What Do You Do With Wax Melts? (2024)

By Ben Feldman

2 comments

If you've seen soy wax melts in your nearest boutique, retailer, or trending on social media, you may be left asking "What do you do with wax melts?" Wax tarts,melts or cubes are scented pieces of wax without a wick that are melted to release home fragrance. Wax melts are placed in a warmer and are gradually warmed to melt the wax and fill your home with aroma. Wax melts are perfect if you’re unsure whether you’ll like a fragrance enough to buy a candle, as they come in smaller chunks or shapes. Wax melts have also been proven to save money and last longer than a standard 16-oz. candle. Unlike candles, the wax does not evaporate; only the scent dissipates. Once you can no longer smell the fragrance, you can throw away your used wax and start a new scent. Read our blog post about how to change wax in your melter with no mess to learn how to properly do it.

#1. Use Wax Melts for Home Fragrance

Wax melts fall under the home fragrance category and work by using a heat source to release scent into the air. Much like candles, wax melts, cubes, and tarts are used to produce room-filling aroma in minutes. Wax melts and candles both use a combination of essential oils, fragrance oils, and wax to release scent upon being warmed. Just like candles, wax melts can come in a variety of shapes, scents, and colors!

What Do You Do With Wax Melts? (1)

Wax Melts Come in a Variety of Shapes

#2. Use Wax Melts To Replace Candles

With candles, the heat from the ignited wick is what allows the fragrance or essential oil in the candle to release scent. With wax melts, the heat comes from underneath the wax, usually via a small bulb of 25–15 watts; the wax slowly melts, releasing the infused fragrance oils without the flame. Because wax melts are flame-free, you will need to ensure that you have a wax melt warmer to activate your wax melts, tarts, or cubes. Unlike candles, the wax melts/tarts act as a carrier for the fragrance oil and do not evaporate when melted. The scent eventually fades away, but the unscented wax will still remain in your melter until you change the used wax and replace it with new wax melts.

What Do You Do With Wax Melts? (2)

Wax Melt Warmer Used to Activate Wax Melts

Other reasons to replace candles with wax melts include rising health concerns regarding candles releasing cancer-causing agents, respiratory issues with soot, and carcinogens released from paraffin wax. Many people have turned to wax melts as a healthy alternative to candles and aerosol air fresheners. A 2001 EPA study also showed that candles with more fragrance in them subsequently produced more soot, and the agency suggested choosing unscented candles to reduce this. Black soot is dispersed immediately upon blowing out a candle, and it can get caught in your air vents or darken walls and ceilings over time. Wax melts can give you all the luxuries of a candle while eliminating these dangers. Most companies also offer an alternative to that “candle flame glow” by incorporating a dim light bulb to create the same ambiance of a candle flame. Some companies have also gone a step further to mimic the candle flame by incorporating a translucent red silicone top.

What Do You Do With Wax Melts? (3)

Glowing Wax Melt Warmer

What Do You Do With Wax Melts? (2024)

FAQs

How do you use wax melts? ›

You basically break off one or more cubes and place them on a wax burner. Then pop an unscented tea-light underneath to start melting the wax and let the magic happen! Over time with the warmth, the wax will start melting slowly and release the fragrance.

What do people use wax melts for? ›

Control Your Fragrance

Most people use scented candles or wax melts to leave a lasting aroma around their homes. However with candles you cannot control the intensity of the scent like you can with wax melts. With wax melts, you can manage the strength of the scent easily using simple portion control.

Do you burn wax melts until the wax is gone? ›

Typically, you can leave your wax melts on until the fragrance has fully released into the room. This process generally takes 5-10 hours depending on the type and brand of ‌wax melt. However, it's best to turn off your wax warmer when leaving the room or going to bed for safety reasons.

How to dispose of a wax melt? ›

You can pop your freshly finished wax melt into the bottom of your food or waste bin, which will help to get rid of any nasty smells and bin aromas - a great way of using your wax melt for another few weeks after it is finished.

Why use wax melts instead of candles? ›

If you're looking for a longer-lasting option, wax melts are the way to go. They last anywhere from 12 to 24 hours, whereas candles typically only last 4 to 8 hours. Wax melts are also safer than candles since there's no open flame.

What do you burn wax melts on? ›

How do I use a wax melt? Firstly, you need a burner. There are two types of burner – a tealight burner and an electric burner. You may even have a tealight burner if you've ever burned drops of essential oils in water, but if not, you can purchase one fairly inexpensively at your nearest supermarket.

How many times can you burn one wax melt? ›

Wax Melts can be remelted 4-5 times (approx.). Each burn means that the fragrance gets burnt off, as wax melts do not evaporate. With each use the fragrance becomes more subtle until you can no longer smell it.

When should I throw away wax melts? ›

How often should you change a wax melt? It is recommended to change out your wax melts once the fragrance is gone. This can be after 5-8 hours of use for lower quality products with less fragrance throw. Or after 12-18 hours for high-quality melts like Devon Wick's.

How do I get rid of my wax melt? ›

Whilst there are various different methods, the easiest hack we know of to get wax out of a wax melter is to follow this simple method!
  1. Let the wax warmer cool down. ...
  2. Step 2: Relight or rewarm the warmer briefly. ...
  3. Step 3: Hold the burner and slide the wax to the side to remove.
Jul 27, 2022

Where does wax go when it melts? ›

As the wax starts to melt and puddle around the candle's cotton wick, it actually travels upward. The wick soaks it up, and it eventually evaporates into the air as either carbon dioxide or water vapor after it burns.

How long do wax melts last? ›

We consider that wax melts typically have a shelf life (before burning them) of approximately 12 months. keep away from moisture. Moisture can cause the wax to become sticky or lose its scent. Make sure to store wax melts in an airtight container or packaging to protect them from humidity or water.

Do wax melts need to cure? ›

A wax melt needs time to cure. This is something that is often mentioned when discussing wax melts, but you may not be quite sure what it means. Basically, the wax and the oil will need a certain time to melt and bind with each other. Soy wax melts generally require around 7 to 10 days cure time, for example.

Can you use wax melts without burner? ›

In conclusion, using wax melts without a burner is entirely possible with alternative methods. Whether you choose to use a small bowl, a DIY wax melt burner with a tea light candle, microwave them, or melt them on the stove, there are various ways to enjoy the captivating scents of wax melts.

How many times can you use a wax melt? ›

You can typically remelt your two wax melt cube 4/5 times. Just remember each time the fragrance does burn off and the smell gets more subtle. Wax Melts are excellent value for money as one wax melt bar can last 90+ hours.

What do you melt wax in for wax melts? ›

Wax melts are also referred to as wax tarts and they're a relatively new craft project to make your home smell amazing. They're essentially a chunk of scented wax that releases fragrance when they're melted, and you can do this in an oil burner heated with a tealight.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Carlyn Walter

Last Updated:

Views: 5960

Rating: 5 / 5 (70 voted)

Reviews: 85% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Carlyn Walter

Birthday: 1996-01-03

Address: Suite 452 40815 Denyse Extensions, Sengermouth, OR 42374

Phone: +8501809515404

Job: Manufacturing Technician

Hobby: Table tennis, Archery, Vacation, Metal detecting, Yo-yoing, Crocheting, Creative writing

Introduction: My name is Carlyn Walter, I am a lively, glamorous, healthy, clean, powerful, calm, combative person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.