If you've seen soy wax melts in your nearest boutique, retailer, or trending on social media, you may be left asking "What do you do with wax melts?" Wax tarts, melts or cubes are scented pieces of wax without a wick that are melted to release home fragrance. Wax melts are placed in a warmer and are gradually warmed to melt the wax and fill your home with aroma. Wax melts are perfect if you’re unsure whether you’ll like a fragrance enough to buy a candle, as they come in smaller chunks or shapes. Wax melts have also been proven to save money and last longer than a standard 16-oz. candle. Unlike candles, the wax does not evaporate; only the scent dissipates. Once you can no longer smell the fragrance, you can throw away your used wax and start a new scent. Read our blog post about how to change wax in your melter with no mess to learn how to properly do it.  

#1. Use Wax Melts for Home Fragrance

Wax melts fall under the home fragrance category and work by using a heat source to release scent into the air. Much like candles, wax melts, cubes, and tarts are used to produce room-filling aroma in minutes. Wax melts and candles both use a combination of essential oils, fragrance oils, and wax to release scent upon being warmed. Just like candles, wax melts can come in a variety of shapes, scents, and colors!

Wax Melts Come in a Variety of Shapes

#2. Use Wax Melts To Replace Candles

With candles, the heat from the ignited wick is what allows the fragrance or essential oil in the candle to release scent. With wax melts, the heat comes from underneath the wax, usually via a small bulb of 25–15 watts; the wax slowly melts, releasing the infused fragrance oils without the flame. Because wax melts are flame-free, you will need to ensure that you have a wax melt warmer to activate your wax melts, tarts, or cubes. Unlike candles, the wax melts/tarts act as a carrier for the fragrance oil and do not evaporate when melted. The scent eventually fades away, but the unscented wax will still remain in your melter until you change the used wax and replace it with new wax melts.

Wax Melt Warmer Used to Activate Wax Melts

Other reasons to replace candles with wax melts include rising health concerns regarding candles releasing cancer-causing agents, respiratory issues with soot, and carcinogens released from paraffin wax. Many people have turned to wax melts as a healthy alternative to candles and aerosol air fresheners. A 2001 EPA study also showed that candles with more fragrance in them subsequently produced more soot, and the agency suggested choosing unscented candles to reduce this. Black soot is dispersed immediately upon blowing out a candle, and it can get caught in your air vents or darken walls and ceilings over time. Wax melts can give you all the luxuries of a candle while eliminating these dangers. Most companies also offer an alternative to that “candle flame glow” by incorporating a dim light bulb to create the same ambiance of a candle flame. Some companies have also gone a step further to mimic the candle flame by incorporating a translucent red silicone top.

Glowing Wax Melt Warmer

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