What Are Wax Melts & How Do They Work?
Wax melts are small, fragrantly scented pieces of wax designed to be gently heated in a wax warmer which then allows them to slowly release their scent. Unlike candles, they don’t come with a wick. Instead, you pop them into a wax warmer, turn it on, sit back, and let the magic happen.
Wax melts come in various shapes, sizes, and colors, and may even contain various adornments like glitters and dried flowers or even coffee beans, making them a fun addition to your home decor. Here at Krafty Kitty Studios we love the aesthetic of a wax melt snap bar, this is a bar of scented wax with premarked segments that are meant to be snapped off for easy portioned usage.
How Do I Use Wax Melts?
The principle is simple: heat the wax, release the fragrance!Here’s how easy it is to melt your way to bliss...
- Grab Your Wax Warmer: These can be electric or use a tealight candle. The choice depends on whether you want to avoid open flames entirely.
- Pick Your Fragrance: Whether it's a new fragrance you're eager to try out or one that you know and love, pick your wax melt of choice
- Place Your Wax Melt Into the Warming Dish: Snap off one or two sections of your snap bar (we love this part, it's so satisfying!!), depending on the size of your warmer and the size of the room you have it in. A great tip is to use a silicone liner to make clean up a breeze later on when you're ready to discard the wax
- Turn It On/Light It Up: Depending on your warmer type, either flip a switch or light and place and light the tealight under your warming dish.
- Sniff and Sigh with Pleasure: As the wax slowly melts, you'll be transported to your aromatic journey of scented bliss.
So Why Should I Choose Wax Melts?
- Affordability & Versatility - wax melts are far cheaper than candles allowing you to try out a wider variety of scents and switch up your scents as you like
- Flameless - Wax melts that use an electric warmer whether it's a light bulb or a warming plate eliminate the risk of open flames which many people prefer to avoid for safety reasons especially around children and pets. Moreover, many renter's leases don't allow the use of candles so wax melts are a great alternative.
- Health Reasons: Many people prefer the fact that wax melts don't actively use the wax for fuel like candles do. Plus the burning wicks can off put soot, smoke, and other carcinogens into the air of your home. When you use wax melts you'll notice all the wax remains in your warmer, only the fragrance oil is released and it's for that reason that we use clean label fragrance oils that are free of known carcinogens, mutagens and toxins.
- Easy of Use: There's no need to worry about trimming wicks or monitoring burn pools or having to deal with tunneling, just pop your melt into your warmer and discard it when the scent has run out.
- Scent Throw - Wax melts often pack a stronger scent punch than candles. One segment can release fragrance for 4-6 hours, sometimes even longer than a standard candle! Most candles contain a fragrance load of about 6%, we create our wax melts to have a generous 10% fragrance load ensuring a strong scent throw and lasting fragrance.And, thanks to the way in which the wax is heated, you also tend to get a more evenly dispersed scent throw with a wider range.
- Customizability: Feeling adventurous? Mix different wax melts to create your custom scent. It’s like being a perfume artist but without the weird French accent (unless you want to add that for flair) or you can create your own transitional scent journey by featuring a different but complementary scent in each room.
How To Use Wax Melts Like A Pro
- Start Small: If you’re new to wax melts, begin with one or two cubes. Some fragrances can be quite potent.
- Clean Your Warmer Regularly: Avoid scent mix-ups by cleaning your warmer between swapping scents. Simply let the wax cool and solidify, then gently pop it out. Another great option we love using here at Krafty Kitty Studios are silicone liners, they make clean up an absolute breeze, you simply let your melted wax cool and solidify in the liner and then you can pop it right out of the silicone mold and dispose of it, easy peasy!
- Store Your Melts Correctly: Keep your wax melts in their clamshells in a cool, dry place. Heat and light can degrade the fragrance and color over time.
- Experiment: Don’t be afraid to try new scents or combinations.
In Conclusion
In a world where we’re all looking for ways to make our lives easier and safer, wax melts offer a brilliant solution. So next time you’re looking to elevate your space with a wonderful aroma, skip the candles, head straight for the wax melts and join in on the wax melt revolution, after all, your sense of smell deserves this little luxury!
- Kitty.