To prevent this issue, make sure to give your candle enough time to develop a melted wax pool that goes all the way to the edge of the container the first time you use it.
This is a good practice for all jar candles, not just those with wooden wicks!
This melt pool can take 2 hours or more to form, depending on the candle size, so wait to light up your new candle until you have some time to “burn” … sorry, I couldn’t help it! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
After the first use, you don’t have to let a full wax pool form every single time, but it is ideal if you want to get the most life out of your candle. Just make sure give your jar candles a nice long burn every so often to “reset” the wax memory and prevent any tunneling.
This will keep your candle looking great, smelling great, burning evenly, and all the other great things you want!
* If you’re experiencing the dreaded “tunneling” problem already, you may be able to fix it - see tip #3 below.