# How to Make a Candle Wick: Homemade Cotton Wicks and When to Buy Instead Source: https://candlemakingnest.com/blog/how-to-make-a-candle-wick Published: 2026-10-29 Publisher: Candle Making Nest A homemade candle wick is made by braiding or twisting cotton string, soaking it in a mixture such as melted wax, letting it dry straight, and cutting it to length. It works for simple candles, but a homemade wick is much harder to size and burn consistently than a pre-made one, because commercial wicks are braided to a known thickness and tested. This guide explains how makers prepare a wick from scratch, how to prime it, and where the approach has limits, so you can decide when it is a good project and when buying a tested wick is the safer route. ## What a candle wick does A wick draws melted wax upward by capillary action so the flame burns vaporized fuel instead of the wick itself. The flame size, melt pool width and amount of soot all depend on how much wax the wick can carry. That is why wicks are sold in numbered sizes and matched to the candle diameter and the wax type. A thin wick delivers too little fuel, leaving a small flame that drowns in its own melt pool, while a thick one delivers too much, producing a tall, smoky flame and a very hot jar. Homemade wicks have no standard thickness, so you are effectively inventing your own size, which is why testing matters even more than usual. ## Materials you need For a basic wick you need natural cotton string or twine, which should be plain, undyed and free of synthetic coatings that could melt, smoke or burn unpredictably. You also need a pan or tin of melted wax, scissors, a clothespin or a weight, a sheet of baking paper, and a pot with simmering water to melt the wax indirectly. Metal wick tabs are optional but handy, because they hold the wick to the bottom of a jar. If you decide to skip the tab, you can use a dab of hot glue or a wick sticker instead. Keep the workspace covered, since dripping wax is unavoidable, and never leave melting wax unattended or heat it over a direct flame. [Wick tabs and stickers to anchor the wick](https://candlemakingnest.com/best/best-wick-tabs-and-stickers) ## Braiding or twisting the string A single strand of string is too thin for most candles. Cut three equal lengths of cotton string, a bit longer than your jar is tall, knot them together at the top and braid them in a loose, even pattern. A loose braid leaves air channels that help wax rise, while a tight one restricts it. Tie off the bottom with a small knot to stop it unraveling. The number of strands and thickness of each strand determine how large your wick is. Make a few versions, such as three strands, six strands and a thicker twist, and label them. For narrow candles like a small votive, use fewer strands. For a wide jar, a thicker braid or several wicks may be needed. Keep notes so you can reproduce the best result. ## Priming the wick with wax Priming means coating the wick in wax so it is stiff and lights easily. Melt wax in a pouring pitcher over simmering water, lower the braided string into it and let it soak for a minute or so until the bubbles stop. Lift it out with tongs or a clothespin and lay it flat on baking paper, pulling it straight as the wax sets. Some home guides mention soaking wicks in salt and borax solutions. These claims are widespread, but they are folk recipes with uneven results, and borax is a chemical that should be handled with care, so treat them with caution and do your own testing. Wax priming alone is the simplest approach, and it is what many commercial wicks rely on. [Hemp wicks as a ready-made alternative](https://candlemakingnest.com/best/best-hemp-wicks) ## Attaching the wick and test burning Cut the primed wick to the jar height plus a couple of inches, then fix the bottom to the base of the container with a wick tab, sticker or glue. Hold the top straight using a clothespin across the rim. Pour your wax at the temperature the supplier recommends and let the candle set without moving it. Test burn every homemade wick before gifting or selling a candle. Trim to roughly a quarter inch, light the candle for several hours at a time, and watch the flame, melt pool and soot. If the flame is small and the center tunnels, make a thicker wick. If it is tall, flickering or smoky, make a thinner one. Always burn on a heat-safe surface and never leave a candle unattended. [Supplies that make test burns easier](https://candlemakingnest.com/best/best-candle-testing-supplies) ## When to buy wicks instead Homemade wicks are a fun project for personal candles and learning how fuel delivery works. For candles you give to others or sell, tested wicks are the more dependable choice, since they come in labeled series and sizes with published guidance for specific waxes and diameters. If you plan to sell, an untested homemade wick also complicates your safety testing and record keeping. Start with wick sample packs, log your results, and move to your own wicks only when you have a reason to. Either way, keep fragrance oils and wax within recommended limits and label candles with proper burn instructions. [Wick sample packs for fast testing](https://candlemakingnest.com/best/best-wick-sample-packs) ## Common wick problems and how to read them A flame that keeps shrinking and drowning usually means the wick is too thin for the width of the candle, so the melt pool never gets hot enough to sustain it. A flame that grows tall, flickers or throws black smoke points the other way: too much fuel is traveling up the wick. In both cases the fix is to adjust the thickness, one change at a time. A carbon bulb on the end of the wick, often called mushrooming, can form when the wick is oversized or the fragrance load is high. Trim the bulb off once the candle is cool and consider a smaller wick if it keeps coming back. A wick that bends over and drags into the wax is often too soft, which is where priming and a slightly stiffer braid help. Keep a simple log with the string, number of strands, priming method, wax and jar size for every test. After a handful of burns the log tells you more than any article can, because your own wax and jars behave in their own way. ## Related buying guides - https://candlemakingnest.com/best/best-candle-wicks - https://candlemakingnest.com/best/best-cotton-wicks - https://candlemakingnest.com/best/best-wick-tabs-and-stickers - https://candlemakingnest.com/best/best-wick-sample-packs