How to Make Wax Melts

Wax melts are a simple, fun way to fill your space with scent without the hassle of candles. Here’s how to make your own! This recipe uses 1 lb of wax to yield 6 standard clamshells.

What You’ll Need:

• Wax: 1 lb of wax—I recommend American Soy Organics’ Freedom Melt Wax for this project—it melts evenly and holds fragrance well. I love this brand and it’s the only soy wax I’ve ever used. 
• Clamshells or molds: Clamshells are easy for beginners (you’ll fill 6 standard clamshells); molds work if you’re feeling fancy. For this tutorial, we are using clamshells and little heart-shaped molds (one pound of wax made 4 clamshells and two sets of the heart shaped molds). If you don’t have either, you could use mini-muffin tins, even ice cube trays.
• Fragrance oil: Pick your favorite fragrance oil— 10% fragrance oil is a good amount, or 1.6 oz per pound of wax. For this tutorial I am using Plant Guru’s Frankincense & Myrrh fragrance oil. 
• Dye (optional): A few drops of liquid dye or dye blocks or chips if you want some color (follow the manufacturer’s recommendation on amount to use & know that a little goes a long way). For this tutorial, I’m using Golden Yellow dye chips by Bramble Berry.
• Double boiler: For melting the wax. I use a standard wax pot and an old soup pot. You only need to have enough water for the bottom quarter to be submerged. Simmer on low, don’t let it come to a roiling boil, or you risk overheating your wax. I’ve never melted wax in a microwave, so I can’t reccommend it, but I know it’s a common practice. 
• Thermometer: To keep an eye on the temp. It’s important to not overheat the wax, fragrance oil, or dye. Keep an eye on the temperature. I use a basic digital thermometer for this.
• Stirring utensil: A wooden spoon or heat-safe spatula works.
• Digital scale: To get the right ratio of fragrance oil to wax, measuring it is the best way. 10% is the reccommended amount of oil to wax; 12% would be the maximum.