What are wax melts & how to use them
What are wax melts?
Wax melts are essentially candles with no flame. They are a blend of fragrance oils, wax and coloured dye and are sold in a solid, cold form with the intention of melting in a home wax warmer.
Once the wax begins to melt, the fragrance oil heats up and slowly vaporises into the air, filling the room with a beautiful aroma.
Wax melts come in many shapes but are generally small enough to fit in or on top of the palm of your hand. With some companies, you’ll even find glitter or botanicals embedded in the surface of them.
Well crafted wax melts have a strong and beautiful aroma even on cold smell (when the wax is still solid).
A handy tip when purchasing wax melts or candles is to check that they are made from soy wax, coconut wax or beeswax.
Why do we recommend these waxes? Well for starters, they are perfect in supporting the fragrance oil to effectively release it’s aroma into the surrounding air. Secondly, they are far better for the environment than their paraffin wax counterparts.
Traditionally paraffin wax was used by many companies, however this inhibits the fragrance release and paraffin is known for releasing harmful toxins into the air.
Are wax melts better than candles?
We believe this is always down to personal preference, but let's look at the differences.
Candles are certainly a good option for anyone looking to have a home fragrance product that requires minimum effort to use. They really do just require the light of a match and off they go.
But remember they must remain lit until the melted wax reaches the side of the candle container. If the flame is blown out prior to this, then you risk tunnelling, which will ruin your candle’s efficiency.
However with wax melts you can control the intensity of the fragrance release by heat and the amount used.
They are also incredibly fun to experiment with by mixing the scents together. This is known in the wax world as “mixology.”
For example we mixed a blueberry & vanilla wax melt with sugar cookie , resulting in a new and scrumptious aroma that resembled jam donuts. YUM!
Are they safe to use?
Yes, wax melts are safe to use. If you would like to learn more then another of our blogs explains this in detail.
How strong is the fragrance in wax melts?
This depends on a few factors.
At Cosy Aromas, we put every single one of our fragrances through rigorous testing, and pride ourselves in ensuring that they are up to our high standards of being not only beautiful fragrances, but also highly scented.
The temperature the wax is being warmed at whilst in use is also important. If it’s a somewhat cooler temperature then the scent throw will be quite subtle.
If the temperature is higher during warming, then the fragrance will be stronger.
The size of the space in which the wax melt is being warmed is also a contributing factor. For example:
The smaller the room, naturally the fragrance will vaporise and fill the space quicker
The larger the room, the more time it will take to fill the space.
Can I control how strong the fragrance release is?
If you like the subtle hint of fragrance, in any given space, then you will want the temperature to be hot enough to melt the wax melt, but on the lower temperature range.
If you like it stronger then it’s best to have a warmer that expels more heat.
Some electric warmers will have temperature options or it will depend on the distance between the heat source at the dish in which the wax melt is placed.
If you opt for a tea-light warmer, we recommend that it has approx 8-15cm between the tea-light candle and the base of the dish (where the wax melts is placed).
Now... we know, we know! They may look cute, however any tea-light warmer smaller than 8cm (measurement from the top of tea-light candle to the dish) can heat up far too quickly as the flame is simply too close to the dish.
This is not only bad for the wax melt, as the fragrance will burn off far quicker than it's intention, but they can also be dangerous to have in your home as they pose as potential a fire risk. So it's best avoid them.
How long do wax melts last?
This is all dependent on how big the wax melt is, the percentage of fragrance oil used and the temperature that the wax is melting at when in use.
At Cosy Aromas we pride ourselves in making sure all of our soy wax melts are of a high quality and are highly fragranced.
However when warming your wax melt, a simple rule to follow is:
- lower temperature = lasts longer as less fragrance being released
- higher temperature = shorter fragrance release as fragrance burns off quicker
Wax melt companies follow strict guidelines of how much fragrance they can put in the mixture in ratio to the wax, this is so the wax melts are effective and also safe to use in your home.
How to use your wax melts.
If your wax melt is small and approximately the size of an Oreo biscuit, then it’s already of a suitable size to pop straight into the dish at the top of your warmer.
If it is a larger block, then it will need to be cut or broken into smaller segments. Once you have suitable sized segments you’re ready to melt.
- Pop one of these in the dish at the top of your warmer.
- Turn the electric warmer on or light a tea-light underneath.
- Sit back, relax and enjoy the beautiful aroma filling your room.
Each wax melt will emit fragrance for many hours.
As a general rule, our mini wax melts or a wax melt segment, will last for up to 24 hours. And our larger wax melts last up to 100 hours.
Now of course we don’t recommend warming any wax melt constantly for these lengths of time. They are best enjoyed in 4 hour intervals, allowing each one multiple uses and a chance for your warmer to rest and cool between each usage.
Remember that all warmers should never be left unsupervised and always kept out of reach of children and pets alike.
What equipment will I need?
You will need either a tea-light warmer or an electric warmer. These come in many shapes and sizes and vary in materials used.
The traditional warmer is a ceramic tea-light warmer. And as the name suggests it works by warming the dish on top with a lit tea-light underneath.
These work by using a halogen bulb to raise the temperature by the heat of a halogen bulb inside and underneath the dish. These typically are made of metal.
The more modern, and those that are now becoming increasingly popular, are hot-plate warmers. These are great as not only do they safely warm your wax melts by the flick of a switch, but they typically have led lights embedded in the outer design, giving your room it’s very own light show.
Electric warmers are fab for anyone with children or pets as they do not require an open flame.
Do they make good gifts?
Wax melts make fantastic gifts.
With so many different fragrance available, wax melts are a gift that will be appreciated by most people.
At Cosy Aromas we have wax melts fragranced with:
Wax melts are so widely loved that there are many wax melt communities online, where users share their love for everything wax melt related. They enjoy trying new products upon their release and talking about all of their favourite scents.
We love seeing all of these beautiful interactions and are proud that from our small business growing in size each year, the Cosy Community connects many wonderful people, all through the love of wax melts.
How should I store my wax melts?
To ensure a longer life of your wax melts, we recommend storing them in a clean and dry airtight container and away from any moisture. Each Cosy wax melt will come with it's own container, as seen above.
While your wax melts are still good to be stored in other ways, they are naturally susceptible to change in temperatures.
This can result in the wax melt forming a “chalk” like surface with the loss of colour. If this happens, not to worry. They are still perfectly fine to melt and will still release their fragrance.
In summary
Wax melts are a fantastic and modern way to fill your home with gorgeous aromas.
Are generally safer, when using an electric warmer (due to the lack of open flame).
A great way of trying new scents, without having to commit to a larger candle.
Leave a comment