Everything You Need to Know About Wax Melts: Benefits, Uses, and More
If you’re looking for a new way to enjoy your favorite scents, wax melts may be just what you need! Wax melts are a type of fragrance that can be used in a variety of ways. In this article, we will discuss what wax melts are, how they work, and how to use them. We’ll also take a look at the benefits of using wax melts and some things to keep in mind before making your purchase.
What Are Wax Melts
A wax melt is a piece of wax melted by the introduction of a low-powered electric warmer, negating the necessity of a naked flame and removing soot or smoke from the process. Also known as Scented wax Cubes, or Tarts, Wax Melts slowly release scent into a room as an alternative to a scented candle.
They do come in tea-light warming versions, but as discussed later, preference and benefits are better with the plug-in or electric versions.
Wax melts are usually made from paraffin wax or soy wax, and they come in a variety of shapes and sizes.
Wax melts are also known as ‘Scented Wax Cubes’ or ‘Scented Wax Tart’ and are typically used in an electric wax tart warmer, which heats the wax without reaching a high temperature or need for a naked flame allowing the fragrance to be released without creating smoke or soot.
Wax melts typically last for several hours, and they can be replaced as needed.
Many people enjoy using wax melts because they provide a convenient way to enjoy fragrance without having to burn a candle.
How Do Wax Melts Work
A wax melt works by introducing heat, usually from a low-powered, 15-25 watt light bulb or thermic plate underneath the melting tray. The cubes of wax will slowly melt and release the contained fragrance oils or organic scents to fragrance a room or space without the residuals of burning candles.
This is a good example of a wax warmer from Amazon in a vintage bulb design, which can stand on a desk or sideboard and fit in with your retro decor.
The heat below the wax needs to be constant just to melt the wax and release the fragrance into the air and not too hot as to burn the wax and evaporate as in candles. Low heat will only release the contained fragrance and the wax will reset when cooling, eventually running out of fragrance to release when the melts should be replaced.
Do Wax Melts Evaporate?
A good quality wax melt will not evaporate into the air as is the intention, so long as it is not introduced to temperatures that are too high and burn the wax off as it would when a wick and flame in a standard candle will heat the wax and evaporate mostly as carbon dioxide.
As we will see in the candles vs wax melts article, this avoidance of the release of carbon dioxide by wax evaporation is one of the benefits of using wax melts as opposed to candles in confined spaces.
What about Warmers Heated by Tealights?
Using a tealight candle to warm wax melts kind of defeats the object of wax melts, in that you will need to light a flame and burn a candle to melt the wax that is not a candle.
My personal opinion is that if you are looking to eliminate the evaporated paraffin wax of standard scented candles entering the air in your home, using another candle to heat the alternative is a pointless exercise.
How to Use Wax Melts
The way to use wax melts is as easy as switching it on to provide the heat source, warming and melting the scented wax cubes to release the fragrance and when finished, switching the power back off, cooling and solidifying the wax until it is turned on again.
There are some handy ‘plug-in’ wax warmer variations like this one on amazon, that are both cheap and convenient to use.
There is no need for the wax melt heater to be on for hours either; you will begin to release the scents as soon as the wax begins to melt. Leave the heater on for a further ten minutes, and more fragrance will escape at which point you can remove the power to let the wax cool.
Using your wax melter in this way will ensure your wax cubes retain more fragrance from each use and last a lot longer, saving you money in the bargain.
How to use wax melts without a burner
It is possible to melt the wax and release the fragrances of the wax melts without a burner, should you find yourself without one at any time.
You can utilize the wax melt product without a burner by using hot water instead, placing a smaller container within a larger one, and boiling water melting the wax in much the same way as when melting chocolate for cooking purposes. It is not the best way to use wax melts, but it works.
How Long do Wax Melts Last?
Wax melts will continue to solidify each time you remove the heat source and will be able to be melted once again as long as the entire wax has not been evaporated. This is not to say they will remain effective in terms of fragrance, however, so let’s take a look at how long wax melts will last in use, or in storage.
How long will wax melts stay fragrant?
Each time you melt cubes some of the fragrance will be released and no longer be a part of the wax melt mixture when it cools and solidifies again. Depending on the quality of the product a wax melt should remain fragrant for between 8-10 hours before requiring replacement with new cubes for refreshed aroma.
