Many people love wax melts because they are wickless and scented. They are a great flameless way to make your home smell great. You don’t have to worry about it catching fire since it doesn’t have a flame.
Wax melts come in different shapes and sizes plus you can make them on your own. They are also a safer option to have around children and pets. They are a little more environmentally friendly and less wasteful since you can use wax warmers that can last up to six years with proper care.
Table Of Contents
- How are wax melts and candles different?
- What wax can you use for wax melts?
- What supplies do you need to make wax melts?
- How to make wax melts – Step by step guide
- Benefits of wax melts
- Frequently asked questions
- Conclusion
Let’s see what we need to know in order to make wax melts!
How Are Wax Melts and Candles Different?
Wax melts are different from candles in that wax melts are completely flameless.
Wax melts heat up and melt, allowing the fragrance oil to begin evaporating. Candles also do this, but in addition, the candle flame also burns the fragrance oil along with the wax.
The lack of flame with wax melts may create a more pure and clean fragrance.
Wax melts can last for several hours, be left unattended and you can even leave them going while going to sleep. Which is something you should never do when using scented candles.
One of the main differences between wax melts and candles is the type of wax. The wax used for wax melts is often harder than the wax used for candles.
You also see a lot of wax melts sold in bags without a hard clamshell. That would never be possible if they were made with soft soy container wax.
What Wax Can You Use For Wax Melts?
As mentioned above, wax melts use a slightly different wax than candles.
Wax Used For Wax Melts:
- Blended Waxes: Pillar Soy
- EcoSoya PB Pillar Soy
- Goden Wax 444 Soy
- Goden Wax 494 Melt & Tart
- IGI 6028 Pillar Soy
- IGI 4625 Paraffin
You will find a slightly harder variety of wax used for wax melts than for container candles.
That is because wax melts are designed to melt a little more slowly in order to more slowly disperse the fragrance oil. Allowing you to enjoy the fragrance for longer.
What Supplies Do You Need To Make Wax Melts?
Equipment Needed
To make it easier to make your very own wax melts, it’s best to have all the equipment you need. This will ensure that you will not have the wax all over your place. It’s best to have the equipment you need to make sure that you will have a good experience while making wax melts. Below are the things that you will need.
Equipment Needed To Make Wax Melts:
- Pouring Pot
- Thermometer
- UV Stabilizer (optional)
- Butcher Paper or Newspaper
- Paper Towels
- Silicone Baking Molds or Clamshell Molds
- Butter Knife or Putty Knife
- Metal Spoon or Stir Stick
- Scissors or Utility Knife
- Paper Towels
- Cookie Sheet or Pan
- Saucepan
- Metal Cookie Cutter or Trivet
Materials Needed
You don’t need to worry about the materials that you will need to make wax melts. It only takes a few ingredients for you to make your own. Below are the materials needed to make wax melts that you can enjoy using.
- Votive or Tart Wax
It can be either soy or paraffin wax depending on the availability of the items. But if you can find some soy wax, it will work better since it’s a healthier option. Soy wax is not from petroleum and it’s more friendly to the environment.
- Fragrance Oil
Choose the fragrance oil that you like to put into your wax melts. There are many available scents that you can choose from. Just get a few fragrance oils that you like so you can use them for different occasions.
- Candle Dye
You can get different candle dyes that you can use depending on the scent. It will help you to avoid getting confused about the scent of your wax melts. Although it’s all up to you which color you like the most for every wax melts that you will make.
How To Make Wax Melts
1. Setup your wax melt making equipment
Set up your double boiler, scales, clamshells, and get out your thermometer, stirring spoon, and any glass measuring cups you may be using, etc.
2. Measure your wax and fragrance oil
Cut and measure the wax
Cut and measure out 1lb of wax.
It can be tricky since wax can be hard. You can use a putty knife to do this. But you can also use a utility knife if it’s too hard to cut. Apply enough pressure to cut the wax so it can fit into the heating pot.
When measuring the wax take care not to measure the weight of the container.
