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Northern Light Candle Company logo
Northern Light Candle Company logo

FAQ – Your questions, Answered

Northern Light has been tending to the art of pure beeswax light since 1975 and in that time our valued supporters have asked us some wonderful questions. Questions born of curiosity, from care and from the genuine desire to understand what makes Northern Light unlike any other candle available.

This page is here to provide clarity and answer our most commonly asked questions, honestly, simply and with the same care and attention that goes into every candle we make. 

If you cannot find an answer to your question please reach out to us at enquiry@northernlight.com.au or call 02 66780759

We are an email or call away, real people ready to help you.

Select title to jump to the relevant FAQ section:

Tealights

Holders

Pillars

Tapers

Shipping

Packaging

Wholesale

Tealights:

Northern Light Tealights will burn for an average 6.5 – 7 hours when burnt continually. However, if the tealight is burnt over 2 or more burns, it can last upward of 8 total hours.

It is important to know various environmental factors, such as temperature and wind will also impact the overall burn time. The figures provided are for an ambient, draft free room.

All Candle burn times are listed here.

No, Our tealight refill packs do not contain any tealight holders. However tealight packs are available with reusable tealight tins and extra tins can be purchased.

Northern Light Reusable Tealight Tins are designed with long term sustainability in mind. Made from Australian galvanised steel not inexpensive aluminum, Northern Light reusable tealight tins will last many years when cared for.

Some of our original customers have been using the same tins for over 25 years!

This is why we offer Tealight refill packs, to save you money and the environment.

Find all Reusable Tealight Tins here.

No, Northern Light Tealight wicks are purpose built for our wax and tealight size. Made from the finest organic cotton and beeswax coating.

Our tealights have self trimming wicks and do not require any trimming or drowning, they will naturally shorten as the tealight burns and upon extinguishing the wick will not smolder for very long and shortly self extinguish.

There are two main culprits to candle tunneling: 

1. A cold surface – any cool breeze, surface or holder will hinder the burn of our tealights. Beeswax starts to melt at 60 degrees C, so cold surfaces can strip necessary heat away from the wax and into the holder or surface the tealight is incontact with, this will hinder the beeswax from melting effectively. 
This can be resolved by insulating your reusable tin with a small piece of fireproof felt at the base or burning your tealights within our Light Bubble holders which are purpose built to mitigate this exact issue.
 
2. An initial short burn – It is best to let your tealights burn for at least 2.5 – 3 hours at a time, as this gives the flame a chance to heat the beeswax all the way to the outer edges of the tealight walls.

First and foremost, Northern Light is home to the world’s first beeswax tealight. Inspired, an original thought in a time where aromatherapy was booming yet every tealight accompanying these burners was made form paraffin.

So, as an experienced beekeeper and truly ingenious individual our founder Jeffrey Gibbs set to producing the world’s first beeswax tealight that burns out every last drop of beeswax, hence our signature Northern Light rounded base.

With over 50 years of experience in the beekeeping industry, Northern Light has developed our unique filtration system to produce the finest candle grade beeswax and invented the world’s first beeswax tealight machine to ensure product reliability and workplace sustainability.

You can learn more about our unique filtration practises here.

Repetitive strain injury is Australia’s most common workplace injury with over a third of Australia’s workforce affected. In the light of true sustainability, it does not align with Northern Light values to have our employees subject to any potential risk of injury during production of Tealights, which by hand is a very time consuming and tedious task.

Secondly, we strive to be the best at what we do and set the standard of superior quality candle light. To do this, we have achieved control through our production methods over many variables that would otherwise disrupt quality. Such as precision temperature control of room, beeswax, wick, as well as tealight volume.

It is through our sustainably production methods that we can assure you of our beeswax tealight quality, consistency and volume.

Holders:

Yes, Northern Light Tealights are best used within our custom designed holders such as the Reusable tealight tin, Light bubble or Light Bowl ceramic.

When used within these NL holders we can guarantee an average burn time of 6.5 – 7 hours when burnt continually.

If the tealight is burnt over 2 or more burns, it can last upward of 8 total hours.

We cannot guarantee the efficiency or burn time for our tealights lit within non-Northern Light holders.

The figures provided are for an ambient, draft free room within NL holders.

You can employ the hot water method as listed below under the Light Bubble cleaning question or alternatively you can clean your reusable tealight tins by placing them upside down on a tray lined with baking paper and absorbent paper towel, then place into your oven on a low heat (100 degree C) for about 20 mins or so. Carefully check after this time and if wax is still present raise the oven temperature to 110 degrees C and leave for an addition 10-20 mins.
 
