Scented candles give flickering candlelight to turn any room into a cozy spot. But wax melts are cost effective and can be warmed without constant supervision. They’re available in the same scents, so which one should you choose for your home? We take a look at the pros and cons of both of these scent options and help you settle the scented candles vs wax melts debate. Find out below which home scent aromatherapy is best for you.
Read more: Home Scents for Stress Relief
Scented candles and wax melts are often made with the same fragrance and wax, but they have some different properties. Wax melts are smaller pieces of wax, melted in a special wax burner piece by piece as they throw scent into the room. When an electric or candle-heated wax melt warmer is turned off, the melted wax in the dish simply hardens again and you can re-melt the same wax for the next use. They can both be made with enzymes to eliminate odors and they both provide aromatherapy and a cleaner-smelling home.
Choose wax melts when you need:
The option to not have an open flame with an electric-powered warmer
Consistent scent throughout
Long lasting fragrance
An economical way to scent your home
But watch out for these downsides of wax melts:
Messier clean up
A burner is needed to use them
Less travel friendly
Less ambiance than candlelight
Read More: Why Do Candle Wicks Need to Be Trimmed?
Scented candles might be a better choice for:
The cozy ambiance of a flame
No clean-up
Providing light in addition to scent
But don’t forget the drawbacks of scented candles:
They are often more expensive
Flames need to be constantly supervised
They create more waste if you don’t reuse tins or jars
Candles give maximum ambiance with minimum clean up in the scented candles vs wax melts debate. Here are a few of our best-selling favorites.
Using premium coconut and apricot enzyme-filled wax, The Kraken’s blend of beach linen and mahogany is crisp, fresh and grounding. Notes of black coral and moss add deeper hints of nature as this candle breaks down musty smells and smoke particles at the molecular level. It reminds us of an upscale hotel lobby or a breezy beachside cottage on laundry day. The Kraken is way more peaceful than its name would suggest.
When restoring balance is the goal, Yin Yang is the answer. A base of bright and uplifting bergamot and lemon blends with soothing lavender for calm and earthy musk and patchouli for steadfast grounding. Destroying old food odors and smoke particles quickly with enzymes, this scented candle brings harmony back to your space when life gets a little chaotic.
All of the scent, but none of the calories! Super High Caramel Pie is a treat for the senses with no baking required. Notes of warm butter and thick, syrupy caramel create the ultimate comforting scent by balancing sweet and salty scents to make your house smell even more like home. This odor eliminating candle breaks down odors in your space and can even remove smoke smells from cigarettes, cannabis, and cigars.
The scent of vacation in a jar. Fresh sea breeze, sweet hints of citrus, and notes of soothing jasmine smell like your favorite beachside vacation spot from the penthouse balcony at night. Freshen your space, get rid of musty odors, or fight smoky smells with this enzyme-based candle ready to restore harmony and calm.
Cost effective, fast at throwing scent, and reusable until they disappear, wax melts in an electric warmer are a great option to avoid open flame. Here are just a few of our most popular wax melt scents.
The classic scent of earthy and floral nag champa, but in a convenient cost effective wax melt form. Quickly filling the room with the powdery, floral scent of exotic frangipani, these simple-to-use wax melts throw scent more effectively than candles. A great choice for a large room, this fast-melting Nag Champa option is ideal for fast relaxation, deeper meditation, focused journaling, and consistently breaking down odors
Whiskey Barrels and Cubans melts are rich and masculine for a luxurious ambiance with a hint of Miami style. This unique scent of aged oak whiskey barrels and earthy cuban tobacco leaf is grounding and promotes calm while enzymes quickly break down smoke and odor particles in the air, removing bad smells completely.
Fresh coconut, bright pineapple, and a splash of rich rum. Caribbean Island Party melts are not shy about transforming your space into an overdue staycation. Put on your favorite tunes and dance or finally sit down to read that good book. The scent of these ultra-relaxing wax melts encourages your fun side to come out and puts your worries on hold.
Luxury hotel meets fresh laundry day. Lux linen smells like you’ve got it all together, even if you don’t. Crisp, clean, and uplifting, the fresh smell of new linens promotes focus and mental clarity. Using enzymes to break down stubborn smoke, food, and bathroom odors at the molecular level, these wax melts can scent a large room quickly and conveniently without any wasted wax.
Not sure which scents to choose for your wax melts or candles? This handy guide breaks down the basics:
Relaxing and better sleep: Lavender, chamomile, rose, and vanilla.
Uplifting mood and energizing: Citrus, rosemary, bergamot, and lemongrass.
Focus and clarity: Mint, eucalyptus, cinnamon, and patchouli.
Spiritual and energetic cleansing: Frankincense, sandalwood, sage, and palo santo.
Coastal and vacation vibes: Ocean spray, coconut, tropical fruits, and jasmine.
Clean and fresh: Linen, citrus, juniper, and fresh laundry.
Outdoorsy: Cedar, evergreens, moss, and berries.
There is no winner in the scented candles vs wax melts debate. The answer fully depends on your space and needs. Wax melts are more cost effective with less waste and can throw scent into large rooms. Scented candles provide the flickering candlelight most of us want for a cozy, comforting night in. So why not get the best of both worlds? When ambiance is key, bring out the candles. For far reaching scents that can’t be constantly watched, let wax melts take over the task. We could never choose between the two, so we keep a wide selection of both on hand. Check out our collections today!
When you use wax melts in an electric warmer, they are completely flameless and can be safer than candles. If your warmer is lit with a tealight candle, it will still need constant supervision.
The burn time of a candle depends on the length and thickness of the wick. If it burns unevenly, wax is wasted. Wax melts do not use a wick and can be warmed over and again until all of the wax is gone.
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