How to Make: Candle Wax Melts

Learn how to make candle wax melts with this simple 3-ingredient recipe. Use these homemade candle melts in a wax warmer to cozy up the home and add a lovely scent.

Making your own homemade candle melts is so easy to do, and they smell wonderful! In this note, we will show you how to make candle wax melts using several different blends of essential oils so you can get the scent that fits your mood.

Now that we have little ones running around, we totally see the draw of these. We remember our mom was really into candle melts when we was little. It makes sense that all moms would love these, same great smell of a candle, without the fire hazard.

Several of our readers have asked for a recipe for these, and we am glad to share this one because it is so simple. It’s similar to our beeswax candles recipe, just on a smaller scale and without a wick, of course.

And if you would rather have the wick and the flame, all of our DIY candle recipes are in one post.

Why You’ll Love This DIY

Great alternative to candles: We already told you we love wax melts because they provide the same benefits as candles without the fire hazard! Wax melts are also so much easier than a candle; we just turn on the wax warmer and our home is cozy and beautifully scented.
Uses simple ingredients: We love that these wax melts use just 3 ingredients: beeswax, coconut oil, and essential oils. Simple, easy-to-find ingredients are always our preference in our recipes. If you regularly make DIY beauty and home products, you may even already have these ingredients on hand!
Make lovely gifts: Homemade gifts are always a hit for birthdays and Christmas. These wax melts are a beautiful gift that can be customized for your recipient and paired with a wax warmer if they don’t already have one.
Custom fragrance: It’s always exciting to make your own scented products because you can choose the exact scent you love. We always have fun experimenting with essential oil blends in our DIY room sprays, homemade perfumes, candles, and wax melts!

Materials Needed

Wax melt ingredients: beeswax, coconut oil, and essential oil.

Beeswax: Beeswax is a natural wax with a delicate honey scent. You can use yellow beeswax or white beeswax for the recipe; it mainly comes down to which color you prefer. Soy wax can also be used.
Coconut oil: Coconut oil is optional in this recipe, but it will make the wax melts smoother and allow them to melt more quickly. Be sure to use regular virgin coconut oil, not fractionated coconut oil.
Essential oils: Using essential oils to add natural fragrance to these wax melts gives them a calming, delicate scent and somearomatherapeutic benefits. Keep reading for some essential oil blend ideas or for an easy option, use lavender oil.
Silicone molds: Any silicone molds will work for this, even silicone ice cube trays. We do recommend using something silicone, though, as it makes it easy to pop them out of the mold. You can get creative with these and buy them in fun shapes if you want! Once you have the molds, you can use them again for homemade lotion bars, sugar scrub bars, and more.
Wax warmer: Once your wax melts are made, you’ll of course need a way to melt them. You can use an electric countertop wax warmer, a plugin warmer, or a tea light warmer (you can even make your own with a mason jar). Whatever you use, be sure it is heat resistant and sturdy so you don’t have to worry about hot wax spilling.

Essential Oil Blend Suggestions

Calming

10 drops lavender essential oil
10 drops roman chamomileessential oil
5 drops vetiver essential oil
5 drops wild orange essential oil

Citrus

10 drops lemon essential oil
10 drops wild orange essential oil
5 drops bergamot essential oil
5 drops tangerine essential oil

Floral

10 drops lavender essential oil
10 drops ylang ylang essential oil
5 drops geranium essential oil
5 drops cypress essential oil

Scents of Fall

10 drops cinnamon essential oil
10 drops wild orange essential oil
5 drops clove essential oil
5 drops cardamom essential oil

Or, try one of our other favorite fall essential oil blends.

Christmas Scented

10 drops white fir essential oil
10 drops cinnamon essential oil
5 drops peppermint essential oil
5 drops grapefruit essential oil

You may also like one of our Christmas diffuser blends!

How to Make Candle Wax Melts

the studio placing a bowl of wax on top of a boiling pot of water to create a double boiler.

Step 1. Add the beeswax and coconut oil to a double boiler or a glass bowl set atop a pot of boiling water. Melt the ingredients over medium-high heat.

Adding essential oils to the melted wax mixture.

