GASP! Why does my candle have a wet spot?

In candle making, a 'wet spot' refers to an air pocket that occurs as the wax is cooling causing the wax to pull away from the containers edge. Wax expands when it heats up and contracts as it cools. Part of the wax pulls away from the glassware and sticks to the container giving it the look pictured below.

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Candles usually experience small temperature changes throughout their life cycle. Whenever there is a the temperature change, it increases the likelihood of candle wax pulling away from the jar sides. While the most noticeable volume change happends right after pouring the candle, you may also notice the pulling during the curing, shipping, and even while storing your candle. While wet spots can be visually unappealing, they do not affect the burn performance of a candle. If you find that you have wet spot that needs covering you can always put your label in that spot to cover the wet spot.

Using concentrated heat; with a heat gun, on the wet spots will melt the wax enough to fill in the voided areas and pushes the air to the top of the candle but can end up causing more problems than it solves. It is more common with paraffin wax but can also occur with soy. To help minimize this problem, below are some causes and prevention tips that can help:

Causes

Room temperature is too cold

Candle cools faster in some areas of the jar than others or sets too quickly (usually due to room temperature or temperature of the candle jar)

The candle jar is too dirty

The wrong candle wax is used.

Preventative Tips

Wash your glass with mild, soapy water and dry thoroughly before using.

Make sure the room where the wax is cooling is not too cold. 70-72 degrees F is best.

Preheat your glassware in a warm oven prior to pouring (100-110 degrees F), this will allow the wax to cool more slowly and give air bubbles time to escape to the surface.

Pour the wax slowly into the container to help prevent air pockets

Tap the glassware gently right after you've poured the wax to release any air bubbles.

Glass with a uniform thickness will cool more evenly. Jars with thick and thin spots will cool at different rates and can cause the wax to pull away. Pouring the wax at a cooler temperature in pre-heated glass can help reduce that. Adhesion may be best during the cooler months.

While cooling your candles place them about 4" apart. Glass containers placed right next to each other will hold heat on the adjacent sides. This causes those sides to cool more slowly than the rest of the jar. Try to cool the entire candle at the same rate.

Set the candles on a wire rack rather than on a counter or tabletop. Solid surfaces will pull the heat from the bottom of the jar and can cause the wax to cool too fast so that it shrinks and pulls away from the glass.

Try using a softer wax like a paraffin wax blend or select a wax that is known to have great adhesion.

Ship finished candles with ice packs in an insulated chamber.

Use an opaque glass that you cannot see through.

If you have a wet spot you can always cover up that part of your jar with your label

GASP! Why does my candle have a wet spot?Updated 4 months ago