Once warm enough the wax will melt into the paper towel, at that time you can carefully remove the tray from the oven and while the tins are still warm, wipe out with clean paper towel.
 
They will return to new and last for many more years.
The best solution is to place your Light Bubbles onto some paper towel in your sink while you boil your kettle, then carefully pour the boiling water into the Light Bubble, wait 10-20 seconds, allowing the beeswax to melt before tipping it out onto some paper towel and then wiping clean with fresh paper towel
 
This process can be repeated as needed and once the majority of beeswax is removed it is safe to run your Light Bubbles through a hot dishwasher cycle, which will return your Light Bubble back to brand new. 
 
If you have black soot marks in your Light Bubble you can use a gentle cream cleanser and metal scourer to exfoliate the soot away.
This will not damage the glass thanks to its scratch resistance, however take care with the amount of pressure you apply while cleaning. Always take care when handling glass.

Either the hot water or oven method can be used for the Ceramic Light Bowls, these methods are described in the about two questions regarding the Reusable Tealight Tin and Light Bubble.

Both the Light Bubble and Ceramic Light Bowl are dishwasher safe, however we recommend removing as much beeswax as possible before running through your dishwashers hottest cycle, as beeswax can cause clogs.

If you have black soot marks in your Light Bubble, Ceramic Light Bowl or Reusable Tealight Tin you can use a gentle cream cleanser and metal scourer to exfoliate the soot away.
 
This will not damage the holders surface thanks to their scratch resistance, however take care with the amount of pressure you apply while cleaning. Always take care when handling glass and ceramic.

Small insects such as moths, beetles and flies are attracted light and can unfortunately end up diving into candles. 

If this does occur we recommend extinguishing the candle and while still molten using a butter knife or clean popsicle stick to remove the insect. Otherwise the insect will act as a secondary wick, causing your candle flame to grow in height and therefore temperature, which can result in spluttering wax and excessively hot holders/surfaces.

If you do not catch it in time and discover these two occurrences, carefully place a fireproof disk overtop of the holder to extinguish the flame and wait for it too cool down before cleaning with either the hot water or oven method.

Please contact us if you have any further questions or queries about this.

Pillars:

The only wick that needs tending out of our Beeswax pillar and votive collection is the Cathedral wick. However you can trim the Twilight, Poet, Lampe or Fire Knight wick prior to reigniting although it is not necessary.

To achieve the best burn from your Cathedral pillar candle, trim the wick just under the tip with fireproof, sharp scissors. Ensuring you leave 1cm of wick from the molten wax level to the tip.

When trimming, it helps to have a small dish of water available to place the trimmed excess into and extinguish any smoldering.

Currently Northern Light does not have Pillar candles holders or stands.
 
We focus on producing timeless, organic beeswax candle light that will pair with the holder of your choice.
No, Northern Light Votives are unlike any other. They will burn seamlessly without a glass holder just as all our candles do.
We recommend ensuring the room is draft free to achieve this seamless burn and always placing onto a fire proof surface.
No, It is not necessary as all Northern Light Pillars and Votives have a unique and revolutionary base design which ensures our candles adhere to any surface.
 
The unique walls at their base provides a vacuum effect, ensuring when pressed onto any even surface or holder the candle will remain stationary.
 
If your holders do have spikes, you will have to position the candle off centre as all Northern Light candles have sustained wicks (excluding our hand dipped candles)

Tapers & Dinner Candles:

The Dinner Candle and Taper wicks are connected as this is how they are made. We choose to leave the wicks connected as many customers like to display these hand dipped candles by hanging them in their pantry.

We recommend trimming the wick to 1 cm above the wax line before lighting.

Both of these candles are produced by hand through a traditional dipping method that has been used for centuries by candles makers. 
The main difference between this candle is the amount of times they have been dipped, therefore resulting in different length, width and burn time.
Every candle holder is different so please check the dimensions of your holder and then compared to the candle dimensions listed in the product description or here. 
 
If the candles are smaller than your holder we recommend gently warming the ends of your dipped candles before pressing firmly into your holder to ensure a secure hold. Alternatively you can purchase a 100g bag of Beeswax Drops to fill in the space around the candle base and press firmly down.

Shipping:

Freight free shipping applies to domestic, retail orders over the value of $150 aud. This low freight free threshold helps us maintain our unrivaled quality and price, providing you with the finest beeswax light for many years to come.

Northern Light ships all domestic orders via Australia post Eparcel, which includes tracking. Please ensure your email address is correct, as you will receive notifications about your parcels journey to you via email.

Australia post will leave a card for you if you are not at home and you will receive an email stating your parcel has been taken to your local post office and awaits collection.

