How to Melt and Reuse the Leftover Wax from Candles (2024)

FAQs

How do you melt and reuse leftover wax from candles? ›

Homemade Wax Melts

It's also the easiest way to reuse old candle wax if you own a warmer. All you have to do is gently heat the leftover wax until it melts. Once the melted wax collects at the bottom of the jar, allow it to cool down to room temperature, then place it in the freezer for a few hours.

Use the Oven

Scrape out as much wax as you can with a butter knife or spoon. Heat the oven to 180 degrees and line a rimmed baking pan with tinfoil or one or two layers of parchment paper. Place the candles upside down on the pan and set the pan in the oven. The wax will melt in about 15 minutes.

Wax melts are reusable up until their smell is gone. You can continuously heat your wax warmer and use the same melts for hours to enjoy their scent. The fragrance will slowly start to fade with use until you can no longer smell it anymore.

Technically, it is possible to melt wax in modern microwave ovens, but this can be dangerous and the end result may not be what you expect, so it is a better idea to avoid this and invest a little more time and money in using the right equipment.

In order to make a new candle, you'll need to melt old wax pieces together. For best results, make sure that your old wax pieces are very similar in scent or color before you begin. Mixing together too many different scents or colors of wax may result in an unpleasant scent or an unattractive color [source: Peterson].

Different from candles, wax melts slowly lose their scent over time, while the wax from candles evaporates. When a wax melt loses its fragrance, it's time to swap it out for a new melt!

Heat Gun or Hair Dryer

This method is useful for melting just a small layer of candle wax to fix certain issues like tunneling or buried wicks. Using a heat gun is best, since this tool give you the most control over temperature and airflow, but in most situations a hair dryer will work just fine.

The hack is beautifully simple: just fill your candles with boiling water (or heat the water once it's in the jar) and watch as the heat melts the wax, causing it to bubble to the top. Then, once the wax has cooled back down, you can simply apply pressure and watch it pop out, for you to reuse however you please.

Wax melts absorb heat slower than traditional candles and therefore are able to release aromas without burning the oils. This gives the wax the ability to continue releasing the fragrance without the scent evaporating quickly. When you burn a candle, the opposite happens.

Can you melt candle wax in a glass jar? ›

Place your mason jar with no lid in the stock pot and add the wax close to the top. As the wax melts, the volume will be reduced, so you can continue to add more wax. Be sure to keep the wax an inch or two below the top of the mason jar so you can pour it easily. Stir the wax as it melts.

How Much Essential Oil for a Candle? While undiluted essential oils may throw a strong scent, you'll need to add quite a bit to soy or beeswax candles. We recommend using 30 to 40 drops of essential oils for a single eight-ounce candle. Remember that soy and beeswax aren't known for their ability to throw scent.

You definitely can remelt your wax to add more fragrance. Wax melts don't evaporate over time, it just changes state. So, you can remelt them as many times as you please. Care that the fragrance might lose over time.

Bath & Body Works currently offers two different formulas of wax for our candles. The main ingredients for all formulas are vegetable wax, paraffin wax, and soy. Our Signature Collection Candles are considered vegetable wax candles. Although soy is an ingredient, our candles are not considered soy candles.

A: You can use any candle that fits the dimensions of the bottom part. There is a slight lip on the bottom part, so if your candle base is larger then the bottom of the warmer it won't sit flat and get all hot and melty.

Candle Day 2022 price

Between the lines: There's a purchase limit of 18 candles, the company said. By the numbers: Bath & Body Works said the sale will feature 150-plus candles including holiday scents like The Perfect Christmas and Fresh Balsam.

Melted wax does not evaporate; only the scent dissipates, so make sure to remove the used wax from your warmer before adding a new cube If using Happy Wax melts, 2-3 wax melts generally yield about 8 hours of fragrance. You are welcome to reuse the wax as many times as you want until the fragrance dissipates.

The amount of wax you're melting also determines the strength of the scent. If you melt a few pieces together, the scent will be stronger and more long-lasting than if you just melted a small piece.

