With Summer drawing to a close, it’s time to look forward to autumn and all the beauty and joy it brings. I love the changing colours of leaves and the cooler air to wrap up warm and cosy. There’s no better way to spend an autumn evening after a busy day than cuddling up on the couch with the relaxing sound of a Woodwick crackling candle to unwind. 

What is a Crackle Wick Candle? 

I imagine many of you are already aware of what crackle wick candles are. Still, I’ll happily explain for those who don’t. Crackle wick or crackling candles come with a wooden wick—the softwood wick produces a therapeutic crackling sound reminiscent of logs on the fire. I will highlight that the sound from the candle isn’t as loud as from a log burner, although, in a lot of modern homes that don’t have log burners, like mine, it’s a great alternative. There is some scientific detail as to what causes the crackling, which I’ve detailed in the next section. Although my only genuine concern is that when lit, they make a crackling sound and fragrance my rooms beautifully to produce a very relaxing atmosphere.

How do Woodwick Candles Crackle?

Crackling candles use softwood for the wicks. To be able to use the wood to burn, it needs to be dried to reduce the amount of water that’s present in the wood. During the drying process, there’s a formation of gaps and left behind are small amounts of water in the wood. Once you light the wooden wick, the water will heat up and eventually boil and produce steam. This steam easily gets trapped in the wood, which results in a build-up of pressure, eventually causing the wood to give way and release the steam. This steam results in small bursts of flames that give you that therapeutic crackling sound.

What’s In Crackling Candles?

As mentioned above, crackling candles have a dried softwood wick. Usually, the make-up of the wax in these candles is a blend of soy and paraffin wax. This combination allows for a clean burn with no residue left behind.