Bee Hive Candles | Knowledge Center | Optimal Locations for Burning Beeswax Candles

Optimal Locations for Burning Beeswax Candles

While beeswax candles can be placed and burned in any location that's safe for burning candles, you will find that they tend to give off their optimal scent throw and lighting if burned in their recommended settings. We've created some information below that explains the different factors that go into a beeswax candle's ability to give off scent, along with some tips on location placement we feel will help you get the most out of your beeswax candles.

Tip What is Scent Throw - Scent throw is simply the ability of a scent, be it essential oils or beeswax, to disperse itself through the air while the candle is burning. You'll notice our beeswax candles have a pleasant scent throw even when the candle is not burning.

Beeswax Scent

The delightful scent given off by beeswax when it burns can vary depending on several different factors. One is the type of pollen present in the beeswax. For example, beeswax that comes from bees that generally pollinated a clover field will have a much lighter, mild, and clean fragrance. Whereas beeswax that comes from bees that pollinated heavier or darker types of flowers and plants, such as sunflowers or alfalfa, will have a stronger, more potent, and heavy scent.

Our beeswax tends to have a lighter fragrance due to the majority of pollination done through clover, wild flowers, and other brighter plants.

Another factor that will affect the scent of beeswax is the amount of filtration to which the beeswax has been subjected. Raw or lightly filtered beeswax tends to retain most of the pollen and that fragrance will be emitted as the beeswax candle burns. Highly filtered beeswax will most often not have any smell, as the pollen has been entirely stripped from the beeswax.

We always lightly filter our beeswax to ensure an optimal burning experience while at the same time allowing the beeswax to retain its characteristic honey scent.

Personal Scent Sensitivity
Another factor to consider while burning candles is your personal sensitivity to smells. Everyone's sense of smell is different and something that is very subjective; some people are very sensitive to smells, most have an average sensitivity, and some are unable to sense all but the most powerful of smells.

We've engineered all of our beeswax candles and aromatherapy beeswax candles so that just about everyone should be able to enjoy their pleasant aromas.

Environmental Scent Factors
The environment in which you burn the beeswax candle can affect your ability to smell the candle as it's burning. For example, if your home or workplace is generally strong smelling with cooking, smoking, or pet odors, it will be more difficult to fully experience the scent given off by the candle as it has to overpower the already strong smells present.

This isn't to say you won't be able to smell our candles as they burn in these less than ideal environments, but it may take a larger candle, or perhaps an extra candle burning at the same time to really experience what the candle has to offer.

Aromatherapy Scent

The scent given off from a beeswax candle scented with essential oils will vary generally based on the quality of the essential oil, the inherent scent of the beeswax (noted under Beeswax Scent), and the amount of essential oil blended into the beeswax.

Not all essential oils are created equal. Carefully extracted essential oils tend to have much more distinct scents of the plants from which they were extracted; think absolute purity. Poorly extracted, and often cheaply extracted oils, tend to have small particles and other unwanted or added contaminants or fillers.

All of our essential oils are 100% pure essential oils gathered only via steam distillation and cold press methods. No carrier oils are used or mixed with the essential oils.

The amount of essential oil blended with the beeswax will dictate the amount of scent throw the candle itself can ultimately give off while burning. It's a tricky balance of "just right", having the perfect amount of essential oils for the candle to offer the most effective scent. Too little essential oil and it will be difficult or impossible to smell, too much and it will overpower and ruin the intended effect.

Through extensive testing and customer input we believe we've come up with the perfect amount of added essential oils to beeswax for our aromatherapy candles. They tend to smell "just right".

Wax Pool & Wick Size
The size of the molten wax pool will determine a candle's best location for optimal scent throw and lighting. The wax pool is the area on top of the candle that is molten while burning, and is directly responsible for the amount of scent released into the air as the wick burns the candle. The size of the wick and the amount of wax burning are responsible for the amount of light given off by the candle.

Also note that the length of time the beeswax candle has been burning will affect the scent throw, the longer they burn, the more scent will be released into the air.

It shouldn't take but a few minutes after lighting your beeswax candle before you notice the subtle scent of honey or the essential oils tantalizing your nose.

We've developed a common list of locations that most people will burn their beeswax candles accompanied by the types of beeswax candles we recommend burning in those locations for best scent throw and lighting. Feel free to experiment based on your personal preferences.

Optimal Scent by Location

Bathroom - Ideally suited for use with beeswax votives, tea lights, and 2oz travel tin candles. A single candle should be fine, though burning 2 or 3 creates a nice atmosphere.
Bedroom - Just about any beeswax candle will work in the bedroom. A single 3" diameter pillar will give off a nice bright light with a good scent throw. For a more romantic subdued lighting affect, try a few votives, tea lights, or small tin.
Computer Room / Den - Tea lights in their holders can make a nice small addition to your computer desk, study area, or on a reading desk. A votive or two works well here too.
Dining Room Table - Most choose to use beeswax taper candles to enhance their dining experience. The tall slender tapers are easily placed in most tapers holders, and they don't tend to take up much room on your table, leaving room for more important things, like food. For larger tables, pillar candles work exceptionally well too. Tapers work great on your mantle too.
Exterior Area / Deck - Any candle, including beeswax candles, are not ideal for exterior settings. This is usually due to the slight breezes that accompany the outdoors, making candles flicker or smoke. If you choose to use your beeswax candles outside we recommend using a hurricane glass on pillars and taking extra care to keep the wick trimmed. The scent throw may not be at it's best outside, but on darker evenings the candle light can be used to provide all types of atmospheres, from romantic to adventurous.
Kitchen - For the average size kitchen a 2" diameter beeswax pillar candle should suffice, though larger diameter pillars are fine too. You can also try an arrangement of 3 votives or 3 tea lights, give or take a votive/tea light or two based on the size of your particular kitchen.
Larger Room / Open Area - Single or multiple large pillars are best suited for bigger open rooms due to their ability to give off a lot of scent while burning. Try 4, 5, or even 6 at a time for huge amount of bright cheery beeswax candle light. Remember to keep multiple pillar candles slightly apart from each other so they don't inadvertently weaken each other's side walls while burning.

Optimal Scent by Candle Type

Pillar Beeswax Candles - This includes travel tins, and other candles with a similar diameter of 2-4" pillar, suited for larger rooms, bedrooms, open areas, outside decks, pretty much anywhere.
Taper Beeswax Candles - Best suited on tables, gives nice light and scent to those seated at table. Also great on fireplace mantles.
Tea Light Beeswax Candles - Ideal for bathrooms, desks, and smaller areas.
Votive Beeswax Candles - Great for bathrooms, kitchen counter area, areas around end table when sitting nearby. They won't scent the entire area, but rather the area around where it's placed.