You can use wax melts multiple times for as long as they give out fragrance. If you notice that the wax is no longer giving out any scent, it's time to replace them. Scent Sational Wax Melts typically last long, so you can burn them two to three times easily for shorter durations.

If you're trying to melt old candle wax in its original jar, you can do so by carefully placing the jar in hot water inside a double boiler. Avoid letting the water get into the jar. You can also melt wax in a glass jar in the microwave as long as the jar is made of a heat-safe glass, such as Pyrex.

What happens if you heat candle wax? ›

The heat of the flame vaporizes the liquid wax (turns it into a hot gas), and starts to break down the hydrocarbons into molecules of hydrogen and carbon. These vaporized molecules are drawn up into the flame, where they react with oxygen from the air to create heat, light, water vapor (H₂O) and carbon dioxide (CO₂).

The wax vapour combines with oxygen, and burns. Wax is the most important ingredient that makes a candle burn faster. Soft wax has a higher oil content and lower melt temperature; therefore, it burns faster. Typically, candles in jars have soft wax, and pillar candles have hard wax.

Soy wax is best for container candles and tealights, but it's also popular for making wax melts and tarts.

But first, you'll need to remove the wax from your container. You'll know it's time to say goodbye to a candle when 1/2-inch of wax remains at the bottom of the jar. Burning a candle past this point can damage the container or even the surface it's sitting on.

Wax melts are traditionally heated using a wax burner. Unlike candles, there's no naked flame to contend with, thus eliminating any potential hazards to your home or little hands unwittingly getting burned. As wax melts are flame free, they are much safer to use than a burning candle.

Wax melts are safer, healthier, more eco-friendly, cheaper, last longer, have more fragrance, and are more convenient than candles.

Wax Melts Are Cheaper Than Candles. With wax melts you get almost 5x the burn time per ounce that you do with a normal candle (see above image).

The temperature needed to melt this substance is not high enough to kill these germs. So, the wax you use at home can be re-used a few times, but only for one person. If you have multiple people in your household who are all waxing, it makes sense for each to keep their supply separate.

Hard wax is the only kind of wax that salons can re-use. Hard wax is usually yellow or green in color and does not require the use of strips. Because hard wax must be applied in a thick layer and is typically applied at least twice in order to remove all the hair, certain salons re-use it to save money.

You can reheat the hard wax beads and use them at a later date, but only if you keep them clean. You can also reheat the wax as often as you want, but keep in mind that, for hard waxes, the process takes from 30 to 40 minutes.

How many times can you reheat scented wax? ›

Melted wax does not evaporate; only the scent dissipates, so make sure to remove the used wax from your warmer before adding a new cube If using Happy Wax melts, 2-3 wax melts generally yield about 8 hours of fragrance. You are welcome to reuse the wax as many times as you want until the fragrance dissipates.

You definitely can remelt your wax to add more fragrance. Wax melts don't evaporate over time, it just changes state. So, you can remelt them as many times as you please. Care that the fragrance might lose over time.

The simple answer is yes. The best thing to do is melt down the remaining wax and pour it into a smaller votive—et voilà, you have yourself a new candle. Make sure you combine all the same type of wax (beeswax, paraffin, or soy).

Depending your comfort level, if little hair is left behind, you may reapply hard wax up to 3 times in the same waxed area. You can also use hard wax over hard wax to remove any remaining hair.

We recommend pulling only once on your underarms/arms and a maximum of twice on your legs. If you wax one area and have hair left, move onto another to let that one rest, then come back and try again. For armpits, try a smaller wax strip.

Stove method: Warm a small bit of water in a medium-sized pot, and then place a smaller pot within the water and place your wax in the smaller pan. This is a great way to enjoy the aroma without a burner or warmer still.

While a microwave is the quickest way to melt hard wax beans, it doesn't provide a lot of residual heat to keep them at the ideal temperature and consistency. Stick the wax in the microwave in 10-second increments until it is once again warm with a thick, honey-like consistency.