Why is my candle wick mushrooming?

What you see: a black carbon ball — a "mushroom" — grows on the wick tip as it burns.

Why it happens: carbon buildup from a wick that's slightly too large, a wick left too long, or heavy fragrance oils that don't combust cleanly. A tiny bit of carbon on the tip is normal; a growing mushroom is a sizing signal.

The fix: trim the mushroom off and trim to ¼" before each burn. If it comes right back on a trimmed wick, go down one wick size — or try a cooler-burning family (ECO instead of CD) at the same size.

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