Choose and measure the fragrance oil
You can choose between:
Fragrance Oil – Inexpensive oil available through candle supply stores and hobby shops.
Essential Oil – Expensive oil available through a wide variety of suppliers.
As long as the oil you select was specifically made for wax melts on candle making then they will work great. You can learn more about fragrance oils vs essential oils here.
Measure the oil:
Measure out 1 oz or 28g of fragrance oil.
When dealing with small amounts of fragrance, or essential oils it can be hard to get an accurate measurement. Measure the oil on a jewelers scale if you have one!
I suggest also using a glass container for measuring fragrance oil if you have one. Fragrance oil can get weird in plastic containers, it can eat into them and make the paint bleed into the oil.
3. Melt the wax in a double boiler
Start melting the wax using a double boiler. Put some water into a saucepan and place the melting pot into the water.
Make sure that the water is boiling from medium to low heat. It will help avoid overheating the wax or boiling all of the water away.
Once the wax has reached 185°F, remove the melting pot from the double boiler.
4. Add the fragrance oil and dye
Adding Dye
You can use either dye blocks or liquid dye in your wax melts. If you are using dye blocks, cut them into small pieces. That way, it will melt along with the wax evenly. But if you like to use liquid dye, just add a few drops into the wax mixture.
Make sure to add dye sparingly to achieve the best results.
Removing From Heat
Once the melting pot has been removed from the double boiler and the temperature has dropped to at least 185°F you are ready to add your fragrance oil.
Adding Fragrance Oil
Add 1oz of fragrance oil into a pound of wax. It’s the most common ratio of adding fragrance oil into the wax. You can also use two tablespoons which is equivalent to one pound.
Make sure to stir the wax as you pour in the fragrance oil.
5. Mix the wax and fragrance oil thoroughly
Once everything has been added, you can take the heating pot out of the double boiler.
Mix the mixture thoroughly while letting the temperature cool down.
You will want to continue stirring the mixture until the temperature has fallen to about 155°F.
6. Pour the mixture in to the wax molds
Once the wax molds are ready, you can already pour the mixture.
Try to pour it slowly to avoid it from overflowing. I like to fill each mold to about 80% full, go back through and take each one to 95% full and do one more pass to top them off to 100%.
If you put the molds on the edge of the table you might find pouring the wax a little easier.
7. Allow the wax in the molds to harden
Once you have filled the wax molds with the mixture, you must allow it to set. Make sure to let the wax harden properly before taking them out from the wax mold.
That will ensure that they will come out smooth.
After a few hours, the wax should have hardened enough to allow you to move the molds around.
8. Let the wax melts cure
You do not have to let wax melts cure for a week or more like candles, but you should let them cure for a few days.
Letting the wax melts cure for at least 72 hours will help improve the scent throw when you begin using the wax melts.
9. The wax melts are ready to use
Congratulations! Your wax melts are ready to use!
Put a label on them so you can remember what fragrance and what date they were made.
You can keep them and use them yourself or share them with friends and family!
Benefits of Wax Melts
1. Flame Free
Wax melts can be used without using flames since. All you need to have is a wax warmer which needs electricity. It’s safer than candles since it doesn’t have a wick which candles have. Exposed flames can be a fire hazard and candles pose a great risk with fire accidents. Wax melts are flame-free which makes them safer.
2. Longer Burn Time
Wax melts have a longer burn time compared with candles. It’s because it doesn’t have a wick and it is flame-free. Wax warmer will not make it evaporate as fast as fire can do. That means that it will also allow you to save money since you don’t have to buy more right away. It’s more economical than using scented candles.
3. More Affordable
The longer burn time makes the wax melts more affordable. It can last up to five times longer compared to candles. That means that you don’t have to buy wax melts frequently since they can burn longer. You can save money from wax melts since there are different scents available in one bag. It will allow you to experiment with different scents as well.
4. Free from Harmful Chemicals
Candles are often made of paraffin wax which is derived from petroleum. It can give off benzene which is a type of carcinogen that causes cancer. Using wax melts will be a lot healthier since it often uses soy wax. It’s a better alternative than using paraffin wax since it doesn’t emit benzene which can be a health risk.