Do wax melts expire?
6 months is a good guideline for how long wax melts will last in storage before the fragrance becomes weaker and the color of the product fades over time. The sooner a wax melt is used after production the better and more effective the scent release will be.
How to change wax melts
At some point in the use of your wax warmer, the current wax melt will cease to release fragrance and will need changing, One would think it would be a simple matter of just removing the old wax melt and replacing with new, but those scented wax cubes have been melted and reset several times, and it is not as simple as just picking them up and replacing them.
So, how do we go about removing that wax in the easiest possible way before replacing with our new exciting fragrance?
We will have to clean the warmer first
How to clean a wax melt warmer
I am sure we have all had a wax spillage from a candle before now and have had a torrid time trying to remove the hardened way from a surface, or tried to re-melt it to remove it with little success.
These handy tips will make changing your wax melts as simple as 1-2-3 and prevent the frustration that can be associated with cleaning up melted wax.
There are three options to the process of cleaning your wax melt warmer in the most effective way, to fully remove the old wax and leave a clean and fragrance free surface for your brand new wax melts.
- Warm Removal
- Cold Removal
- Silicone Dish Tops
Warm Wax Removal
The way to use warm wax removal is to once again warm the product and place cotton buds or paper towels into the tray to soak up the wax as it melts into liquid form once again.
Use another piece of paper towel to wipe away any excess and you should be clean to start again with new wax cubes or more of your current supplies.
Cold Wax Removal
If you have a perfectly flat surface on your burner/warmer, then it may be possible to simply use something to scrape the solid wax from the tray.
Using the scraping method will still most likely leave some hardened residue behind, whereby you can warm again and it should be simple enough to wipe away the softened excess.
Sometimes, and depending on the model of burner, you can place it in the freezer for a short period – not too long so as not to damage the mechanisms, and crack off the wax.
Freezing your burner is not recommended however
Silicone Dish Liner Wax Hack
Here’s is a fabulous little hack and in fact something some of the newer wax tart burners come with, and that is a silicone warmer tray.
Often you’ll not need to either warm or chill the tray to remove the way, as you can simply pop it inside-out and the wax will pop off, or it will peel away easily.
This is a terrific electric wax burner on Amazon with an integrated silicone tray for easy cleaning.
15 Benefits of Using Wax Melts
- Safer Alternative to Candles
- Kids – Will always be a risk
- Pets – Unpredictability (See video)
- No Paraffin – Old Skool energy source
- No Soot – Covers everything
- No Carbon Dioxide – In small quantities
- Wax lasts longer as it doesn’t evaporate
- Cheaper – Better value than candles
- Fragrance Control – As little or as much you you desire
- Mix Fragrances – Get creative
- Less Waste – Use all of the product
- Readily Available – Buy almost anywhere
- Great as Gifts
- Great for the Office
- Vegan Friendly [Soy Melts]
1. Safer than Candles – No Flame
Wax Melts do not require a flame to burn, indeed, they do not burn at all, they simply melt and release the fragrance oil contained within.
There are plenty of reasons why not having unattended naked flames hanging around the house is a good thing, not least the fire hazard before we get onto the specifics of the process of burning something [not toast] inside your house.
This leads me nicely onto the next 6 safety benefits of wax tarts, namely kids, pets, paraffin, flames, soot, and the dreaded carbon dioxide.
You should be convinced to throw out those candles in the cupboard pretty quickly after ready these
2. Kids
If there is something dangerous in your house, even if only slightly dangerous, there is a portion of society who will find that danger and make it imminently far worse than it should be – Your Children.
In most cases, if there are children around the house, lighting a candle anywhere, even out of reach will be something you probably do not do any longer. but what about that lovely ambience [not to mention the peace and quiet] you used to have. but let’s focus on the ambience again for a moment.
Created with a small light source and the scent of the formerly enjoyed candles, everything can be replaced with an electric wax cube warmer with a light. This thing is not going to burn the house down. Thankfully
3. Pets
Pets come a close second to children when it comes to finding risk and making the very most out of it. Tails are the worst.
