Why do candle flames flicker?

When you light a candle, the heat of the flame melts the wax near the wick. This liquid wax is then drawn up the wick by capillary action. The wisp of smoke you sometimes see when a candle flickers is actually caused by unburned soot particles that have escaped from the flame due to incomplete combustion.

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Then, is wick mushrooming normal?

The most common reason for mushroom wicking to occur is down to the size of the wick you have opted for. Usually a wick that is too big causes more wax to be sent to the flame than it can handle. As the flame is unable to burn the wax it has accumulated, carbon begins to build up forming the mushroom wick. Subsequently, what is candle tunneling? Tunneling happens when only a small portion of the wax around the wick melts while the candle is burning. Instead of having the entire surface of the wax melt evenly, it will appear as though the flame is burrowing into the candle and creating what resembles a small, vertical tunnel - hence the name.

Keeping this in consideration, how do you stop candles from mushrooming?

PREVENTION. To help prevent mushrooming, one of the most effective remedies is simply using a smaller wick. Experiment with progressively smaller wick sizes. It is also good practice to continually trim the wick prior to burning. One may also ask why do my candles have sinkholes? Sinkholes occur naturally from the process of the wax setting up. As wax is heated to melt it into liquid form, the wax expands literally taking up more space as it changes form from solid to liquid. This is the reasoning as to why sink holes can appear in your candles.

Why do you have to cut the wick of a candle?

Keeping the candle wick trimmed helps control the amount of melted wax (i.e., fuel) that the candle has access to, which helps limit the amount of soot it creates. The trimmed wick also helps the candle burn more evenly, controlling the soot and prolonging the life of the candle.