Our Story

My story starts in a rather unexpected place… an accountant by day, I discovered a passion for photography after a shock cancer diagnosis in my early thirties. It got me through some incredibly difficult times in my life and I went on to launch a product photography business but the dream didn’t live up to expectations. I tried lots of different ways to make it work but I just couldn’t do it without putting too much pressure on myself to make my clients happy. The pressure sucked all of the joy out of a once loved hobby and I realised that something had to give. 

During this time I realised that my favourite product to photograph was always candles. I’d started enjoying the ritual of lighting a candle at the start of a cosy evening as an act of self care and I loved how a scent can instantly evoke memories of special moments from the past.

Wick & Wist was born out of frustration with many a supermarket bought candle tunnelling, not burning at all or smelling lovely when bought but giving off almost zero scent when lit.

After a failure to rescue a candle with my usual tin foil wrap trick I decided enough was enough and that I’d have a go at making my own. I soon discovered there’s a lot that goes into making a successful candle but I LOVED the process, and all of the science and numbers behind it so I fully immersed myself in all things candle-making. There has been a lot of learning, testing, frustrations and elations over the last 12 months, the house has never smelt so good!

I knew from the early days that I wanted to use an all natural wax but I had concerns about the sustainability of soy wax, the demand has risen sharply over the past few years leading to increased deforestation in most areas where it’s grown. With this in mind I felt the need to look at alternatives so coconut and rapeseed wax became my wax of choice. Coconut and rapeseed wax is 100% vegan, bio-degradable and more sustainable than both Soy and Paraffin.  It’s a soft wax which ensures an even clean burn and a beautiful scent throw. It can be temperamental at times, the slightest change in temperature can cause cracks in the wax, the reset after burning isn’t always completely smooth but it doesn’t affect the performance of the candle in any way and I think it adds to it’s natural charm.

Being a sustainable business is a huge priority for me. All of our ingredients are sourced in the UK, we only use cotton wicks with linen threads, and our packaging is fully recyclable and plastic free. We are looking to reduce waste wherever possible.

It has been a true labour of love creating these candles and I hope you enjoy them as much as I’ve enjoyed making them.

Lisa x