The guide
Warming a candle without a flame
A lavender and cedarwood candle is a lovely bedtime ritual — here is how to burn it cleanly.
The setup
Stand the container under the lamp so the bulb sits a couple of centimetres above the rim, centred, and not touching the glass.
Read the melt pool
Switch on at full brightness and look at the wax after twenty minutes. You want a shallow, even pool of liquid right out to the edge. Lower the lamp if there is a solid ring; raise it if it smells scorched.
Then leave it
Turn the brightness down to hold the pool, set the timer if there is one, and let the candle do its work. The wick is never lit, so the candle lasts for many sessions.