The Best Wicks For Soy Candles

What is the best wick for soy candles? If you asked yourself that question before finding this article, then rest assured that you’re in the right place. After testing some of the most popular candle wicks I’ve come to the conclusion that the following five candle wicks work best for soy candles. These wicks range in price and quality, but I tried to find something for everyone. Continue reading if you want to up your candle-making game without paying the unnecessary costs required to test these wicks yourself.

Number One

WHY I LIKED IT: These wicks are environmentally friendly, have a clean and stable burn, and are made of high-quality materials. These wicks work perfectly for soy candles.

This was one of the first wicks that I tested and I knew immediately that it was a winner when I did. Something about these sturdy yet soft wicks utterly captivated me. These wicks have an amazing burn without any smoke or soot due to the exclusion of any and all metal in the wick. Hemp wicks have one drawback: They burn hotter than many other candle wicks. This minor flaw, however, is nullified by the return that hemp candle wicks are completely biodegradable and environmentally friendly. This is the candle wick that I’ve personally decided to begin using in my soy wax candles and I highly recommend it for your use as well. An amazing product, money well spent.

Number Two

WHY I LIKED IT: The high-quality wood and amazing crackles as the wood burnt were very pleasant. I also enjoyed the long-lasting quality that is common with wooden wicks.

I have always been an avid fan of wooden wicks so maybe I’m a little biased towards this one but I was genuinely very impressed with the quality of the wood. Usually, with wooden wicks, you need to pour melted candle wax over them in order for them to light properly, but I didn’t encounter that issue with these wicks. They burn well, evenly, crackle, and don’t throw out any black smoke. Many of the cons to this product are ones that are inherent to wooden wicks. For example, wooden wicks are by nature finicky beasts that require more babysitting and adjusting than other wicks. If that isn’t your style, that’s totally fine, but for me, the drawback of extra attention is totally worth it. There’s nothing that matches up to simply lighting a wooden wicked candle next to you on your desk and enjoying the crackling and fragrance while getting your work done. Another common issue of wooden wicks is that they perform poorly in drafty areas due to their trouble with staying lit but as I mentioned previously this problem is far less apparent in these wicks. If you’re a fan of wooden wicks, I’d highly recommend this product as it was the best wooden wick that I tested. If not, keep reading, I’m sure something will catch your eye.

Number Three

WHY I LIKED IT: I loved the traditionalist approach to these wicks, as well as their low costs. These candle wicks are perfect for basic candles, making them a great option for any beginners. I also enjoyed that these wicks are pre-tabbed and contain no metals.

I loved these wicks while testing them. They are the perfect combination of old-fashioned candle-making and new modernized improvements. These wicks being pre tabbed and pre-waxed also allows for easy and efficient use. These candle wicks are incredibly convenient and of high quality. Perhaps the best part about the whole deal, however, is the astoundingly cheap price that these wicks come with. These wicks work great with pillar containers and cylinders alike. These wicks do incredibly well with soy candles, I would highly recommend them.

Number Four

WHY I LIKED IT: I loved the cotton-paper woven threads while testing this product. These wicks have an amazing and clean burn and are (once again) completely organic. Contains no zinc or lead or other metals, allowing for a completely smokeless burn.

I loved everything about these wicks. From the cotton and paper threads to the soy wax coating to the tabs, allowing for an easier setup. These wicks have one of the smoothest burns I’ve ever seen with absolutely no smoke! This may be one of the highest quality wicks I’ve ever tested. The issue however, is the pricing. I decided against using these wicks in my own candles solely due to the cost. While it may be affordable for a one time purchase, using these as my permanent candle wick would simply reduce profits more than the slightly higher quality would increase them. If you’re only making your candles for recreational purposes, I would highly recommend these wicks. If you’re trying to make a profit however, there are other listings that cost less and are similar in quality.

Number Five

WHY I LIKED IT: Environmentally friendly, great value.

This product is perfect for larger containers. The 8″ wick size fits almost all containers. These wicks are also biodegradable and environmentally friendly. From a quality standpoint, many of the other listings rank higher, but if you want to get the most bang for your buck, this is a good pick.

Choosing the right candle wicks for candle making

When it comes to picking the right candle wick there are a couple of main steps:

1. Pick a wax type
2. Measure your candle diameter
3. Choose three of the listings above to find three wicks to start with
4. Design your candle (fragrance, dye)
5. Test the candles
6. Choose the best wick OR make adjustments

There are a lot of different important variables when it comes to deciding which candle wick is best for you, and these are best outlined and expanded upon within this list. Decide a wick type that fits your wax. After measuring your candle diameter to find what size wick you need (You want the wick to stand a few inches above the wax and you need to make sure it’ll have a big enough pool size for the candle) to choose three candle wicks to choose between. After designing your candles, choose which of the wicks is your favorite and begin using it in your future candle making processes.

