The short version: Votives are container candles, not mini pillars — they're designed to liquefy completely, so they need a snug glass holder to burn right. The holder's fit decides how your votive burns; the wax decides everything else. 100% pure beeswax votives burn longer because beeswax is the hardest of all candle waxes, and their honey scent is made by the bees — never added.
Do you love votive candles but rarely have the same burn experience with each one you burn?
What Is a Votive Candle?
A votive is a small, squat candle — about two inches tall — designed to fully liquefy as it burns inside a snug glass holder. That last part surprises people: a votive isn't a little pillar that stands on its own. It's a container candle sold without the container. You choose the glass it burns in, and that choice decides almost everything about how it behaves.
Votives Are Container Candles, Not Mini Pillars
Have you ever burned a votive candle on a candle plate and have it melt down into a puddle of wax and get ruined? Or have you put a votive candle inside a very large candle holder and watched the votive tunnel down the middle or turn into a pool of wax at the bottom? If you did, it's probably because you saw pictures on the internet of votive candles sitting prettily on a candle plate or inside a large holder and thought that was the correct way to burn a votive. The reality of votives is that they are a container candle and need a very particular kind of glass holder for them to burn correctly.
(Look back at the photo up top: on the left, a snug glass holder keeps the melt pool where it belongs; on the right, a votive burning bare on a plate — pretty for now, a puddle later.)
Container Candles vs. Pure Beeswax Votives
If you love candles, you have probably burned your share of container candles and enjoyed their ease of use. You just had to light the wick of a container candle and watch as the candle wax melted across the top, creating a liquid pool of wax. Container candles burn so evenly because the wax was poured directly into the container when it was made. Pure Beeswax Votives, however, are made without a container and packaged all by their lonesome. It's the customer that selects the container the votive will burn inside. Selecting the right container for your votive is key to a great candle burning experience.
Why Votive Holder Size Matters
Because votives ARE container candles, they need to melt across the top to eventually create a liquid melt pool (just like regular container candles do.) If the votive is in a glass container with a big gap between the votive and the glass, then the votive will burn out towards the edges, spill down the sides and eventually create a melt pool towards the bottom. The smaller the gap between the votive and the glass votive holder, the quicker the candle can create a melt pool more towards the top of the glass holder. The issue for all of us votive lovers is that no glass votive holder company uses the same width for their votive holders. One votive holder company may have wider dimensions than another. Here at Big Moon Beeswax, we only sell votive holders that can hug the votive as closely as possible to try to achieve that desired melt pool across the top. A bigger gap doesn't affect the quality of the burn — it just produces different looks while the votive burns.
So, What Should You Do?
When shopping for votive holders for your votives, look for ones that provide as snug a fit as you can. Every brand is different, so if you find votive holders that fit your favorite votives snugly, then stock up because manufacturers are always changing their equipment and even where they make their holders. Just know, the bigger the gap between your votive and the glass holder will determine when that candle will form a liquid melt pool.
And if all that holder-matching sounds like more fuss than you want, our beeswax tea lights skip it entirely — each one comes in its own cup and burns the same way every time, in whatever holder catches your eye.
The Truth About Votives: What Type of Wax Is Yours?
If you came here trying to figure out why your votive isn't burning the way you hoped, there's one more thing worth knowing: the type of candle wax matters as much as the holder does.
Most votives sold today are paraffin (refined petroleum) or a paraffin/soy blend (or other soft wax blends.) Soy, palm wax and coconut wax can't be votives on their own — that type of wax is too soft and wouldn't be able to hold their votive shape. They need to be blended with a harder wax like paraffin or beeswax. If you see a 'natural' votive sold at bargain pricing it almost always means paraffin is doing the structural work behind the scenes. Beeswax costs more than other candle waxes — ours comes straight from Pacific Northwest apiaries we know by name. Beeswax also burns longer because it's a harder wax.
So What Should You Look For?
Each person has their preference. If cost is your top priority when buying votives, paraffin or a paraffin-blended wax will be the most economical choice. Soy, palm, and coconut don't start out as wax at all — they're oils that have to be converted into wax before they can hold a flame. Beeswax is the only candle wax that arrives ready-made. If you'd rather skip added fragrance and skip the conversion process entirely, 100% pure beeswax is the only votive that never needed a factory. Beeswax is made in nature, not in a factory. If you've noticed that some candles bother you - headaches, congestion, a tickle in your throat - pure beeswax is often the one people land on after trying everything else.
And if you're at the start of that search, we just wrote a whole guide to choosing the best beeswax candles — everything we'd tell a friend standing in front of the candle shelf.
Votive Candle FAQ
Is a votive a container candle or a mini pillar?
A container candle. Votives are made to liquefy completely as they burn, just like a jar candle — the difference is that the container isn't included. Burned bare on a plate, a votive turns into a puddle. That's the candle working as designed, just without its glass.
Do votive candles need a holder?
Yes, always. A votive needs a snug glass holder to hold its melt pool. The closer the glass hugs the candle, the higher and prettier the melt pool forms.
Why did my votive melt into a puddle?
It was burned without a holder, or in one that's too wide. Nothing was wrong with the candle — votives are designed to fully liquefy. The fix is a snug glass votive holder.
How long do beeswax votives burn?
Ours burn for approximately 15–17 hours each. Beeswax is the hardest of all candle waxes, so a pure beeswax votive outlasts soft-wax votives of the same size.
How do I get leftover wax out of my votive holder?
Beeswax is the hardest candle wax, so a little wax left in the holder is normal — and easy to deal with once you know the tricks. We wrote up every method we use in how we clean out our votive holders.
And if the holder hunt sounds like work, we already did it for you: our pure beeswax votives and the glass holders we sell are matched to each other — that snug fit is the whole point.
Thanks for taking a minute to read our blog, we hope you found it helpful.
Bee Cozy
