How to Use Wax Melts
How to Use Wax Melts: Your Complete Guide to Soy Melt Bars
Wax melts are one of the simplest (and most affordable) ways to fill your home with fragrance. There's no wick to trim and no jar to finish; just a small cube of scented wax, a little gentle warmth and a room that smells beautiful within minutes.
If you're new to melts, or you've picked up one of our melt bars and want to get the most from it, this guide covers everything: how to use them, how long they last, how to change the wax and how to keep your fragrance fresh for next time.
In short: break one cube off your melt bar, place it in the dish of a tea light burner and light an unscented tea light underneath. As the wax melts, the fragrance fills the room. When the scent fades, let the wax cool, pop it out and add a fresh cube.
What are Soy Wax Melts?
Wax melts are pieces of scented wax with no wick. Rather than burning them like a candle, you warm them gently so they release their fragrance into the room.
Ours come as melt bars, hand-poured in small batches at our Pouring House in Essex from 100% natural soy wax and premium fragrance oils. Just like our candles, our soy wax melts don't contain any paraffin; just natural soy wax and fragrance, nothing else.
They're vegan-friendly, cruelty-free and highly fragranced, and each bar gives around 50 hours of fragrance. At £4 a bar, they're also the easiest way to try a new scent before committing to a candle or reed diffuser.
How to Use a Melt Bar, Step by Step
1. Find the right spot. Place your tea light burner on a flat, stable, heat-resistant surface, away from draughts, curtains and anything that could catch.
2. Break one cube off the bar. Snap a single cube away along the scored line. One cube at a time is all you need.
3. Pop it in the dish. Place the cube in the dish at the top of your burner.
4. Light your tea light. Use an unscented tea light so it doesn't compete with your fragrance, and place it in the burner underneath the dish.
5. Let it melt. The cube will soften and turn to liquid, and as it warms the fragrance will begin to fill the room.
6. Blow out the tea light when you're done. Leave the wax to cool and set in the dish. Next time you light a tea light, the same cube will melt again and release its fragrance.
Why One Cube is all You Need
Our melt bars are highly fragranced, so a single cube is plenty to scent a room. Using one at a time also means your bar lasts longer, your dish won't overfill and you can switch fragrances whenever the mood takes you (which, for many people, is the best thing about melts).
Neat, Tidy & Fresh for Next Time
Our melt bars now come in a resealable clamshell case, made from 80% recycled plastic and fully recyclable. Snap off one cube, close the lid and the rest of your bar stays neat, tidy and protected until next time.
Keeping the lid closed also keeps your fragrance fresh, as the scent in wax is at its best when it isn't left exposed to the air. No crumbs, no loose pieces rolling around the drawer and no fading fragrance.
You can read more about why we made the change in A Fresh Upgrade for Our Wax Melts.
How Long do Wax Melts Last?
Each of our melt bars gives around 50 hours of fragrance in total. A single cube will keep releasing its scent over more than one session, so you can melt it, let it set and melt it again.
Here's the thing that surprises most people: the wax itself doesn't really get used up. It's the fragrance that gradually fades. So you won't see the wax in your dish shrink the way a candle burns down. You'll know it's time for a fresh cube when the wax still melts but you can barely smell it.
How to Change the Wax
• Let it set completely. Wait until the tea light is out and the wax is fully cool and firm.
• Pop it out. Place the dish (or the whole burner, if it's safe to do so) in the freezer for 10 minutes or so. The wax shrinks slightly as it chills and usually pops straight out with a gentle push.
• Wipe it clean. Give the dish a quick wipe with kitchen roll or a cotton pad, then add your next cube.
Never pour melted wax down the sink, as it can set in your pipes. Used soy wax can go in your general waste once it's solid.
Coming Soon: Our Own Wax Melt Burner
We've had so many of you asking which burner to use with our melts, so we're adding wax melt burners to the range! We've carefully selected them to go with our melt bars so you get the most out of every cube. They'll be available very soon, so keep an eye on the blog and our socials (or sign up to our newsletter so you're the first to know).
