Wicking your candle is one of the most important parts of candle making but is also thought to be the most difficult. You may have picked the best type of wax, fragrance, and dye, however, if the incorrect wick is selected your candle will not burn properly.

When choosing candle wicks, you should strive to achieve:

• Consistent flame size

• Minimal or no blooming (carbon deposits)

• Consistent moderate container temperature

• Well-formed wax pool with no dripping

Making Your Own Candle Wick

You may choose to make your own candle wick which can be beneficial, making your own gives you the flexibility to make custom wicks to fit specialty candles in varying sizes. We recommend using Wedo Eco Wick Raw – an unwaxed cotton wick with paper filaments give a stable, clean burn with reduced mushrooming. Strong enough for high fragrance and dye loads, it’s ideal for paraffin or vegetable waxes – perfect for tall pillar candles and easy to cut to size. Just follow these steps to create your own custom homemade wicks.

Materials Needed:

•  Wedo ECO Wick Raw
•  Scissors
•  Tongs (or anything to pull the wicks out of the warm wax)
•  Pliers
•  Wick Sustainers
•  Wax Melter or a bowl inside a saucepan of water
•  Candle Wax

1. Prepare your Raw Wick

When making your homemade wick you need to decide how long you want it to be. Measure and cut the raw wick to be three inches longer than the height of your candle. 

2. Melt the Wax

Add your chosen wax to the wax melter or double boiler and melt your wax whilst stirring gently. You’ll need enough to cover your strings/braid.

3. Dip the Raw Wick

Carefully soak the raw wick in the wax for about a minute coating as much of the wick as possible. If you use tongs, you can completely submerge the wick whilst protecting your fingers.

4. Dry the Coated Wicks

Remove the wick from the wax using tongs and hang it to dry.

TIP: As the wax begins to cool and before it hardens, gently straighten the wick so it is completely straight when the wick is completely dry.

5. Repeat (Optional)

If you would like a thicker coating of wax repeat steps 3 and 4.

Note: The wick doesn’t really ‘absorb’ the wax, therefore, repeating the step only thickens the wick with wax.

6. Adding wick sustainers

You will need to add a wick sustainer to the bottom of your wick, simply thread the wick through the hole and crimp using pliers to secure the tab to the wick. Store the finished wicks in a cool, dry place.

Congratulations you have made your very own wick!

If you do not want to make your own wicks, you can shop our ready to use wicks below. They are available in a wide range of lengths:

LX Series Wick– a solid flat braided wick made from pure ring spun cotton yarn. Further stabilised with rigid structure threads for easy wax pouring. Designed to improve the burning of scented and coloured container, votive and pillar candles, the LX Series offers a reduced afterglow, smoke, and soot. This series is very popular for paraffin waxes.

TRC Series Wick– a flat braided wick, cored, with an exterior jacket that provides a high level of stiffness, made from pure long strand ring-spun cotton and paper. Designed for Soy and vegetable wax, it ensures an excellent burn profile with vegetable-based waxes, such as soy wax and rapeseed wax. The TCR series offers a reduced afterglow, smoke, and soot.

Wedo Eco Wick– similar to the LX series, it is also a flat, coreless wick. The wick is made of pure cotton and thin paper filaments interlaced for a more stable and consistent burn; it consists of specially treated paper threads providing controlled curling of the wick. Suitable for both paraffin and vegetable waxes, this wick is robust enough to deal with high concentrations of perfume and dye.

Stabilo Series Wick – a high-performance, flat braided wick, designed for container candles. Known for its excellent capillary action and consistent flame is ideal for use with a range of waxes, including soy, paraffin, and blended waxes.

Wooden Wicks – a modern alternative to traditional cotton wicks. They burn cleanly, throw fragrance beautifully, and create a gentle crackling sound for a cosy, atmospheric finish – adding an extra sensory layer to your candles.

New To Candle Making?

You’ve come to the right place! Follow our step-by-step guide to candle making here. 

Check out our Candle Troubleshooting page here.