5. More Convenient to Use
Many places such as offices, apartments, and more banned the use of candles due to the risk of fire accidents. Therefore, wax melts are more convenient since it doesn’t have a wick and fire is not needed to diffuse the scent from it. That means that you can use it even if candles are banned since you don’t need to light it up.
6. Manipulate the Scent Levels
You can easily manipulate the scent level of the wax melts according to your desire. If you’re sensitive to too much fragrance, you can control how much you can use instead. Wax melts are available in small pieces so you can just add small amounts to the wax burner. It will allow you to manipulate the intensity of the scent that you like without any issues.
7. Contains More Fragrance
If you compare wax melts with candles, you will discover that wax melts contain more fragrance. It’s because candles cannot handle too much scent. After all, they can explode because you need to light it up. Wax melts can handle more fragrance since it doesn’t have a wick so you can enjoy more fragrance from wax melts without posing danger.
8. Doesn’t Generate Soot
Soot can affect the air quality negatively and it can cause discoloration of your walls and furniture. Wax melts don’t generate soot so you can make sure that it will not create a negative impact on your home and health. Candles generate soot which can be bad for those who have an existing respiratory condition. That’s why it’s better to go for wax melts instead.
9. It’s More Eco-Friendly
Most of the wax melts are made from soy wax which makes it more eco-friendly. Unlike candles, it doesn’t emit harsh chemicals to the air. That will help to reduce air pollution as well as health problems that can occur because of using paraffin wax. It can also be a good way to prevent the need to use glass for scented candles and reduce trash.
10. You Will Enjoy Wax Melting
Wax melting can be an enjoyable experience because you can experiment on it. This will allow you to play with the scents, colors, shapes, and sizes of the wax melt. It’s a great hobby as well as a good way to introduce kids to science. You can go for your favorite scent and color while using different shapes that will make it more aesthetic.
Reuse Wax Melt Wax by Adding More Fragrance Oil
You can reuse wax melts all over again by just adding more fragrance oil.
All you must do is reheat the leftover wax to melt it again. Once it’s melted, you can add your desired fragrance oil and give it a quick stir.
That will avoid wasting the wax and save money from buying more wax to create your wax melts.
It is not something I suggest doing all the time, but it is a quick fix if you find yourself in a pinch.
Frequently Asked Questions
You do not have to use Zoflora in wax melts to get the Zoflora scent that you want. Instead, you can buy Zoflora scent dupes from sites like Etsy and Poundland, among others. Dupes are a great alternative to getting your favorite fragrances and designer scents that you want to smell in your wax warmer.
Add lenor or downy fabric softener to your wax warmer in two parts water and one part fabric softener without wax to get the fresh washed scent throughout your home. In addition, you can order scent dupes through Etsy and eBay if you do not want to directly use fabric softener.
It is safe to put essential oils in a wax warmer. You can mix them with a neutral carrier oil such as coconut or add a few drops directly to a used wax and mix it in.
Using soy wax is the best way to make wax melts. It is all-natural and has a relatively low melting point, which means you will get the fragrance oil heated up faster, making the fragrance spread faster.
Paraffin wax holds the most fragrance. However, it is a petroleum byproduct and is known to contain potential carcinogens. For that reason, soy wax is an excellent alternative when making wax melts.
Wax melts are quite affordable to make at home. You can reuse the clamshells and sometimes you can even reuse the wax. Your biggest expense will be fragrance oils or essential oils.
Conclusion
In conclusion, wax melts are easy, affordable, and safe to make and use. They are also a great way to make your home full of your favorite scents.
You get the benefit that comes with scented candles but without the risks of a candle falling over or starting a house fire.
While you make wax melts in a similar way to candles it takes away a lot of the tricky sizing of wicks and problems with wet spots and surface flaws you can get in candles. You are going straight for the great scents and that is all that some people want from their candles and wax melts.