Wax Melts vs Candles vs Reed Diffusers
All three fill your home with fragrance, but each suits a different moment;
• Melt bars are perfect for trying new scents, changing your fragrance to suit your mood and filling a room quickly. Around 50 hours of fragrance per bar, from £4.
• Candles are for ambience; the glow, the ritual, the cosy evening in. Our 20cl candles burn for around 30 hours.
• Reed diffusers are flame-free and always on, ideal for hallways, bathrooms and rooms you pass through. Each lasts around eight months.
Many of our customers use all three: a diffuser in the hallway, a candle for evenings and melts for switching things up. Our guides to candle burn time and reed diffusers cover the other two in more detail.
Whichever you choose, you'll never find paraffin in any of them (just natural soy wax, hand-poured in small batches).
Tips to Get the Most from Your Melts
• Match the scent to the room. Fresh and citrus fragrances like Lime, Basil & Mandarin or Grapefruit are lovely in a kitchen, while deeper scents like Black Orchid or Cuban Tobacco & Oak suit a living room in the evening.
• Place your burner centrally. In a bigger room, a burner in the middle of the space helps the fragrance travel.
• Keep the lid on. Store your bars in their clamshell case, somewhere cool and out of direct sunlight.
• Find your favourites. Our Letterbox Gift Sets bring together 3, 5 or 7 melt bars in Woody, Floral, Fresh or Citrus groupings; a lovely way to discover new fragrances (and they fit straight through the letterbox as a gift).
• Never run out. Subscribe to your favourite melt bar and save 8%, delivered monthly, every two months or quarterly.
Using Wax Melts Safely
• Never leave a lit tea light unattended.
• Keep your burner out of reach of children and pets.
• Always use a flat, stable, heat-resistant surface.
• Don't move the burner while the wax is liquid or the tea light is lit.
• Use one tea light at a time and never add water to the dish.
• Let the burner cool fully before touching or cleaning it.
Wax Melt FAQs
How do you use wax melts?
Break one cube off your melt bar, place it in the dish of a tea light burner and light an unscented tea light underneath. As the wax melts, the fragrance is released into the room. Blow out the tea light when you're done and the wax will set, ready to use again.
How many wax melt cubes should I use?
One cube at a time. Our soy melt bars are highly fragranced, so a single cube is plenty to scent a room, and it helps your bar last longer.
How long do soy wax melts last?
Each of our melt bars gives around 50 hours of fragrance in total. A single cube can be melted and re-melted over several sessions until its fragrance fades.
Can you reuse wax melts?
Yes. Once the wax has cooled and set, you can melt the same cube again next time. Keep reusing it until you can no longer smell the fragrance, then replace it with a fresh cube.
Why can't I smell my wax melt any more?
Either the fragrance in that cube has been used up (the wax stays behind, but the scent fades) or your nose has simply got used to it. Step out of the room for a few minutes and come back in. If you still can't smell it, it's time for a fresh cube.
What kind of tea light should I use with wax melts?
A standard unscented tea light, so it doesn't compete with the fragrance of your melt.
How should I store wax melts?
Keep them in their resealable clamshell case, somewhere cool and out of direct sunlight. Closing the lid after each use keeps the rest of the bar neat, tidy and fresh.
Are wax melts better than candles?
Neither is better; they do different jobs. Melts are ideal for switching scents and filling a room quickly, while candles bring glow and ambience. Many people enjoy both.
Do your wax melts contain paraffin?
No! Just like our candles, our soy wax melts don't contain any paraffin. They're hand-poured from natural soy wax and premium fragrance oils.
Ready to try them? Explore our full range of soy wax melt bars, hand-poured in Essex, or discover a few favourites at once with our Letterbox Gift Sets.
Ali 🖤
Founder & Chief Maker
The Soy Wax Candle Company
The Soy Wax Candle Company. Luxury soy wax candles, reed diffusers & melt bars, hand-poured in Essex.