Why Do Votivo Wicks Sometimes Separate?Updated an hour ago
If you've noticed the strands of your Votivo wick coming apart, don't worry. This is normal and doesn't affect how your candle burns.
How Our Wicks Are Made
Votivo wicks are constructed from three twisted coils: two outer coils made of cotton and one center core coil made of paper. These three coils are held together by wax applied directly to the wick itself.
This design creates a sturdy, self-supporting wick that burns cleanly and consistently with our proprietary soy-blend wax formula.
Why Wicks Can Separate
During manufacturing, the wick goes through multiple heating and cooling cycles:
- The wick is attached to the candle vessel
- It's heated and cooled as it's secured in place
- Wax is poured into the vessel
- The candle cools, then may be reheated and cooled again during quality checks
Sometimes, this repeated heating and cooling can soften the wax holding the coils together, allowing the strands to untwist slightly.
Separation can also happen during packaging and shipping. When candles are wrapped in tissue paper and packed for transit, friction from the tissue can press against the wick or cause the coils to separate.
This Is Normal
Wick separation is not a defect or damage. It falls within our acceptable quality standards and doesn't affect the candle's performance. Think of it like a shoelace coming slightly untied during shipping. The product is perfectly fine, it just needs a small adjustment.
The Easy Fix
Simply twist the separated strands back together before lighting your candle. That's it. Once twisted and lit, your wick will burn exactly as designed.
You don't need to twist it tightly or worry about getting it perfect. Just gather the strands and give them a gentle twist to bring them back together.
Your Candle Will Burn Properly
Once you've twisted the wick back together and follow our burning instructions (trim to 1/4 inch, let the wax pool to the edges, burn in a draft-free area), your candle will perform beautifully.
The natural cotton and paper fibers, combined with our tested wick sizing and wax formula, ensure a clean, even burn with excellent fragrance throw.
When to Contact Us
If your wick is damaged (broken, frayed beyond normal separation, or missing entirely), that's different from simple strand separation. In those cases, reach out to us and we'll help.
But if you just see the wick coils have come apart? Just twist them back together and light away.
The Bottom Line
Separated wick strands are a normal result of our manufacturing process and shipping. A quick twist brings them back together, and your candle will burn perfectly. No defect, no problem, just a simple fix before your first burn.
More questions for us? Call 1.877.7VOTIVO (1.877.786.8486) or send an email to [email protected].