3 Things You Need to Know About Wooden Wick Candles
(A Shopper’s Guide)
So you’re browsing the internet for the best candle gift, and you might be seeing more of the same—cotton wick candle after cotton wick candle. Perhaps you didn’t know there was another option with wooden wick candles!
We’re here to enlighten your (shopping) day.
Wooden wick candles have uniquely horizontal flames shaped like a teardrop and have a gentle crackling sound that sounds like a mini campfire. But the differences don’t stop there.
Here’s 3 things you need to know about wooden wick candles:
This candle gift set may be your solution.
PERSONAL OR CORPORATE GIFTING
Here’s 5 reasons why a candle gift set makes the perfect gift:
A Shopper’s Guide to Wooden Wick Candles: 3 Reasons You Should Add to Cart
1. Wooden Wick Candles Have a Soft Crackling Sound Like a Campfire
Much like a campfire, when the natural cellulose in the wooden wicks meets the candle flame’s heat, the moisture inside the wood turns into steam, which then expands rapidly, causing the wood to crack and pop.
This phenomenon is known as combustion. Hello, science!
In the context of a candle, the sound or experience is not as dramatic as that may sound. In fact, wooden wick candles offer a gentle, more calming crackling sound that amplifies the ambiance of a candle.
The type of wood burned, whether in a campfire or a wooden wick candle, can also affect the sound.
Different types of wood have different densities, moisture contents, and natural compositions, which can influence how they burn and the sound they make.
Our wooden wicks are ethically sourced from fruit trees and typically offer a soft crackling sound. However, on very rare occasions during the life cycle of our wooden wick candles, we can hear tapping or hissing sounds or no sound at all.
As the wooden wick burns down, the candle’s flame will quite literally mingle with every fiber of the wooden wick.
Though the soft crackle is the most common sound of a wooden wick candle, the beauty of the wooden wick is that it’s unpredictable, unique, and up to Mother Nature.
Talk about a unique candle experience! But wooden wicks offer even more.
2. Wooden Wick Candles Do Not Require Any Additives, Lead, or Core Stiffeners
Wooden wick candles are a better choice because wooden wicks do not require any special processing, coating, or treatment, unlike cotton wick candles.
Cotton wicks are made from braided cotton or synthetic fibers. They are otherwise limp, so a core stiffener or a wax coating is typically added to a cotton wick to help bond the fibers and enforce the cotton wick structure.
In the early 2000s, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission had to ban the use of lead in cotton wicks. But in our findings researching cotton wicks vs. wooden wicks, other cotton wick core stiffeners, such as paper and synthetic fibers, are still used today.
On the other hand, wooden wicks are all-natural, untreated, and come directly from trees. The natural composition of each wooden wick means its structure is rigid and does not require additives or coatings for straightening.
Our wooden wicks are non-toxic, clean-burning, and are sourced and manufactured in the USA from FSC-certified Mills.
No mystery coatings or core stiffeners here!
🎁 SHOP TRIO SETS 🎁
3. Wooden Wick Candles are Rarer and Require Better Craftsmanship
Walk down the candle aisle of any major department store, and wooden wick candle selection is rare.
At Spoken Flames, we exclusively make wooden wick candles, and from our research in speaking directly with several manufacturers, wooden wick candles also cost more to make.
Cotton wick candles are easier and cheaper to mass produce. So it’s no wonder most candle brands make cotton wick candles.
Wooden wicks require more skill and are unique. The very fibers of the wood vary from wick to wick.
Wooden wick candles can also burn too hot in specific wax blends and ratios, so it takes much testing and quality craftmanship to really match a wooden wick to respective candle wax blends.
Take it from us! We spent 18 months trying to find the precise wooden wick width and thickness and tested it across several varying all-natural wax blends.
The slightest variations of candle wax and fragrance loads can decrease the quality of how the wooden wick burns. Perhaps for many companies, it’s not worth the headache.
Honestly, after 18 months of testing, we almost gave up, too.
But through trial & error, persistence, and hundreds of happy customer reviews later, we became masters of our craft—and of wooden wicks—and learned how to optimize our blends to support the best burn of wooden wicks.
When you shop or gift wooden wick candles from Spoken Flames, you get a high-quality wooden wick candle handmade by candlemakers who love their craft.
Related: 5 Reasons Candles Make the Perfect Gift ›
Frequently Asked Questions About Wooden Wick Candles
🏃 I’M READY TO GIFT - LET’S GO! 🏃
Are wooden wick candles better?
Wooden wick candles can be a more natural and less processed wick option for your candle choice.
In fact, the health information site, Healthline, explains what to consider when shopping for non-toxic candles. Their “non-toxic tip” is to “play it safe, look for 100 percent cotton, hemp, or wood wicks.”
Yes, cotton wicks made their list, but as their shopping guide further explains: “some [cotton] wicks have a metal core for support, which may not be readily visible.”
So unless you plan to dissect the candle’s cotton wick in the store to check for metals or firming additives, we’d recommend wooden wick candles as the way to go!
What’s so special about wooden wick candles?
Wooden wicks are most remarkable because of the soft crackling sound it creates. The sound of a wooden wick candle amplifies the soothing ambiance a candle offers. Plus, the horizontal teardrop-shaped flame is a nice touch. Consider this for candle gazing or a candle meditation.
Tell a Friend About Wooden Wick Candles
At this point, we hope these insights about wooden wicks have inspired you. Don’t get another boring cotton wick candle. Amplify the ambiance with wooden wick candles.
Consider a wooden wick candle the next time you’re candle shopping, and someone, please tell Nordstrom to carry these wooden wick candles, too! 😉
6. Candles can help increase focus in a work from home environment
The rise in WFH and remote work means our workspaces are full of comforts—and distractions. But why would anyone light a candle at their work desk? To keep those distractions at bay. From chatty co-workers (albeit via Slack) to social media, candles are a thoughtful corporate gift that can help us focus and create space for us to do our best work.
Consider it a productivity hack. 💡
The presence of a candle flame can set a calming mood. Wooden wick candles in particular have a unique soft-crackling sound, which can serve as natural and relaxing ambient sound in one’s space. Plus, select scent profiles, like citrus, woody or a floral scent of a scented candle can influence physiological responses that help keep the mind on track.
7. Candles can be an environmentally responsible gift choice
First, it‘s a candle, next it’s their favorite whiskey glass. 🥃
Depending on the candle’s vessel, most candle jars can be upcycled after the burn cycle of the candle. It can be used as storage, glassware and more, so you can feel good knowing that your gift will keep on giving! And your candle gift (once upcycled) can be a pleasant reminder, if not a conversation piece in their home, of your thoughtfulness.
A candle gift set solves my gifting needs—but wait! I don’t know what candle scent they may like 😟
Bonus tip: How to pick a candle scent for a gift
So a candle gift set meets your needs, but you’re not sure what scents they like 😟 Pro tip: consider an unscented candle or a gift set that offers a variety of scents.
The unique thing about Spoken Flames’ Trio Sets is that each candle gift set has a variety of scents with great range—from woody, citrus and floral in our F, Yes Collection, for example.
Your gift recipient would never get bored, and it increases your chances for satisfaction with a broad range of scents in their hands.
Because Spoken Flames candles are message-driven, our motivating candle statements (even without scent) mean that you’ll still win big with this meaningful gifting choice!
Best-Selling Wooden Wick Candles
Join 5,000+ Readers
If you found this article helpful, then join over 5,000 readers who get gifting, wellness, and lifestyle tips just like this. Plus, get $5 OFF your first Spoken Flames candle!
