What Are Wax Melts?

To put it simply, wax melts are fragranced pieces of wax that can be used to scent your home, much like a candle. The fragrance is released from the wax as it is heated, which can be done a number of ways.

• Tealight wax melter: The tealight melter has a bowl in which you place the wax melt. Someplace underneath that bowl is a spot where you place a tealight candle. Once lit, the heat from the tealight candle will heat the bowl above it, melting your wax. Upkeep needed is continous purchase of tealight candles. Do not use scented tealights for this as the contained space can be a fire hazard. Also, it’s not really necessary since you will have scented wax in the bowl! We use these tealight candles when melting for pleasure, with the 4-hour tealights for testing purposes. Don’t be fooled…the heat from a tealight candle can be very hot and this is one of our favorite ways to get a great scent throw from a wax melt.
• Bulb wax melter: In this case, the wax melt sits in a bowl and there is a light bulb underneath. Most often this is a 25 watt bulb, but there are other variations. Once turned on, the heat from the light bulb causes the wax in the bowl to melt, releasing the fragrance. Here your upkeep will be buying bulb replacements for the melter. You can generally buy these from the manufacturer directly, or you can pick up similar bulbs at hardware and big box stores.
• Electric wax melter: An electric wax melter has a base with a heating element built in. The wax melt bowl sits on top of the protected base and, when plugged in and turned on, releases fragrance into the air. There is a deal of variation in the wattage for these, so try to look at the bottom of the box or in the product details to determine how much heat you can expect. We recommend 22-24 watts for a comparable heating mechanism like that of the tealight melter.
• Plug-in wax melter: These are generally called wall units and they plug directly into a wall socket. There is a small bulb that then heats up the wax that is on the dish. Most often these are single unit pieces, but the wax melt dish can be separate. This is a typical bulb style melter but on a smaller scale. It is frequently seen used to scent up small bathrooms or even campers. The amount of wax melts that this type of melter can hold is generally quite small, so they work better in small spaces.

As mentioned, there are a number of ways to use wax melts, but these types of wax melters are the main ones that you will run across. They come in a variety of shapes and styles, so take your time and decide on what works best for you and your decor.

Some of the more common clamshell style wax melts are those that you find in Walmart from Better Homes & Garden or ScentSationals. You generally snap off one or two cubes to place them in your wax warmer to release the scent. These containers can also be used to store used wax melts if you want to pour the melted wax back into the cavities. Aside from the popular rectangle clamshell wax melts, there are also round, oval, and square clamshells.

We love the wax melt cup style as they are generally easy to store and don’t take up a lot of room. Depending on the quality of the cups and the fragrance load, the wax cups tend to store for a long time without issue. Some companies that offer wax melt cups include Tara’s Candle Cottage and Candlecopia.

These wax melts are often colored and some of them contain decorative mica or glitter. The really large shapes need to be cut into pieces to use (we use a vegetable cutter) and can leave a bit of a mess in your wax bowl. Other styles of wax melts also can come with decorative elements, but the shapes most commonly do. Some places with decorative wax melts include Cheryl’s Candles & Gifts and Rainbow Melts.

This type of wax melt can be really fun to use and it is very easy to mix and match scents, creating your own blends. Some companies with this type of wax melt include Tipsy Goat and Lux de Luna. 

Yes, once fragrances are emitted into the air, there is some form of air pollution. This is unavoidable with the product, and is well discussed in this recent scientific article on flameless candles. The best way to minimize the risk of health issues, we recommend looking for products that are listed as phthalate and paraben free. While soy wax is a cleaner type of wax than paraffin, the differences when using wax melts become almost negligible.

Still, when using wax melts and the necessary wax melt burners, here are some things to keep in mind to remain as safe as possible:

• Do not melt wax melts in tight, enclosed spaces with you.
• Keep your wax melter on a safe, stable surface and out of reach of children and pets.
• Maintain the electrical cords and replace the melter if they are fraying or damaged.
• Use only the recommended bulbs in your bulb melters. While other bulbs might fit, you are increasing the chance of an accidental fire!
• Never leave your wax melters on for hours unattended. We do not recommend going to sleep while they are on, and we recommend unplugging the devices when leaving from home for a few days.

That’s it! For the most part, using wax melts is fun and definitely safe to do.