How to make wax melts at home
To make wax melts, melt soy wax in a pouring pot set in a pan of simmering water, take it off the heat, stir in fragrance oil at the temperature and amount your wax and oil labels give, add a drop of dye or a pinch of mica, then pour into a silicone mould or clamshell. Leave them to set fully and cure for a few days.
What do you need to make wax melts?
Wax melts are candle making without the wick. You scent and colour the wax, set it in small shapes, and melt a piece at a time in a wax warmer. With no wick to centre and no burn to test, they are the easiest wax craft to start with.
- Wax. Soy wax flakes are the usual choice. They melt at a low temperature and hold scent well.
- Fragrance oil listed for candle or wax making.
- Colour, if you want it: liquid candle dye or mica powder.
- A mould. Silicone moulds release easily. Plastic clamshells (the snap-shut trays with break-off cubes) let you store and gift them in the same tray.
- A pouring pot, a saucepan and a thermometer to melt the wax gently in a water bath.
- Kitchen scales, a stirring spoon, kitchen roll and newspaper.
To be straight with you: we do not sell a wax melt mould or a wax warmer. What we do sell is the wax, the scents and the colours, which are the parts that decide how your melts look and smell. Use a silicone mould or clamshells you have already, or a silicone ice cube tray kept for wax only and never used for food again.
Which of our candle supplies work for wax melts?
| What | From the shop | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Wax | Mouldmaster soy wax flakes, 1 kg | Listed for container candles, not for melts. Container soy is a softer wax, so the melts are soft too: let them set fully before you unmould them. |
| Scent | Lagunamoon set of 16 fragrance oils, or the Salubrito Christmas set of 6 | Both list candle making. Read the safety label on each oil for how much to use. |
| Colour | Miltin mica powder, 15 colours | Its listing names wax melts as a use. Mica settles to the bottom in melts, which some people like as a shimmer. |
| Colour | Liquid candle dye, 18, 21 or 32 colours | Listed for soy wax. Add a drop at a time: the number of drops sets the depth of colour. |
| Wax from a kit | The soy and beeswax candle kits | The wax and scents in either kit can go into melts instead of tins. Beeswax gives a harder melt with a scent of its own. |
Wax and scent for melts
How to make wax melts, step by step
Read the safety label and instructions on the wax, oils and colours before you start. Where they give a temperature or an amount, use their numbers, because every wax and oil is different. Never leave hot wax unattended, and do not melt it in a microwave unless the wax's instructions say you can.
- Set upCover the worktop, stand the moulds on a tray so you can move them without bending them, and keep children and pets out of the kitchen. Make sure the moulds are completely dry.
- Weigh the waxFill one mould with water, tip that into a jug on the scales, and use about that weight of wax flakes for each mould. Weighing means you work out the fragrance properly and do not end up with half a pot of scented wax and nowhere to put it.
- Melt in a water bathPut the flakes in a pouring pot and stand it in a saucepan of gently simmering water. Stir until every flake has melted and keep the thermometer in the wax. Do not let the water boil dry.
- Add the fragranceTake the pot off the heat. When the wax reaches the temperature the wax or oil label gives for adding fragrance, pour in the amount the oil's label allows and stir slowly for a full two minutes so the oil binds with the wax rather than sitting on top.
- Add colourStir in liquid dye one drop at a time, or a small pinch of mica. Drip a little wax onto a white plate to see the set colour, which is always lighter than the liquid.
- PourLet the wax cool to the pouring temperature on its label, then pour slowly into the moulds. A cooler pour gives a smoother top. Tap the tray gently to lift any bubbles.
- Leave them to setLeave the melts at room temperature until they are firm all the way through, usually several hours. Soft soy needs the longer end of that before it comes out cleanly.
- Unmould and curePush each melt out of a silicone mould from underneath, or snap the clamshell shut. Store them in a closed container for a few days before using them, as the scent grows stronger while they cure.
Colour, and wax in a bundle
Mica powder, 15 colours, 5g bags
£11.99
Liquid candle dye, 32 colours
£16.99
Candle maker refill bundle
£41.99 £44.97 separately
Why do my wax melts not smell strong?
Weak scent is the complaint everyone has with their first batch, and the cause is nearly always one of four things. The oil went in when the wax was too hot, so some of it evaporated. It was not stirred long enough, so it never fully bound with the wax. The melts were used straight away, before they had cured. Or there was simply not enough oil for the amount of wax, which is why weighing matters. Fix the first three before you reach for more oil, and never go above the amount the oil's label allows.
How to fix other wax melt problems
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Oily beads or a wet film on top | More fragrance than the wax can hold | Use less oil next batch, within the label's amount, and stir it in for longer. |
| White bloom on the surface | Frosting, natural to soy wax | Cosmetic only. A slightly cooler pour and slow cooling at room temperature reduce it. |
| Melts stick in the mould or break | Unmoulded before fully set, or a soft wax | Leave them longer. A short spell in the fridge can help soft melts release. |
| Dip or crater in the middle | Wax shrinking as it cools | Pour a little cooler and top up with a splash of reheated wax. |
| Colour too dark | Dye is concentrated | One drop at a time, testing on a white plate, and remember it lightens as it sets. |
| Speckles of colour | Mica or dye not stirred through, or wax too cool | Stir well, and add colour while the wax is still fully liquid. |
How do you use wax melts safely?
Put one or two cubes in the dish of a wax warmer and follow the warmer's own instructions. With a tea light warmer, never leave the flame unattended, keep it on a heatproof surface away from anything that can catch, and do not move it while the wax is liquid. When the scent has faded, let the wax cool and set, then pop it out. A few minutes in the freezer often makes old wax lift out of the dish in one piece.
If you plan to sell wax melts rather than give them away, scented wax products sold in Great Britain come under chemical labelling rules, so look into those before you sell any.
Wax melts or candles: which should you make?
Melts are quicker, cheaper per batch and harder to get wrong, so they are a good first project. Candles take more care with wicks and testing, but people like them as presents. The method and supplies overlap almost completely, so once you have made melts, our guide to making candles at home is a short step on. For Christmas, the Salubrito Christmas oils in candy cane, gingerbread and Christmas tree make a gift set of melts in a clamshell easy, and there are more seasonal ideas in Christmas crafts for adults. Everything for wax is in the candle aisle.
Questions
Do you need special wax for wax melts?
No. Any soy wax melts well, and container soy wax flakes are a common choice. Container wax is soft, so the melts come out softer and need to set fully before you take them out of the mould. Harder blends sold for melts hold their shape a little better.
Can I use candle fragrance oil in wax melts?
Yes, if the oil is listed for candle making, as both our fragrance oil sets are. Read the oil's safety label for how much to add, and stir it in at the temperature your wax's label gives.
How long do wax melts need to cure?
A few days in a closed container is a sensible minimum, and some makers leave them a week or two. The scent settles into the wax as it cures, so a melt used the day after pouring often smells weaker than it will later.
Does Knot and Wick sell wax melt moulds?
No, we do not sell a wax melt mould or a wax warmer. We sell the soy wax, fragrance oils, mica powder and liquid dyes. Use a silicone mould or clamshells you already have, or an ice cube tray kept for wax only.
Can I put mica powder in wax melts?
Yes. The Miltin mica powder set names wax melts among its uses. Add a small pinch while the wax is fully liquid and stir well. Mica tends to settle towards the bottom of each melt, which gives a shimmer underneath.
