Wicks should usually be about 1cm. Ideally, we recommend trimming your candle wick before each use to 1cm. The wick should always look short and upright for a clean burn. If you have a wick trimmer then great (you obviously know your candles!) but if not, scissors should do the job as wicks become more brittle when they burn down.

Do not relight your candle when the wax level is less than 1cm as your container may get very hot without enough wax/ wick to burn properly.

 

How long should I burn the candle for? 

We recommend burning for 2-4 hours each time you light your Keep Candle (if possible) or until the melt pool has reached the edge of the container, this is particularly important on the first burn to prevent tunnelling.

Tunnelling is when only the centre of the wax around the wick melts and burns down, creating a tunnel like effect – it's not a great look!

 

How can I clean my candle container to give it a second life?

Once your candle has burnt down, simply empty any remaining wax (hot water and washing up liquid will do the trick), remove the wick holder and you will be left with a beautiful container.

Alternatively you can also pop your candle in the freezer for a few hours. This will shrink any remaining wax meaning it should pop out easily.

 

Can I put my ceramic or glass into the dishwasher?

Yes, all our products are dishwasher safe.

 

Can I return my candle?

You have 14 days from your order to return your candle if you are not happy. The Keep Candle must be in its original package and undamaged. Please email hello@keepcandles.com to request a refund.

 

When will I receive my candle?

We have a few options for delivery which you can choose at checkout. All our candles are handmade to order so once they have been poured and left to cure for a few days we will send them out to you by first or second class Royal Mail delivery, depending on your selection.