white ceramic oil burner with wax melts and essential oil

Oil burners are a great way to diffuse some essential oil to make your room smell nice but a technique which is often overlooked is the wax melt. A wax melt is a solid piece of wax that has a blend of essentials oils or fragrance in it and it works by using it instead of the essential oil. 

How to use wax melts with an oil burner (video)

The first thing that you want to do is place your oil burner on a coaster to avoid burning your surfaces as it does get very hot. Light a tea light candle and place it into the oil burner.

We make our own soy based wax melts with scents of cinnamon, star anise, and patchouli which we sell on our website but you can use any wax melts that you want. For health, we recommend that you only use an essential oil based wax melt and not one that contains artificial fragrances or has paraffin in the wax. 

Place the wax melt on top of the oil burner and the wax melt is going to slowly melt and is going to release the aroma into your room. The oil burner will become very hot so do not touch it. 

Enjoy the scents from the wax melt and when it has fully melted and the scent dissipates, you can either add another one if you want to continue or blow the candle out and allow to cool before cleaning and putting away. 

Wax melts: Frequently asked questions

Do you need a burner for wax melts?

Yes you will need an oil burner to use wax melts. The process works by placing a lit candle inside the oil burner, the wax melts go on top and will melt down slowly dissipating the essential oil fragrance. 

How many times can you reuse wax melts?

As melted wax doesn’t evaporate, you can reuse it as much as you would like, although after a while the scent will dissipate and so the wax melt will need replacing. If you want, you can reuse your wax melts by melting them down and adding a few drops of essential oil to them.

What do you do with wax melts after use?

After the smell of the fragrance is gone, you can either throw away the used wax or you can use it to make a new candle, some wax melts or to seal a letter.

Which wax melts smell the longest?

From experience, paraffin candles hold their scent for the least amount of time unless the scent is artificial. This is because artificial fragrances tend to last longer than natural essential oil. Soy wax has a higher melting point and will dissipate the natural essential oil slower than paraffin but beeswax will smell for the longest time.

Any brand that uses more essential oil in their wax melts will last the longest but there is a safe amount and so if too much essential oil is used in the process of making, the wax melt could be a fire hazard.

Why do people buy wax melts?

Wax melts are convenient and allow you to place a wax melt on top of your oil burner without having to worry about pouring in essential oil and diluting it with water. Using wax melts compared to essential oil means that the scent will last longer and will slowly diffuse. They are also inexpensive and are a great safe way to enjoy natural scents.

Can you mix different wax melts together?

Absolutely and we would highly recommend it. You can experiment combining together different scents to make new ones, you may find something you love. Some scents that might be nice together: lemon and orange, cinnamon and star anise, lavender and patchouli 

How do you use wax melts?

To use wax melts all you have to do is place a lit candle in your oil burner then put the wax melt on top. It will slowly melt down and release the essential oil. After the wax has fully melted and the scent has gone, allow it to cool slightly and then pour it into something heatproof that can later go in the bin. Alternatively, you can reuse the wax to make more wax melts. 

How do wax burners work?

Wax burners work by maintaining an evenly distributed heat from a tea light candle to slowly dissipate essential or wax melts. The burners window allows the light to create a warm glow that is great for setting a mood. 

Up next: How to use Palo Santo Wood

Aromatherapy

Featured products

handcrafted antares panpipes from Peru
Antares Bamboo Pan Pipes
Sale price£15.00
quena andean flute with colourful case
Quena Andean Flute
Sale price£60.00
coconut thumb piano kalimba
Kuta Thumb Piano Kalimba (7 note)
Sale priceFrom £15.00