Do Wax Melts Evaporate? Facts You Should Know

No, wax melts don't evaporate. Wax melts have also been shown to be less expensive and last longer than a traditional 16-oz. candle. The wax does not evaporate like candles; just the perfume does. You can discard your spent wax and begin a new scent once you can no longer smell the fragrance.

One question we’re frequently asked is ‘do wax melts evaporate?’.

Wax melts are made from wax and fragrance oil. When the wax is heated in your wax melt burner (also see our wax gift sets), the fragrance oil slowly evaporates from the wax, making your home smell beautiful.

Although the fragrance does evaporate from the wax, the wax itself does not evaporate unlike the wax in candles. The reason that the wax in candles disappears is because it is in direct contact with the wick, and the wax is the fuel that keeps the flame alight. Essentially, in wax melts the wax is warmed to slowly release the fragrance, whereas in candles (see our woodwick candles sale) the wax is burnt as a fuel. 

How Often Should You Change Your Wax Melts?

Because they don’t evaporate, we often get asked how frequently wax melts should be changed. 

As a general rule, wax melts should be changed when you can no longer smell them. However, how often this is depends on several factors.

1. Which wax burner you are using. Some wax burners reach higher temperatures than others, which means the fragrance will evaporate quickly, and although the scent may be stronger initially, the fragrance won’t last as long as it would in a wax burner that reaches lower temperatures. The key is to use a wax burner that is at least 10cm tall, and always use standard 3-4 hour, unscented tealights in your wax burner. 
2. Which scent you are using. Some fragrances are naturally stronger than others, and while some scents you may still be able to smell after using 3 standard tealights, some of the more subtle scents may require changing sooner. Some of our strongest scents include Blackcurrant & Agarwood, Unstoppable Blue Fresh, and Lime, Basil & Mandarin.
3. Where you have bought your wax melts from. Sure, you can buy wax melts from poundland or the supermarket for very cheap, however these wax melts contain a very small amount of fragrance and they aren’t designed to last several burns. Our individual heart wax melts provide up to 18 hours of fragrance, that’s up to 54 hours of fragrance per pack for just £2.95!

What Is The Easiest Way To Change Your Wax Melt?

All the scent has evaporated from your wax melt, now what is the easiest way to remove the used wax from your burner I hear you ask!

In our opinion, the easiest way to remove used wax from your burner is to pop a tealight under the solid wax, leave for 2 minutes and the used wax will slide straight off the burner. If you want to remove the wax whilst it is melted, simply drop a few cotton wool balls into the wax pool and it will quickly soak up all the used wax. Now time for a new wax melt or snow fair wax melt bar and make sure to check out our salt lamp wax burner! 

See our guide on are wax melts worth buying.