Step 2. Remove the mixture from the heat and allow it to cool slightly. Then, add the essential oils and mix.

Pouring melted wax mixture into silicone molds.

Step 3. Pour the wax mixture into silicone molds then allow them to cool and harden.

Removing the cooled wax melts from the silicone mold.

Step 4. Once the wax melts have cooled completely, remove them from the silicone molds. Store them in an airtight container until ready for use.

How to Use Wax Melts

Place 1-3 homemade wax melts in your candle warmer, depending on the size of the warmer and the room you are trying to scent. They can melt and re-melt them several times before losing the scent.

When the scent has weakened, wipe the candle warmer out and add in new wax melts or add a few extra drops of essential oils to get a couple more uses out of them.

Homemade wax melts in a white electric wax warmer.

Expert Tips

Always use caution when using your wax melts. Hot wax can cause serious burns, so keep it out of reach of children and allow the wax to cool completely before picking up your wax warmer.
Be sure to wipe all of the wax out of your double boiler with a paper towel. Wax will clog up the sink drains. We like to warm it up again so it is liquid, then wipe it out very well.
If you are making your own double boiler with a glass bowl and a pot of water, make sure you are using the right-sized bowl. The bowl should be big enough to sit on the sides of the pot with the bottom submerged about an inch or two in the water.
Feel free to get creative and experiment with different essential oil blends and wax melt shapes. You can even use a white beeswax and add color to give them a fun flair.
You can extend the life of your wax melts by adding a few drops of essential oils to the wax as your scent starts to fade.

Recipe FAQs

What is the best wax for homemade wax melts?

We prefer beeswax, but soy wax is also a great option. You can read more about these options in our journal note looking at beeswax vs. soy wax. We would avoid using coconut wax with this recipe as it will lead to very soft wax melts.

How do we make homemade wax melts smell stronger?

If you want a stronger scent in your wax melts, try adding more essential oils. As they are used, the scent will fade. You can remedy this by adding a few more drops of essential oils to the melted wax.

Can you heat essential oils?

Heating essential oils is not typically recommended as it diminishes their therapeutic benefits. However, wax warmers do not get very hot, just warm enough to melt the wax and release the scent of the essential oils.

That said, be sure to allow the wax to cool slightly before adding your essential oils when making these DIY wax melts.

Can we use an old candle as a wax melt?

Yes! When we get to the bottom of our candles such as our homemade taper candles and vanilla honey scented candles, we like to put the last bit of wax into our wax warmer so it doesn’t go to waste.

Related Recipes

If you tried this Homemade Candle Wax Melts Tutorial or any other tutorial on our website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!

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How to Make Candle Wax Melts

By the studio Ascher Prep: 10 minutes minsCook: 10 minutes minsAdditional Time: 5 minutes minsTotal: 25 minutes mins Servings: 6 melts Homemade wax melts in a white electric wax warmer.

SaveSaved Pin Print Learn how to make candle wax melts with this simple 3-ingredient recipe.

Equipment

Double Boiler
Silicone molds

Ingredients

1 cup beeswax, (5 oz) measured using beeswax pellets
¼ cup coconut oil, (2 oz)
30 drops lavender essential oil

Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Add beeswax and coconut oil to a double boiler. Melt over medium to high heat.
Once all the ingredients are melted, remove from the heat.
Allow it to cool slightly, and then add in essential oils.
Whisk together, then pour into silicone molds.
Let them sit overnight and then pop them out of the molds.
Store in an airtight container.

Video

Notes

Always use caution when using your wax melts. Hot wax can cause serious burns, so keep it out of reach of children and allow the wax to cool completely before moving your wax warmer.
Be sure to wipe all of the wax out of your double boiler with a paper towel. Wax will clog up the sink drains.
Instead of a double boiler, you can use a glass bowl set atop a pot of boiling water.

You can extend the life of your wax melts by adding a few drops of essential oils to the wax as your scent starts to fade.
Adjust the amount of essential oils for your preference. More oils will give a stronger scent.
We've included the complete step-by-step video tutorial and photos in the post above!

Tried this recipe?Mention @our_oily_house or tag #ouroilyhouse!