4 Signs you are using the wrong wick
Self-Extinguishes
If your candle wick self-extinguishes, you may have chosen a candle wick that is not large enough. In this case, you would need to find a wick that will produce a stronger, hotter flame. Another possible cause is that something in your wax could be clogging your wick. For example, if you used crayon or mica to color your candle or you used beeswax that hasn't been filtered enough.
2. Mushrooming
"Mushrooming" happens when the wax does not burn fast enough to keep up with the wick. The overabundance of the wax causes carbon to build up creating a black "mushroom cap" on the wick. This generally occurs when the wick is not the right size for the candle, often it's too large. To fix a mushroom wick, trim the black "cap" off and bend or "curl" the tip of the wick.
3. Flickering
Flickering wicks can result in soot and smoke. Things that may cause your candle to flicker include a wick that is too large, too much air flow from sources like an open window or ceiling fan, and wax impurities that get drawn into the wick and interfere with proper combustion.
4. Tunnelling
If your candle fails to melt all the way to the edge, it will create a tunnel and can be a challenge to correct. Tunnels usually result from one of two reasons. First, the wick is too small for the diameter of your candle. This would mean that you need to use a larger wick. The other possibility is that the candle wasn't burned long enough to reach the edge.
