What Are Wax Melts And How To Use Them?
What is a wax melt?
Wax melts, wax warmers or wax tarts come in all different shapes and sizes - you probably have seen them at some point in your life in a shop, a friend's house or in ads.
The most common ones are snap bars like the ones in our Handmade By J-Gold collection, heart shaped ones, but also round ones or seasonal shapes such as ghosts for Halloween or gifts for Christmas.
Wax melts are made out of wax which is harder than the one you would use for container waxes simply because they need to stay in shape on their own once cool. Our Handmade By J-Gold wax tarts are made out of 100% soy wax but just like with candles they can either be purely made out of or contain a mix of soy, coconut, beeswax, paraffin or other waxes.
How do wax melts work?
To use your wax melts you need to use a regular wax melt burner/ wax warmer and a tea light as your heat source or opt for an electric wax melt burner/ wax warmer.
We personally prefer the electric version as you don’t need tea lights in your households (those need to be unscented too of course!) and you can turn them on and off to your liking while always getting an equal amount of heat but this is a personal preference.
Unlike candles the wax in wax melts does not burn away, the scent simply evaporates into the air once they get heated up and you can reuse your wax melts several times.
How long do wax melts last?
Wax melts last several hours before they lose their scent. This does depend on the wax that has been used in the production but also the fragrance oil involved as well.
Generally snap bar wax melts can smell up between 6-10h per piece (other shapes/ sizes will vary) and you know you need to replace them once the scent fades.
How do you change the wax in a wax burner/ wax warmer?
There are several options to change your wax melts:
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Preferred method: Heat up your wax melt likely like you would in the beginning and once the melted block starts to move, remove it and clean out the tray
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Cooling method: Once your wax melt cooled, put your wax burner in the fridge for a bit and the wax will shrink allowing it to easily remove it
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Heating method: Instead of letting your wax melt cool after realizing the scent faded, you can simply dumb the wax when it’s liquid. If you choose this option, be careful with the hot wax and where you pour it. As it cools down and solidifies, it shouldn’t be poured down pipes. We highly recommend choosing one of the other methods as they are safer.
Are wax warmers better than candles?
We often get the question if wax melts are stronger than candles. The answer is technically yes as the heat applied wax melts is a different one than for candles but this also depends on the wax and fragrance used in both products.
Are wax melts safe to breathe?
Wax melts and candles can be toxic if the ingredients in them are. This also comes down to the wax used. For example our wax melts from Handmade by J-Gold are made with 100% soy wax which is a natural wax occurring as a natural side product when soy is being processed - therefore it’s considered a natural alternative just like coconut wax.
Wax melt made out of paraffin wax - which is a side product in the petroleum production - is generally regarded as less clean, however studies are ongoing to evaluate the actual risk on humans.
Candles and wax melts are made out of fragrance oils (or essential oils - if you want to learn more about the difference click here) which are chemically prepared for candle/ wax melt production. As candle makers it’s our duty to make our products as safe as possible for our customers and they are safe to use and smell, however normal usage is advised.