All About Dough Bowl Candles

So you’ve seen a beautiful dough bowl candle and now you want to add one to your home. Dough bowl candles are different from the glass jar candles you’re used to, so there are some things you should know before getting one.

Our dough bowl candles all look different — that is, no two will ever look exactly the same since they are all hand carved and hand poured. You can expect variances in shape, size, and colour, but that is truly the beauty of these candles! 

Burning your dough bowl candle

When lighting your candle for the first time, keep in mind that you will need to let it burn until all of the wax is melted across the top. This may take up to 4 hours. If you snuff it out too soon, your next burn may result in tunneling, which means the wax will melt down rather than out to the edges of the candle.

Be sure to light every wick of the candle at the same time, i.e. if there are two wicks, do not only light one of them as this will result in your candle wax melting unevenly.

If you do experience tunnelling or uneven wax, there are some things you can do to help even the wax out!

Hairdryer method: Turn your hairdryer to the hottest setting, ensuring you keep the fan low to avoid spraying any wax. Carefully apply the heat back and forth across the surface of the candle, just until you have a thin layer of melted wax across the top. Let your candle set. Note: Be careful not to apply heat to the candle for too long. If this happens you will see the wax turn white and appear ‘moldy.’ 

Tinfoil method: Use tinfoil to trap some heat while your candle is burning. Before lighting the candle, wrap a bit of tinfoil up and over the edges of the candle so that you are essentially 'tenting' the wax you want to even out. Be sure to supervise your candle during this process, and never cover the wick/flame with tinfoil! You always want to leave a big enough space for the wick to burn without anything getting in its way or catching fire.

Once your dough bowl has finished burning 

You have two options. You can repurpose it as a decorative bowl or you can have it refilled! We offer refills at half the cost of the candle and you can pick any of our scents. Whichever option you choose, you will first need to clean out any remaining wax and the wick. 

To do so, scoop the wax out with a spoon, remove the wick, pour in hot water, dump it out after 2-3 minutes, and then give your bowl a wipe with a paper towel.