If you wish your parcel to be left in a particular spot e.g at the back door, then please leave instructions in the comments field of the checkout screen and your request will be attached to your shipping label.

We have 3 options available for shipping internationally:

  • Registered Post International – 6 – 7 days depending on country’s location and importation laws.
  • Express Post International – 3 – 4 days depending on country’s location and importation laws.

International orders place via our website will be sent via Australia Post International service. Please reach out if you prefer a DHL quote.

More information on these options can be found at the Australia Post website. Click here to go there now

Due to the ongoing threat to honeybee health many countries have laws in place either restricting the importation of beeswax products or slowing up the process of importation to ensure there is no potential threat to honeybee health.

Northern Light has never had products rejected by any countries importation/inspection officers. 

Countries such as New Zealand take extensive measures to ensure all imported products are safe to allow into the country and as such may cause between 5-10 days delay in delivery time.

For further information please be sure to look up your country’s laws and restrictions on importing honeybee products.

Please note: If your country does not allow the importation of beeswax or beeswax products and your order is rejected, Northern Light will provide a refund minus the 10% restocking fee on the total cost of goods sold (excluding freight). The refund will be issued once the order is returned. 

Parcels that are returned due to failed delivery, no collection or import restrictions are subject to additional freight charges if/when the parcel is dispatched again.

Freight free shipping does not apply in the case of resent packages.

Northern Light will always contact you before resending the parcel to ensure your address is correct, to enquire if the parcel can be left in a safe place or advise you of the apparent import restrictions.

Refunds can be provided on returned parcels yet are subject to a 10% restock fee.

Yes. Northern Light is happy to offer refunds on orders that do not meet our strict standards of quality, Please contact us at enquiry@northernlight.com.au to let us know why you wish to apply for a refund and we will do our best to assist you. 

For Change of mind refunds, we offer refunds so long as you contact us before the 14th day after your order has been delivered. Refunds are completed after the return of the order ( return freight charges are the customers responsibility ) upon receiving the returned order we inspect the order to assess if items are missing and we will contact you with a suitable refund.

Please note a standard 10% restocking fee applies to returned parcels.

Packaging:

You can rest assured Northern Light packaging is 100% free from any plastic.

Northern Light packaging is produced within Australia from recycled cardboard and printed with soya inks, these parcels are sealed with paper tape using a 100% natural gum resin.

All products are pack directly into these recycled cartons with informative dividers also made from recycled card and printed with soya ink, or within reusable cotton drawstring bags then within the cardboard carton and protected with shredded paper, or as we like to call it –  ‘fluff’.

This fluff is what keeps your order safe even in the roughest of hands without any use of air filled plastic or GMO corn packaging puffs.

Our paper packaging tape is designed with a reinforced weave and can withstand upto 15 kgs of weight. For parcels exceeding this weight threshold we use our Cotton fibre reinforced paper tape which can withstand upto 25 kgs of weight.

Our Paper packaging tape has a water activated gum arabic glue, which provides a strong, natural adhesive.

Yes, Northern Light packaging is 100% recyclable and can be added into your recycling bin. Our packaging is also home compost friendly or can be used to light your home wood fireplace.

Wholesale:

We review new wholesale applications every week and encourage you to apply.

Northern Light welcomes new wholesalers across a wide range of industries, such as bulk food stores, yoga studios, cosmetic clinics, corporate offices, health practitioners, holistic facilitators and many more.

You can find our wholesale application form here.

Please review our wholesale criteria to ensure a wholesale account is right for you.

Although we do not have a wholesale minimum order amount, we do keep wholesale orders to our set wholesale carton sizes. We cannot mix retail products into wholesale orders as our wholesale carton sizes are built around our custom packaging to ensure compact parcells and minimised packaging waste to fill empty spaces.

It is not a necessity to be GST registered to qualify for wholesale account.

It is important to note, NL wholesale prices are listed exclusive of GST, this is added at the checkout and clearly displayed above your order total.

Yes, there is a statutory $35 freight charge on all wholesale orders.

This applies no matter how much or little you order, so we encourage you to order big and make the most of the capped freight charge.

Absolutely, Northern Light is happy to offer wholesale accounts to our wider international community. 

Please submit a wholesale application and we will get back to you with the relevant international wholesale information and order details.

Please note the cost of freight for international wholesale orders is priced per the total weight of the consignment and sent via DHL with tracking.

Northern Light is strictly payment before dispatch. 

We hold these terms to avoid chasing late payments and to mitigate any potential financial loss we could incur from a business falling into solvency. 

Tealight seconds sale available today, set to sell out tomorrow!

SHOP SALE

Plus 30% off selected Light Bubble packs

15% off orders surpassing $150!

(Savings applied at checkout)