Can You Use Scented Candles as Wax Melts?


Scented candles and wax melts are commonly used in the house to produce pleasant scents. Since they produce nice fragrances into the air, you might have wondered whether you can use scented candles as wax melts.

If you are wondering if you can use scented candles as wax melts, the answer is yes, you can. By merely melting candle wax, making your desired melt shapes, and leaving them to cool, you can use scented candles to make yourself a supply of efficient wax melts.

Whatever your reason for wanting to use scented candles as wax melts is, keep reading this article to not only learn how to use the candles as wax melts, but also to learn the benefits of wax melts, plus much more.

Can You Use Scented Candles as Wax Melts

How to Use Scented Candles as Wax Melts

Sometimes, it isn’t easy to accept that the scented candle you bought from your favorite store won’t burn, and you need to find ways to salvage the candle. You tell yourself that if you melt the wax, you can expose the wick, and the candle will burn perfectly.

Sadly, sometimes melting the wax doesn’t go as planned. For example, when trying to melt the wax, you might find that instead of it melting from the top (as it should), it’s the exterior part of the candle that chooses to dissolve, thus, leaving no wick exposed. The great news is that trying to expose a candlewick isn’t the only way for you to ensure that you avoid throwing out a faulty candle. You can make wax melts from scented candles that refuse to burn.

In other circumstances, it becomes hard for you to accept that your favorite scented candle won’t burn anymore because it’s worn out.  Maybe it took you a long time to find that specific aroma, and not knowing where and when you’ll find it next makes it even more difficult for you to throw away the old candle. The remains of your used up scented candles can make perfect wax melts for use in your home.

Fortunately, turning those scented candles that won’t burn and candle remains into wax melts requires no expertise. The internet is filled with tutorials of how you can do this in the comfort of your home; therefore, you need to take advantage of that.

The shape and size of your melts depend entirely on you, so feel free to experiment. In this article, you get to learn a simple but effective procedure you can use to make wax melts from scented candles.

Here is how you can turn your scented candles into wax melts;

  • The first thing you need to do is assemble your equipment. For an easy procedure, collect your candle, a boiling pot/pan, some water, and an appropriate silicone mold tray.
  • After assembling your items, put some water into the pot and place it on some heat.
  • Once the water boils, place your candle in it, making sure that the candle is in a heatproof vessel.
  • When the candle melts completely, take it out from the heat and pour the wax onto the silicone mold.
  • After pouring the wax onto the mold, leave it to cool and only pop the melts out once you are sure they have completely cooled.
  • Enjoy your wax melts.

When removing the candle wax from the pot, make sure you wear gloves or use a towel to avoid burning yourself.

Read our full review on Best Wax Melts.

Comparing Scented Candles and Wax Melts

Using your scented candles as wax melts offer more benefits. In case all your candles are burning properly, and you’re not unhappy that your favorite scented candle is used up and can’t burn anymore, you might consider trying using candles as wax melts for the following reasons;

  1. You Can Control the Intensity of the Fragrance

For starters, with wax melts, you can control the intensity of the fragrance. Not everyone enjoys strong fragrances, and with scented candles, the aroma emitted is usually strong and difficult to control.

With wax melts, you can choose to use small pieces in your melter or warmer, thus, controlling the aroma released. You can also easily blend wax melts to produce new aromas.

  1. They Don’t Produce Soot

Secondly, wax melts, unlike candles, do not produce soot. Regardless of the nice fragrances your scented candles produce, you are always cautious about where you place them to avoid staining surfaces, your curtains, or ceilings with soot. With wax melts, you won’t have to worry about staining because wax melts do not produce any soot.

  1. They Are Convenient

Lastly, wax melts are convenient. You cannot use candles conveniently anywhere you like because of the soot that might affect the people near you. With wax melts, you can use them anywhere conveniently, even in the workplace, and the best part is that you can easily transport wax warmers. Additionally, if you are a cautious parent or guardian, worried about your small child being around a flame, wax melts would work well for you.

Read more bout Candle Warmer Vs. Burning Candle, What’s the Difference?

Using Leftover Candles in a Wax Warmer

You might find yourself in a situation where you do not want to throw away your leftover candles, but you also don’t feel like making wax melts. Is it advisable for you to put a candle into a wax warmer?

The answer is No. It isn’t advisable for you to use leftover candles in a wax warmer, because warmers are not designed to melt such amounts of wax. Wax melts better in a warmer when broken down into smaller pieces, and that is why you should melt your candle and make wax melts, which you can then comfortably use in your wax warmer.

How Long Do Wax Melts Made From Scented Candles Last?

Just like you do with the wax melts you purchase; you need to change the wax melts you make from scented candles. Change the wax melts depending on the warmer you are using. If you use one that heats wax melt intensely, you will need to change the melts sooner as compared to someone who uses a wax warmer that melts wax melts at a cooler temperature.

Storage is also key in determining the amount of time it will take before you change wax melts. To avoid changing wax melts too soon, store them in a dark and cool place. Additionally, if you decide to make wax melts from candles repeatedly, always remember to store the new ones behind the old ones.

Read more about How Long Does Candle Warmer Scent Last?

Some Final Thoughts

Investing in items that make your house smell lovely is important because nice fragrances not only help eradicate bad smells but they’re also therapeutic. Nonetheless, considering the fact that (wo)man is to err, means that not all items work as guaranteed. Getting upset because a shop attendant sold you a candle that won’t burn is normal, but what can you do if you can’t get a refund or if the attendant can’t change the item?

Many times, the person that sells you a faulty item is rarely at fault. He or she simply received products from suppliers to sell them to consumers. Therefore, instead of throwing out that defective candle, you can make wax melts, since you now have the necessary information.

Just keep in mind that if you melt you candle the wrong way, you might end up ruining it, rather than making it better. For instance, if you place your candle in the boiling pot/pan, and yet the candle is in a container that is not heat resistant, you might end up losing the candle and ruining your boiling container all at once. 

If you follow the right procedure you might make yourself enough wax melts to last you a long time.

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Grace Young

I love candles! I have personally tried over 100 brands of candles. The total burn time of these candles is over 5000 hours. I also talk about essential oil diffusers and reed diffusers. Essential oil diffusers and diffusers are also an important part of the scent in my home.

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