What Are Wax Melts and How Do You Use Them? A Beginner’s Guide

If you’ve somehow made it this far through life without becoming obsessed with making your house smell gorgeous… welcome. 😂

You may have seen little bars, hearts and random pretty shapes of scented wax online and wondered:

What actually ARE wax melts, and what am I supposed to do with them?

Don’t worry. They’re ridiculously easy to use.

What are wax melts?

Wax melts are pieces of scented wax that you place into a wax burner or warmer.

Unlike a candle, there’s no wick inside the wax melt itself.

Instead, the wax is gently warmed, which releases the fragrance into your room.

And that means you can swap fragrances whenever you fancy — clean laundry today, fruity tomorrow, perfume-inspired at the weekend and something completely unhinged by Monday.

We don't judge. 😂

What do I need to use wax melts?

You really don't need much.

For a traditional wax burner you'll need:

A suitable wax melt burner

An unscented tealight

Your chosen wax melt

A lighter

You can also use an electric wax warmer, which heats the wax without using a tealight.

Always use your particular burner or warmer according to its manufacturer's safety instructions.

How much wax melt should I use?

This is where people sometimes go a little wild.

You do not need to cram the entire snap bar into your burner.

Break off an appropriate amount for the size of your burner dish and start with that.

You can always use more another time, but overflowing hot wax across your furniture isn't quite the cosy-home aesthetic we're aiming for. 😂

How do I use a wax melt?

Pop your chosen piece of wax into the top dish of your burner.

If you're using a traditional burner, place an unscented tealight underneath and light it.

As the wax warms and melts, the fragrance begins to release into your room.

That's it.

No complicated ritual. No special technique.

Wax in. Tealight on. House smells bloody gorgeous.

Can I reuse the same wax melt?

YES!

This surprises loads of people when they first start using wax melts.

The wax doesn't disappear like a candle does.

Instead, you can allow it to cool and then warm it again another time while there's still fragrance left.

Eventually you'll notice that you're no longer getting much fragrance from it.

That's when it's time to change it.

How do I change wax melts?

Once your old wax has finished giving you fragrance, allow your burner to cool completely before removing it using a method suitable for your particular burner.

Give the dish a clean if needed and you're ready for your next scent.

And this is where the addiction begins.

Because suddenly you need:

A laundry scent for cleaning day.

A cosy scent for the evening.

A fruity one for the kitchen.

A perfume-inspired one because you're feeling fancy.

And approximately 47 others because you liked the names. 😂

Which wax melt fragrance should I choose?

This completely depends on what you enjoy.

If you love that freshly-cleaned-house smell, start with clean or laundry fragrances.

Prefer something sweeter? Try fruity, bakery or sweet scents.

If you love wearing perfume and aftershave, perfume-inspired fragrances could be right up your street.

And don't be scared to try something completely different.

Some of the scents customers end up loving most are the ones they would never normally have chosen.

Are wax melts good for trying different fragrances?

Absolutely.

That's one of our favourite things about them.

You're not committed to one fragrance every single day.

Fancy your house smelling like fresh laundry this morning and something sweet tonight?

Go for it.

Your house. Your burner. Your rules. 😂

Ready to enter the wax-melt rabbit hole?

At Scent & Home Creations, we've got wax melts in loads of fragrance styles — from fresh and clean to fruity, sweet, perfume-inspired and everything in between.

So whether you're completely new to wax melts or already have a drawer that could qualify as a small fragrance shop…

there's always room for one more scent. 👀😂