Quick answer: a wax melt is a small block of fragranced wax with no wick. You place it in the dish of a wax burner, warm it over an unscented tealight or in an electric warmer, and the melting wax releases its scent into the room. Crystal wax melts add one more thing: real gemstone chips set into the bar, which appear in the melt pool as the wax liquefies and can be rinsed and kept once the fragrance has gone.
What is a wax melt?
Think of a wax melt as a candle without the candle. Ordinary candles fragrance a room by burning wax through a wick, and the wax is used up as it burns. A wax melt has no wick. Instead it sits in a shallow dish above a gentle heat source, melts into a pool, and releases fragrance from the surface of that pool. Because nothing burns away, the wax stays in the dish until the scent is finished, and you simply let it set and pop it out.
Most wax melts today come as snap bars: a flat bar scored into cubes so you can break off exactly as much as you want. One cube is usually enough for a small room, two for a larger or busier one.
What makes crystal wax melts different?
Our crystal wax melts are 50g snap bars made by MeltEaze, and each blend is named for the gemstone set inside it. Real chips of that stone are embedded in the wax: Amethyst in the lavender bar, Rose Quartz in the rose, Carnelian in the spiced orange, Black Obsidian in the Dragon's Blood. As the wax melts the chips surface in the pool, and when the fragrance has finally faded you lift them out, rinse them and keep them. Two blends use a namesake stone of the same colour family: Aquamarine Wave contains Blue Chalcedony and Emerald Forest contains Aventurine.
So you get two things from one bar: fragrance for the room now, and a small handful of polished stone chips afterwards. It makes them an unusually good gift for the price.
How to use wax melts, step by step
- Choose a burner. Any tealight wax burner or electric wax warmer works. The dish on top should be clean and dry.
- Snap off a cube. One cube for a gentle scent in a small room, two if the room is large or you want the fragrance to carry.
- Place it in the dish. Never add water, and never put wax directly onto a flame.
- Light an unscented tealight beneath the dish, or switch on your electric warmer. Unscented matters: a scented tealight will fight the melt.
- Let it melt. Within a few minutes the cube softens into a pool and the fragrance begins to build. With a crystal melt, this is when the gemstone chips appear.
- Finish safely. Blow out the tealight when you leave the room. Let the wax cool and set in the dish.
How long does a wax melt last?
Honest answer: it depends on the wax, the burner and the room. A cube keeps releasing scent each time you warm it until the fragrance oils are spent, so you can melt, let it set, and re-melt the same pool over several sessions. When you warm it and notice very little scent, the wax is finished. A 50g bar therefore stretches across many evenings rather than one.
Tealight burner or electric warmer?
A tealight burner is the traditional choice: a ceramic or glass stand with a dish on top and a tealight below. It gives you a little candlelight as well as fragrance, but it is still an open flame, so it needs watching. An electric warmer uses a bulb or heating plate, so there is no flame at all, which makes it the safer option for bedrooms, busy family rooms and anywhere you might drift off. Both work with our melts.
Which blend for which room?
- Kitchens and hallways: Golden Glow (fresh citrus) or Carnelian Fire (spiced orange).
- Bedrooms and wind-down: Amethyst Dream (lavender) or Moonstone Glow (violet).
- Living rooms after dark: Lapis Night (midnight jasmine) or Tigereye Strength (vanilla sandalwood).
- Bathrooms and fresh air: Aquamarine Wave (coastal moss) or Emerald Forest (deep forest).
- Date nights and gifting: Rose Quartz Love (rose) or the bold Obsidian Shield (Dragon's Blood).
Getting the old wax out
Let the dish cool completely so the wax sets hard, then press gently on one edge and the disc usually pops out whole. If it is stubborn, put the cooled dish in the fridge for ten minutes; the wax shrinks slightly and lifts away. With a crystal melt, pick the gemstone chips out of the set wax first, rinse them under warm water and dry them. Wipe the dish with kitchen paper and it is ready for the next cube.
Safety
Use only a purpose-made wax burner or electric warmer on a stable, heat-resistant surface. Never leave a lit tealight unattended, keep burners out of reach of children and pets, and keep the gemstone chips away from small children too. Do not add water to the dish, never move a burner while the wax is liquid, and let everything cool before handling.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a special burner for crystal wax melts? No. Any standard tealight burner or electric warmer works.
Are the gemstone chips really real? Yes. Each bar is set with genuine chips of the stone it is named for, with the two same-colour namesakes noted above.
Can I mix two blends? You can, though it is best to pair scents in the same family, such as Amethyst Dream with Moonstone Glow. Strong blends like Obsidian Shield are happiest on their own.
Are wax melts better than candles? They are different rather than better. We compare them properly in Wax Melts vs Candles, and if you like the idea of a candle you shape yourself, read about candle sand too.
Browse the full range of crystal wax melts, ten blends at 3.50 pounds a bar, or pair one with a recycled glass candle holder for the vessel side of the evening.