In recent years, the demand for natural products has grown significantly, and this trend extends to home fragrance as well. Wax melts offer a customizable and safer alternative to traditional candles, allowing you to fill your home with delightful scents using natural ingredients. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about making wax melts with essential oils, from the benefits and materials to detailed instructions and tips for achieving the best scent throw.
If you’ve ever tried to make candles before, you know it can sometimes be a messy and frustrating process. Getting the wick to stand just right requires a bit of practice and patience. This is one of many reasons I prefer making wax melts. Not only are they more forgiving to make, they are less expensive than candles, and you can make customized scents, shapes, and sizes to suit your preferences.
Wax melts are blocks of aromatic wax and oil that are used with a wax warmer to diffuse scents throughout your home. When made with organic ingredients, they serve as natural air fresheners and are safer than chemical-laden alternatives found at most stores.
Making your own wax melts is incredibly easy, and it is possible to use only natural ingredients like soy wax and essential oils in this DIY. Here's a breakdown of the key components:
The different types of wax typically used in wax melts are paraffin wax, soy wax and beeswax.
Read also: Natural Oils for Locs
Essential oils are concentrated plant extracts that offer a wide range of scents and therapeutic benefits. When selecting essential oils for your wax melts, it's important to choose high-quality oils that are suitable for use in wax.
In recent years, the demand for natural products has grown significantly and we're pleased to offer the best essential oils for candle making. These essential oils are vegan, cruelty-free, and made with non-GMO ingredients extracted from plants. Learn how each essential oil performs in wax with our Candle Maker's Notes and Soy Leaf Performance Rating so you can make with confidence.
Here’s a comprehensive list of what you’ll need to make your own DIY wax melts:
Making wax melts is easier than you think! Follow these simple steps to create your own aromatic wax melts using the double boiler method.
We’ll be using the double boiler method when working with soy wax. In order to do this, fill a medium sized pot half way full with water. Place a glass bowl, preferably a Pyrex glass measuring cup into the water and turn the stove to medium. This helps to gently heat the wax. Follow the simple steps listed below. Making wax melts is a synch!
Read also: Safe Scentsy Usage Tips
*2 cups of soy flakes will melt down to 1 cup of soy liquid.
PRO TIP: Be sure to immediately clean out your glass cup with a paper towel. If you don’t get to it before the leftover wax hardens, pop it in the oven on a cookie sheet and then wipe it out once the wax has melted again. Don’t try to use dish soap and scrub out hardened wax. It’s a mess and will take way too much elbow grease. I do use hot water, my scrub brush and dish soap after removing the leftover wax.
It is recommended to let your wax melts cure for 1-2 weeks before using them. This is not an absolute must but your scent will be stronger and better if you do.
Getting the most scent out of your wax melts requires attention to detail. Here are some tips to ensure a strong and long-lasting aroma:
They recommend you should add your fragrance into the soy wax at 185°F. This is the best temp for the wax to bind to the fragrance or essential oil and this affects the scent throw. I included this in my instructions.
Read also: Natural Fall Scents
Candlescience also recommends that you allow 1-2 weeks for your soy wax melts or candle to cure. Cure time is less if using a synthetic wax like paraffin. When wax is allowed to cure, the fragrances bind more thoroughly with the wax as well as with each other. Keeping your wax melts in an airtight container is also recommended in order to keep the fragrance potent.
According to Candlescience, per 1 cup of melted soy wax you need 6%-10% essential oils. 10% of 1 cup is 500 drops (1 ounce) of essential oil.
I also found that weighing wax and essential oils is important because essential oils have different capacities so 200 drops of lavender may be different than 200 drops of tea tree. I did not do this in this recipe.
Creating your own unique scent blends is one of the most enjoyable aspects of making wax melts. Here are some ideas to get you started:
My lavender cubes had a decent scent throw so that was a win. However, I didn’t really enjoy the scent. It needed something to ground it. I end up adding a drop or two of ylang ylang or sandalwood to my wax burner with the lavender cubes. I don’t mind doing this and it really just comes down to personal preference.
The scent of warming spices like cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom creates an ideal aroma blend for the home, particularly during the holidays. If you have lots of wax left in your wax warmer, but the aroma is dissipating, you can freshen it up with some new essential oils. I like 2 drops of cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, and one drop of clove and cardamom to freshen the pumpkin spice recipe above. If you love pumpkin spice and don’t want to make wax melts, the essential oil blend can also be used in a diffuser.
After this experiment and making candles with essential oils in the past, I now believe that essential oil candles and wax melts can be done but essential oils perform so much better in a diffuser if your aim is to make your house smell good.
This batch turned out just Ok. I love lavender-I love it on its own. I diffuse it on its own and the Now brand lavender, even though it’s a cheaper version of my usual lavender, has a really nice smell to it.
In my opinion, essential oils were just not meant to be expelled through wax or a flame. They are dispersed and perform much more effectively in water when diffused. Plus, I think the essential oils loose a bit of their quality of scent when heated in this way. The conclusion to this first batch it that I won’t make lavender cubes again. However, it wasn’t as uneconomical as I thought and if I did do it again, I would create some kind of essential oil blend rather than just lavender oil. Lavender needed a base note like cedarwood, vanilla, patchouli, sandalwood or ylang ylang. I would still stick to around 500 drops per 1 cup of wax though.
This batch is really great. There is really good scent throw and I did not have to waste my entire 1/2 ounce (250 drops) bottle of $22 Volcano. The only downside is that it’s just not as natural as I would like and when burning these wax cubes it’s really best to be able to get windows open since we’re unsure about the fragrance quality.
I now believe that essential oil candles and wax melts can be done but essential oils perform so much better in a diffuser if your aim is to make your house smell good.
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