Don’t blow out those candles!
Have you ever blown out a candle and watched a plume of smoke rise up to the ceiling? Blowing out a candle is the worst way to extinguish a flame. When you blow out a candle, the wick continues to smolder. We’ve even seen votive candles where the wick has smoldered all the way down to the bottom of the votive cup. Blowing can also spray the wax everywhere!
Instead, use something metal to dip the lit wick into the liquid melt pool of wax. Hold it there for a few seconds until the flame is out, then straighten the wick so that it’s centered again (that way when the wax sets up, your wick will be in the proper place). This will extinguish the flame with no soot or smoking. Bear in mind that *any* candle will soot and smoke when the flame is blown out — it doesn’t matter if it’s made from soy, paraffin or gel wax.
You can use any metal utensil (fork, crochet hook, etc.) but we personally like an official wick dipper. They are attractive and inexpensive enough that we keep one in every room where we normally burn a candle.
Wick Dippers: http://www.contemporarycandles.com/products.shtml#w