How I Decided The Best Candle Wicks

At this point in the article, you might be wondering where I got these results and how they might differ from the results on your end. After testing many different wicks in my own soy candles, I have come up with a top five so that you won’t have to take the same hits to your budget that I did. The candle wicks above are meant to give any kind of reader their own best alternative depending on their circumstances. I personally loved these five candle wicks and I think you will too.

How to Make Your Own Candle Wicks

While you can easily buy one of the high-quality candle wicks listed above, you can just as easily make your own. I’ll be discussing cotton candle wicks, as they are the most popular, and easiest candle wick to create.

1. Start by heating one cup of water in a small saucepan or another small container. Let the water reach a simmer, not a full boil.
2. Pour the water into a glass bowl and add one teaspoon of salt and three teaspoons of borax; stir to dissolve.
3. Soak a piece of heavy cotton butcher’s twine in the solution for about 24 hours. Treating wicks with borax makes them burn longer and brighter, and reduces the amount of smoke and ashes produced in the burning process.
4. Remove the twine from the borax solution using tweezers. Hang the twine and let it dry for two or three days. Wait for the twine to be completely dry before you continue. You can use a clothespin or another clip to hang the twine in a dry space. Also, make sure to place aluminum foil beneath the drying twine to catch the solution as the excess dries off.
5. Break apart about 1/4 of a cup of candle wax and melt it using a double boiler set up. If you don’t know what kind of candle wax you should use, more information can be found on our website. If you don’t have a double boiler setup, you can achieve the same result with a metal can and a saucepan. In that case, heat one to two inches of water in the saucepan over your stove. Once again, let it simmer and steam without boiling. Then, place the metal can inside the hot water. Wait another minute or two before adding the candle wax. Melted wax can cause serious burns so handle it with care throughout the procedure.
6. Coat as much of the twine in the melted wax as possible. You can technically use the borax-treated twine without a wax coating but the wax makes the wick stiffer, easier to handle, and makes the flame easier to catch on the wick. Once the twine has been dipped in the wax, hang it to dry as you did before. Use aluminum foil to catch any dripping wax as you did before. Wait until the wax hardens, which should only take a few minutes.
7. Repeat this step a couple more times. After a few coats of wax have been applied, your cotton candle wick is finished and ready to be inserted into a candle.

Making your own candle wicks can be a chore, but it can also be extremely rewarding. Of course, if you’d rather purchase one of the listed options above that’s a completely viable option, but making your own candle wicks can be rewarding and fulfilling.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, I can give you all of the insights into the candle world imaginable. The information is here, the only step that’s left, is for you to apply it. Once you’ve decided which of the listed wicks is the best wick for your soy candles, you can continue building upon that knowledge until you’re a successful candle maker and seller. I hope this article has been able to provide you with enough information to give you a next step in your candle making process. I’ll see you in the next article!

FAQ

What are the different types of candle wicks?

There are a couple of main types of candle wicks. These incldude cotton, paper, and zinc candle wicks. Wooden candle wicks are another less popular type of candle wick. While cotton candle wicks are the most conventional, they aren’t neccessarily the best. There are many distinct advantages and disadvantages of each type of candle wick.

What type of candle wick lasts longest?

Wooden candle wicks burn the slowest and therefore last the longest. When deciding which candle wick to use, burn length is only one factor. The biggest problem with wooden wicks is that they are inherently more expensive and in some cases require more maintenance.

Are soy candles better?

There are many advantages to using soy wax over the more common paraffin wax. Not only is soy wax enviromentally friendly while paraffin wax is the result of the petroleum industry and has severe climate impacts. Soy wax also burns slower, making for a longer-lasting candle.

Are wood wicks good for soy candles?

Despite the common belief that wooden wicks don’t work well with soy wax due to their long burn times, these concerns are invalid. As long as your wooden wick has the right dimensions (both height and width need to be sized correctly for the candle) wooden wicks are a fantastic choice for soy wax candles.

Are zinc wicks good for soy wax?

Zinc wicks are wicks that are designed with maximum core strength to keep the wick straight as the wax melts. Zinc wicks work best with paraffin wax but they can be used in soy wax too.

Are hemp wicks good for soy candles?

Hemp wicks are an excellent choice for soy candles. They provide a hotter than other wicks as well as a more rigid design. These wicks produce no mushrooms and allow for a quick melt pool.