Super strong on dogs, who have little to no control of when that thing will take off, sweeping asunder anything in its path, whilst cats, who throughout history have had a penchant of breaking and even losing them, when retaining the back end appendage, prefer to grow it as fluffy as possible to make just the wildest cartoon fuse.
4. No Paraffin
Most candles, let’s say, those that we feel are more affordable to buy on most occasions will be paraffin wax in variety.
Before we get carried away with the release of harmful gasses and toxins from paraffin wax, there has been little to no, officially released data to prove that enough by-product is produced to pose a serious harmful threat to our health by burning candles.
If you grew up in the 70’s [Ahem!], then it is quite likely you had paraffin heather in the house for goodness sake.
Anyway, regardless, I would rather melt some vegan wax and release fragrance oil, than burn petroleum by-products in my lounge or bathroom
5. No Soot
The one thing that is often a problem, especially with, ‘budget candle products, is soot.
Quite often undetectable at the time, you might wonder what that lovely black coating over the fruit bowl is, after the extended burn time of your lovely $1 candles.
Burning candles of the cheaper variety can give off a very slight smoke that is hard to see and rises and spreads around the room. As we know, what goes up must come down and sure as eggs are eggs, it will be landing on every surface.
6. No Carbon Dioxide
It is a minuscule amount, and probably less than you are going to be breathing out at the same rate, but cutting out even the smallest quantities of this gas in your living environment is never going to be a bad thing.
7. Wax lasts longer as it doesn’t evaporate
So here comes some super benefits of using wax melts, and coupled with the fact they have not ignited means that the was does not evaporate into the atmosphere of your room because with the absence of a flame, the temperature it rises to is not enough to cause evaporation, which is why your candles burn down.
The wax will remain in pretty much the same quantity as when you started heating it, albeit the shape will plainly chance, but only the fragrance oil is released into the room.
You can simply switch the heater off when your room is smelling great whereby the wax will solidify once again, ready for the next time you want to use it, so…
8. Cheaper
Because of the controllable way wax cubes can be melted and solidified and therefore less of the raw products is consumed in the heating process, wax melts become cheaper to use over time in an electric burner.
Cheaper candles mean lesser quality, wax melts mean no hazards of candles for a cheaper price – That’s a win on its own.
And actually being a frugal user of wax melts, means you can also take control
9. Fragrance Control
By keeping note of the level; of fragrance in your room, you can instantly switch the burner off as soon as the room smells good enough for you, and you don’t get the additional smoke smell when extinguishing a candle.
Think the room needs a little freshening up? Switch on for a few minutes once again, and you’ll get a fragrance boost that you can control at will.
10. Mix Fragrances
Mixing fragrances can be adventurous and produce amazing scents, and I’m not going to say it will be a success every time, but when you get a little enthusiastic with your wax melts, as I often do, you can experiment with mixing the cubes to create your own unique custom fragrance combinations.
That’s never as much fun with a traditional candle.
11. Less Waste
Now, whilst I have used one of the benefits of wax tarts being that less product is burned off, it can also be leveled that there is less waste with them.
The warmers are easy to clean, and you’ll not get the overspill of melted wax often found with candles.
But my candles are in glass containers! I hear you cry!
OK, you’ll not have a glass jar left at the end of your wax melts, to either dispose of or add to the ever-multiplying collection in the garage.
12. Readily Available
Wax melts are really quite a thing these days and are growing in popularity exponentially.
We can see how year on year the popularity of wax melts being searched on google is increasing, peaking around November as the holiday season approaches, which reminds me.
13. Wax Melts Sets Make Great Gifts
What a superb gift idea for when you are stuck for inspiration.
Family and friends, who you know like to scent their rooms, could well be thrilled to receive the newest model electric wax warmer, or the freshest new set of cubes to try out
14. Great for the Office
Wax melts can work well in the working environment too. Warmers are available in stylish models and can be placed discreetly in the office or workplace to freshen up the space and make it always inviting for visitors and workers alike.
15. Vegan Friendly [Soy Melts]
Unlike paraffin, soy melts are 100% vegetable, natural, plant-based and biodegradable. Soy wax burns clean and is non-toxic and is a great vegan-friendly alternative for candles.
I had to recommend these Soy Wax melts on Amazon. Just look at the logo. Looks like we used the same designer!!
