Transitioning from Wood Wicks to Cotton Wicks: Making the Switch

If you’ve been part of the Vibe & Glo community for a while, you know our wooden wick candles have been a huge part of our brand story.

That soft crackle. The cozy ambiance. The signature vibe.

So if you’ve noticed a shift toward cotton wicks, you might be wondering… why the change?

We want to walk you through exactly what’s happening behind the scenes, why we made this decision, and what it means for your candle experience moving forward.

The Short Answer: Performance and Consistency

We didn’t make this decision overnight.

In fact, this transition has been in the works for months.

We’ve spent extensive time testing every fragrance, every vessel, and every burn profile to make sure that switching from wood wicks to cotton wicks maintains the quality you expect from a high-quality hand-poured candle.

The biggest reason for the switch?

Consistency.

Cotton wicks offer a more predictable, steady burn across a wide range of fragrance blends and environments.

Why Cotton Wicks?

While wooden wicks are beautiful and unique, they can be more sensitive to variables like:

Room temperature
Airflow
Wax composition
Fragrance load

Cotton wicks, on the other hand, are known for being:

1. More Reliable Across Every Burn

Cotton wicks are less prone to issues like uneven burning or flame inconsistency. This means a smoother experience from first light to final burn.

2. A Steady, Even Flame

You’ll notice a consistent flame height, which helps create a more even melt pool and better overall performance.

3. Better for Complex Fragrance Blends

Some fragrance oils simply perform better with cotton wicks, especially when balancing throw and burn quality.

4. Easier Maintenance

Cotton wicks are more forgiving and easier to trim, making everyday candle care simpler.

Two Vibe & Glo soy candles showing the transition from a single wooden wick candle to a double cotton wick candle, both lit in clear glass jars against a soft neutral and lavender background

What About the Crackle?

We know. This is the question.

Wooden wicks are loved for their soft crackling sound, and we get it. It’s part of the experience.

But what we’ve found is that most customers prioritize:

Strong scent throw
Even burning
Long-lasting performance

And that’s exactly where cotton wicks shine.

The vibe doesn’t go away. It just evolves.

Months of Testing Behind the Scenes

This wasn’t a quick swap.

Every single candle we offer has been tested and retested with cotton wicks to ensure:

Proper melt pool formation
Clean, even burning
Optimal scent throw
Consistency across batches

Different scents behave differently, so we adjusted wick sizing and configurations for each one.

For example, our larger formats required special attention, which is why our 2-wick candles were carefully tested to ensure balanced, full-surface burns without tunneling.

The goal was simple:
Make sure your experience stays just as good (if not better).

What This Means for Your Favorite Candles

At the end of the day, this transition doesn’t change what matters most:

Clean-burning, non-toxic ingredients
Thoughtfully curated scent profiles
Hand-poured, small-batch quality
Candles designed to set the vibe

Whether you’re shopping our everyday jar candles for a cozy night in or lighting one of our larger double wick candles to fill your space, the experience is still rooted in intentional fragrance and atmosphere.

You may notice a slightly different flame, but the performance? Even better.