Herb Candle Wax Melts: Non Toxic Wax Melts Recipe (2024)

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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.

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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:

  1. Carefully fill each mold cavity with water, avoiding overflow into other cavities.
  2. Pour the water into a liquid measuring cup.
  3. 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.

  1. Make sure to accurately measure your fragrance choice for the best fragrance load.
  2. Thoroughly stir your fragrance into the wax for a full 2 minutes.
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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!

Herb Candle Wax Melts: Non Toxic Wax Melts Recipe (4)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:

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?

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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

  1. 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.
  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. 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 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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Herb Candle Wax Melts: Non Toxic Wax Melts Recipe (10)

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.

Herb Candle Wax Melts: Non Toxic Wax Melts Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How to make your own non-toxic wax melts? ›

Directions
  1. Add sunflower oil and carnauba wax to a double boiler over medium to high heat.
  2. Once fully melted together, remove from heat and let cool for a couple of minutes.
  3. Add essential oils and stir well.
  4. Pour into molds of choice.
  5. Allow to fully cool, then pop out of molds.
Mar 22, 2024

Can you use dried herbs in wax melts? ›

Botanical wax melts are beautiful to look at and so fun to make! A botanical wax melt is simply a regular wax melt that is decorated with dried herbs and flowers. These are sprinkled on top of the wax when it's setting up, allowing the petals to stick in the wax.

Are homemade wax melts safe? ›

Common types of wax used include soy, paraffin, and vegetable-based waxes, but we would always recommend you only choose wax melts that contain natural wax, like Soy Wax or Coconut and Rapeseed wax, as these are much better for your health.

What to avoid in wax melts? ›

Picking the Wrong Wax

Another common wax melt mistake to avoid is using the wrong type. For instance, it's ideal to avoid paraffin wax, as it's known to emit hazardous substances such as black soot and toxic pollution. Instead, use beeswax, soy, and coconut to keep everyone safe around the wax and scent.

Can you put spices in wax melts? ›

Once your mixture is fully melted, you can then add in any essential oils, flavoring & spices. I first added some cinnamon & ground cloves. Then, I used my LorAnn Natural Oils in orange and lemon flavor. They are super concentrated and smell really nice.

Can you put dried lavender in wax melts? ›

After adding the essential oil carefully pour the wax into each cavity of the heart-shaped silicone mold. Let them cool for a few minutes in the mold before sprinkling with 1 to 2 teaspoons of dried lavender buds. Allow these DIY lavender candle melts to cure for 24 hours.

Can you infuse wax with herbs? ›

To scent a candle, herb plants can be finely chopped or crushed to help release their fragrance. Some candle makers prefer to steep the chopped herbs in the hot wax for a period of time to allow the fragrance to be incorporated into the wax. The wax is then strained before making the candle.

Can I add fragrance oil to wax melts? ›

If you want to add a wax dye to your melts, then you should do that here. Otherwise, you're ready to add the oils. When the wax has cooled slightly but is still not solidifying, add your chosen essential oil, fragrance oil or blend and stir well.

What is the best natural wax for wax melts? ›

What is the best wax for wax melts?
  1. Soy wax. Soy wax is a popular option because it is 100% natural (derived from soybeans), which makes it biodegradable and eco-friendly. ...
  2. Beeswax. ...
  3. Coconut wax. ...
  4. Palm wax. ...
  5. Gel wax. ...
  6. Paraffin wax.

Is it cheaper to make your own wax melts? ›

Making your own scented wax melts is a great way to make the house smell fresh! It should save you money and prevent you from having to buy those expensive store ones (which are also not healthy). These are all natural & non-toxic.

What makes wax melts toxic? ›

When it comes to paraffin wax candles or wax melts, they release chemicals like benzene and toluene, which are not safe for human consumption. Parrafin comes from petroleum oil, which is used to make gasoline. This is why paraffin wax is considered toxic, but not all wax melts are made of this material.

What is the most eco-friendly wax for wax melts? ›

What is the most eco-friendly wax for wax melts? Soy and beeswax are popular choices for eco-friendly wax melts. They are renewable, biodegradable, and have a lower environmental impact compared to synthetic waxes.

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