How to Choose Your Perfect Candle

Candles are a great way to decorate, and bring delicious smells into your home. With a large variety of smells, styles, and shapes, the candle buying business can be stressful if you aren’t sure what you are looking for. In order to help better prepare you for your next candle purchasing experience, here are a number of commonly seen candles and what makes them different from each other. Jar Candles, standalone candles, and wax tarts are just a few of the options we will discuss here.

Let’s begin with jar candles. These candles are great for a number of reasons. First, they come in their own container, which is handy. Jar candles cut down on the need for extra accessories, and are a safer option if you have children or pets running around. The glass jar helps keep the flame and melting wax contained, cutting down the likelihood of a spill. Jar candles can be lit and burned, or they can be set on warmers, to release flameless scents.

If you are planning on going for a jar candle, there are a few options. You can get a classic, Mason jar style, or you can go for the more decorative dessert jar candle.  Both have their benefits. The Mason jar style is larger than the tart style, and if you are looking for a long lasting scent, this would be your best bet.  Sometimes, however, you might be more interested in a decorative dessert candle. In this case, you can have the combination of a yummy smelling candle, and a yummy looking candle.  Dessert jar candles are great because they look the way they smell.  The toasted marshmallow dessert jar candle, for example, has a toasty smell, in addition to looking like a delectable dessert. Jar candles are a great option if you are trying to keep a mess-free candle burning station. The jar keeps melted wax contained and out of sight.

The next candle option you might come across is a standalone candle. These candles don’t come with any kind of container. They can be a number of different shapes and sizes. There are pillar candles, candle sticks, and decorative shaped candles. Each has their benefits, and downfalls.

Pillar candles, are exactly what they sounds like. They are candles which look like pillars, or columns. They can come in all shapes and sizes, and are the next best option for keeping flames and hot wax contained. They burn into themselves, creating a container as they burn. If they get too short, however, the wax can overflow, so I would recommend finding some kind of container to put them in, to reduce spills. Pillar candles are also known for turning into piles of hard wax. After melting away, the wax flows down, and creates a lumpy mountain that might not be the most appealing sight. I’ve been known to transfer standalone candles into a jar, in order to minimize the unsightly scenes.

The other forms of standalone candles come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but will probably need a container to keep the wax from spilling over. If you are going for the dessert candles, the apple pie cheese cake slice candle makes an excellent decorative piece, in addition to its mouthwatering smell. Standalone dessert candles come in a variety of smells and shapes, so it wouldn’t be hard to find one that tickles your fancy. They are a great option for decorating, if you can find something to put them on to reduce wax spillage. Dessert standalone candles are great because they can be decorative even before they burn, and make great gifts. There is nothing more yummy-looking than a nice display of dessert candles.

So what if you aren’t able to have an open flame, but you’d like the benefits of candles? Wax warmers are a great option, and wax tarts are just the solution you are looking for. Wax tarts are different than other candles, because they don’t come with a wick. The melt-able, tarts come in a variety of smells, and melt smoothly into warm wax. The melting wax releases a great aroma, and last just as long as traditional candles. Wax tarts still come in a wide variety of shapes, so you can decorate with them before they melt. Keeping a nice bowl of tarts near your wax warmer is a convenient and fun way to show off your tarts.

So what style is best for you? That depends heavily on how you like to decorate, and what your everyday life is like. If you have small children running around, a wax warmer with tarts might be best, kept up high and out of reach. If you like the soft lighting of candles, but hate the clean-up when they spill over, a jar candle might be the best choice. Standalone candles would work great for someone who likes to decorate with layers. (Think about placing a standalone candle on a tray with some flowers on a coffee table.) The tray would help minimize wax clean up, while still serving a decorative function.

No matter what style candle you choose, I’m sure you’ll come across a variety of scents as well. Which scent is best, also depends on your preference, and lifestyle. Maybe you like to keep dessert tarts in the kitchen, to have a faux-bakery scent profile. Clean scents, like linen, or cotton would do well in a laundry room or bathroom. You can also rotate smells throughout the year. Summer time might be a great time to have lemon or citrus scented candles, while the winter/holiday season would be the ideal time for cinnamon or gingerbread.

Each of the different styles come in a wide variety of scents. Having fun picking out a scent profile, and don’t be afraid to experiment and try new things! Try layering scents or rotating the ones you like, to keep the scent profile new and exciting. Picking out candles should be an enjoyable experience that brings a new dimension of style to you home.