Herb Candle Wax Melts Fragrant and Beautiful
I don’t know about you, but I love a fragrant home. I have this ingrained desire to make every room in our home smell amazing. Essential oil diffuser blends pillowing out clouds of aromatherapy into our spaces, herbal linen sachets tucked into drawers, bundles of dried lavender and eucalyptus hanging in our closets, and homemade scented candles wafting rich aromas from the entryway to our dinner table. As if that weren’t enough, I’ve recently rediscovered a love for candle wax melts.
What are candle melts?
Candle wax melts are a small square of scented candle wax that is slowly melted at a very low temperature, typically in a candle warmer. It’s a home fragrance option I loved years ago, before making our home non-toxic. Unfortunately, most commercially produced wax melts are made with paraffin, a by-product of petroleum, and fragrances with parabens and phthalates.
Gratefully, I’ve learned how to make wax melts with essential oils, beeswax, coconut oil, and herbs for a non-toxic wax melts recipe. A by far safer alternative for my family! If this is a home fragrance option you haven’t considered – you’re in luck! I’m going to show you how to not only make non-toxic wax melts but how to make herb candle wax melts that are so darn pretty!!
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Making Herb Candle Wax Melts is Easy
Herb candle wax melts are so easy to make and the results are quite beautiful! The process is similar to making scented beeswax candles, but on a much smaller scale and without the wick of course.
The best part of making wax melts is how unique each little square is when you tuck in dried herbs and flowers. As a close friend of mine once pointed out, I like to make things pretty! I added large calendula flower heads, delicate pink rosehips, a sprinkle of dainty yellow chamomile flowers, and a dash of purple lavender buds.
Some of which I picked and dried from my herb garden. (I shared 3 ways to dry herbs with my garden bath tea recipe.) The choice of herbs and flowers is yours, making these candle wax melts completely customizable.
You could even dry a bouquet of flowers from yours or a friend’s wedding, anniversary, graduation, Mother’s Day, or another special occasion. How gift-worthy would that be? I LOVE creating and giving personalized gifts like that myself!
I wrapped these with bits of ribbon and lace from my mother’s sewing room. She sews and tailored wedding dresses, among other things. I plan to make a special batch of wax melts for my eldest niece (she was born when I was still a teenager) who got hitched just 10 days ago along with clear soap encasing her wedding flowers.
How do you make candle wax melts?
As with any type of candle, it all begins with wax! I choose yellow beeswax pastilles for its soft honey color. You can also use white beeswax if you want more contrast between the herbs and flowers you choose and the wax. You may also substitute for soy wax. I made warming spiced chai candle melts with soy wax.
If you need help choosing candle wax, check out my candle wax guide covering the pros and cons of each type.
The next step is to select a candle wax mold. I have had success using silicone molds from my soap making supplies. I love that they are typically less than $10 bucks and you can use them over and over again! And a great zero waste options are vintage metal baking tins or mini muffin pans.
For this herb candle wax recipe I choose clamshell molds. They are exclusively designed to make wax melts to sell. You can’t beat not having to individually, pop each wax melt out, and then figure out how to store or package them. No matter what option you choose to make candle wax melts, I’ll know they’ll be pretty!
However, if you’re not using a clamshell mold to make wax melts use these steps to figure out how much wax you’ll need:
- Carefully fill each mold cavity with water, avoiding overflow into other cavities.
- Pour the water into a liquid measuring cup.
- Note the ounces and double it for the volume of wax for your recipe.
This certainly isn’t an exact science but it does the trick when you are working with odd molds. To measure wax more accurately check out our candle wax calculator.
Related To: DIY Beeswax Wraps
Related To: Layered Flower Soap Recipe
How do you make wax melts smell stronger?
Everyone wants to know what’s the best type of fragrance oil for wax melts. I happen to have a fondness for both essential oils and natural fragrances. Yet, I’m totally after a strong scent throw! Here are two tips I shared when talking about choosing the best candle scents.
- Make sure to accurately measure your fragrance choice for the best fragrance load.
- Thoroughly stir your fragrance into the wax for a full 2 minutes.
And don’t forget to choose the best candle scents for you? Grab our candle scent list printables in the Simple Living Library and take our fun candle scent quiz to find yours!
Grab all room by room and seasoanl cleaning checklists for spring, summer, fall, and winter in the Life-n-Reflection Resource Library!
I choose this natural fragrance oil for wax melts. It’s phthalate-free and contains bergamot, lavandin, cedarwood, jasmine, sandalwood, and lime essential oils. Together they create a soothing, warm blend with light citrus notes for relaxation or clearing the mind. I’d love to hear what you choose for your candle melts, drop in the comments.
