Wooden wick candles are easy to love: cozy crackle, gorgeous glow, and a vibe that instantly makes a room feel intentional. But they do have one non-negotiable: a properly trimmed wick.If your wooden wick keeps going out, burns weak, or tunnels—nine times out of ten, it’s not the candle. It’s the wick length.

For wooden wicks, you want the wick trimmed to 1/8”–3/16” before lighting.Why it matters: If the wick is too long, it can’t pull wax up efficiently. The flame struggles, dims, and may extinguish (especially in the first few minutes).

• It lights, then goes out shortly after
• The flame looks small/weak
• You’re not getting a full melt pool
• The candle starts tunneling

You can trim a wooden wick with:

• Wick trimmers
• Nail clippers
• Or just snap the char off with your fingers (my personal favorite)

Quick tip: Trim every time you relight. Wooden wicks hate being too long.

Try this quick reset:

1. Let the candle cool completely
2. Trim again (remove all loose char)
3. Relight at wax level (not above a tall ridge of wax)

If you’ve been digging wax out around the wick—don’t. It starves the flame and causes tunneling. (I know. It feels helpful. It is not.)

I’ve got a short instruction video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaOO2T1qJ_0