Make your own DIY Wax Melts at home for your wax melts warmer – scent with your favorite essential oil or fragrance oil for holiday gifts!
Candles are perhaps one of my favorite things to gift and receive at the holidays. There’s something about burning a candle that fills the house with the most glorious smell…
My favorite candle that I have ever burned at home is one that was given to me in August for my birthday. It was a Better Homes and Gardens Candle and the scent filled every single room of my house. I can’t remember what the scent was now (several months later) but that candle was given to me as a gift by someone very special to me.
I still can’t wrap my head around the candle because it was exactly what I would have picked out of a wall-full of smells – that one scent. And he picked it… it was spot on, everything I loved.
I wish candles lasted forever..
Unfortunately candles don’t last forever and 5 days later it was completely empty leaving me wishing I had another in its place.
Last winter I picked up liquor bottles from friends and family members and my 10 year old learned how to cut glass bottles (see my post here). We cleaned them out, sanded them down and made liquor candles with various holiday scents.
Though I stopped cutting bottles a few months later, now I look for beautiful scripture mugs at thrift stores around town. Then I make candles for the same person who gave me that candle for my birthday.
(See how that works?!).
Candles are great for calming anxiety and helping to reduce stress.
Can I get an AMEN?!
Now that I’m pouring candles for him, I usually have a little extra fragrance left in the bottle that’s not enough to make into a candle. So I love using the fragrance in wax melts.
While you can use some varieties of soy wax to make wax melts, wax melts are better made with pillar wax as it’s a harder wax and breaks cleaner. I have (and you can) use soy wax flakes from a candle shop/store to make wax melts. However, depending on the variety of wax, the melts may turn out a bit soft.
Case in point with me – the wax flakes I had were a bit too soft. So I created my own wax with coconut oil and beeswax. I then threw in the (weighed out) remainder of the fragrance I had lingering on my shelves.
How to make wax melts for warmers
Wax melts for warmers are popular because it’s easier and in most cases, safer to burn than candles themselves.
Typically found in a clamshell with 6 cubes, wax melts can also be made in a silicone mold (think holiday mold) from either Amazon or your local discount store. I have spotted them at some Dollar Tree locations around town. But depending on the store, silicone molds are not always available.
Wax melts can be made at home quite easily with coconut oil, beeswax and essential oils/fragrance oils.
How much fragrance per clamshell?
I recommend 6 grams of fragrance per clamshell mold so that each individual melt when snapped off has 1 gram of fragrance. Most fragrances have a maximum scent load of 10-12%. Keep that in mind when calculating how much fragrance per clamshell (which holds 2.75 grams of oils).
Using essential oils? Use approximately 30 drops of your favorite single essential oil. Or a combined 30 drops if you are using a combination of oils.
DIY Wax Melts at Home
Equipment
- wax melt clamshells or silicone mold
- glass measuring cup
Ingredients
- 1/2 C coconut oil
- 2 Tbsp beeswax pellets or more, see notes below
- 30 drops essential oil or 6 grams fragrance oil per clamshell (see notes)
Instructions
- Fill a saucepan with 2-3 inches of water.
- In a glass measuring cup, measure your coconut oil and beeswax. Place in the saucepan, taking care not to get any moisture inside the measuring cup.
- Keep the stove at low-medium and allow the beeswax to melt in the oils. When the temperature is 150-160 degrees, remove from the heat and add your fragrance oil (or essential oils).
- Stir to combine thoroughly.
- Pour the scented wax into your clamshells (wax must be under 175 degrees F) and allow to cool.
- Allow your clamshells a few days of resting time before use.
Notes
Have you ever thought of making wax melts yourself using essential oils? Or do you traditionally buy them in the store?
These wax melts make beautiful holiday gifts. Here are some more ideas for handmade holiday gifts:
How to Sew a Wristlet Keychain
Easy Pillow Bed (Pillow Cushion) Sewing Tutorial
This is a great DIY & I made beeswax melts for my friend since she’s allergic to soy & many wax melts are soy-based. I also scented them with a Christmas essential oil blend! a