How to Make Homemade Wax Melts
Herb Candle Wax Melt Supplies:
- 1 digital kitchen scale
- 1 candle thermometer
- 3 wax melt clamshell molds
- 1 candle melting pitcher
- 6 ounces beeswax pastilles
- 2 ounces coconut oil
- 3 tablespoons calendula flowers
- 3 teaspoons chamomile flowers
- 1 teaspoon essential oil fragrance blend
- 3 teaspoons rosehips
- 3 teaspoons lavender buds
Candle Wax Melt Instructions:
1. Use a kitchen scale to measure 6 ounces of beeswax pastilles to make 3 wax melt clamshell trays, totaling 18 wax melts altogether. Or use the steps above to find the right amount for your mold.
2. To safely melt wax pour the measured beeswax into a candle melting pitcher. Then place the pitcher inside a large saucepan filled with 2 inches of water. Heat on medium to low heat with a gentle simmer at most, using the double boiler method. Stir often with a heat-resistant silicone whisk or spatula.
3. Remove the pitcher from the heat immediately to prevent the wax from becoming too hot after melting. Then add 2 ounces of coconut oil to the beeswax. Stir to combine and then clip a candle thermometer inside of the pitcher to watch the wax cool 125°F to 120°F.
4. Once cooled, add 1 teaspoon of your candle scent and stir constantly for 2 minutes to thoroughly incorporate.
5. After blending in the scent, carefully pour the wax into each cavity of your mold. Add 1 tablespoon of calendula flowers, 1 teaspoon chamomile flowers, 1 teaspoon rosehip, and 1 teaspoon lavender buds to each clamshell tray. Use a toothpick to carefully place them in the wax. You can pour a thin layer of wax on top to seal the dried herbs and flowers in or allow them to sit on top for a textured appearance like I did.
6. Before using one of these herb candle wax melts, allow each to cure for 24 hours. And make sure to keep clamshell molds open during the curing process.
Want Printable Beeswax Candle Melt Instructions?
Herb Candle Wax Melts
Yield: 18 candle wax melts
Active Time: 5 minutes
Additional Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Herb candle wax melts are so easy to make and the results are quite beautiful!
Materials
- 6 ounces beeswax pastilles
- 2 ounces coconut oil
- 3 tablespoons calendula flowers
- 3 teaspoons chamomile flowers
- 1 teaspoon essential oil fragrance blend
- 3 teaspoons rosehips
- 3 teaspoons lavender buds
Tools
- 1 digital kitchen scale
- 1 candle thermometer
- 3 wax melt clamshell molds
- 1 candle melting pitcher
Instructions
- Use a kitchen scale to measure 2 ounces of beeswax pastilles to make 3 wax melt clamshell trays, totaling 18 wax melts altogether. Or use the steps above to find the right amount for your mold.
- To safely melt wax, pour the measured beeswax into a candle melting pitcher. Then place the pitcher inside a large saucepan filled with 2 inches of water. Heat on medium to low heat with a gentle simmer at most, using the double boiler method. Stir often with a heat-resistant silicone whisk or spatula.
- Remove the pitcher from the heat immediately to prevent the wax from becoming too hot after melting. Clip a candle thermometer inside of the pitcher to watch the wax cool 125°F to 120°F.
- Once cooled, add 1 teaspoon of your candle scent and stir constantly for 2 minutes to thoroughly incorporate.
- After blending in the scent, carefully pour the wax into each cavity of your mold. Add 1 tablespoon of calendula flowers, 1 teaspoon of chamomile flowers, 1 teaspoon of rosehips, and 1 teaspoon of lavender buds to each clamshell tray. Use a toothpick to carefully place them in the wax. You can pour a thin layer of wax on top to seal the dried herbs and flowers in or allow them to sit on top for a textured appearance like I did.
Notes
Before using one of these herb candle wax melts, allow each to cure for 24 hours. And make sure to keep clamshell molds open during the curing process.
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How long does wax melts last?
A single wax melt will last 20 hours or more with a strong scent in a candle melt warmer. You can place up to 3 wax melts in a warmer, depending on the size of the basin. Each can be melted several times over the course of 20 hours without losing the scent. The candle wax melts have a shelf life of 2 years.
When the scent dissipates, dispose of the wax and clean the warmer basin before melting new candle wax melts. Quick Tip- Place your wax basin in the freezer for an hour then pop out the used wax with a spoon.
How to make wax melts last longer: Warm the wax just until it fills the room with scent, then turn off the warmer. This will allow the wax melt to retain the scent longer.
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Rather you want to be washed with beautiful fragrance when you step into your home or I want to create a unique gift to preserve wedding flowers – these herb candle wax melts are just the thing!
Pin this non-toxic wax melt recipe now and don’t forget to tag #lifenreflection on Instagram to share your simple living ideas.
