National Stress Awareness Month
April 1, 2023
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In our blog today, we will discuss all things about wax melt burners! From our frequently asked questions to tips and tricks to help get the most out of your wax melts in your wax melt burner! But first, let’s get to the basics;
Wax melts are small pieces of wax that come in all sorts of shapes, colours, and sizes. They contain fragrance oil, which is released when the wax melts in a wax burner. There are no rules with wax melt fragrances! You can mix and match scents with wax melts, allowing you to create your own custom fragrance.
All of our wax melts at Kerry Bennett Candles are made from high-quality soy wax and made from premium fragrance oils. They are made to be long-lasting (saving you money) and highly scented. We don’t use dyes in any of our products to give you that luxury look and feel and all of our wax melts are infused with natural and biodegradable dried botanicals. Our dried botanicals consist of 100% natural dried flower petals. Therefore, the dried botanicals you may receive in your product may differ from the product images. This is so we can offer natural seasonal flower petals with no artificial colours, preservatives or bleaching agents. We utilise other British businesses and source all of our materials from the UK.
A wax burner, also known as a wax warmer or a wax melter is a device that warms and melts wax to emit fragrance into the room. There are multiple types of wax warmers from tealight to plugin and electric. Some people prefer these to candles due to being more cost-effective and can be safer due to not having open flames.
There are two types of wax warmers: tealight and electric.
Tealight wax melt burners have a dish on top where you can place your wax melts. Then at the bottom, there is an opening for your tea light candle. As the flame from the tealight heats the dish above, the wax will melt and release fragrance into the air. Due to the use of tealights, these types of wax melt burners have an open flame similar to a candle so people with pets and small children should take care. Our pretty cut-out wax burners have a detachable ceramic base with a wood-effect finish so your tealight is hidden in the base, perfect if around children or pets!
You should only use unscented, 4-hour tealights in tealight wax burners and you will need to change them regularly. As a result, the costs of running one can add up. Using 8-hour tealights in an unsuitable wax burner can be a fire risk and is not recommended as the warmer can get too hot, crack and even explode. Some cheaper tealight wax melt burners will not be great at maximising scents from wax melts as they are incorrectly sold as wax burners when they are actually manufactured specifically for burning oils. This is the main reason we do not sell them as at Kerry Bennett Candles, we are all about quality!
An electric wax melt burner uses a heating element or a light bulb instead of a tealight to heat up wax melts. You can get electric wax burners that plug into an electrical socket in the wall – but again, these aren’t suitable if you have pets or small children unless you have a socket that’s out of reach. They run off of a bulb and the wattages will differ from brand to brand. The bulbs eventually will run out and need replacing.
Electric wax burners with heating plates, on the other hand, are often plugged into an electrical outlet and have an on/off switch on the lead.
If your wax burner is smoking, it can cause concern if you are new to the wax-melting world. Oftentimes though, it’s not a cause for alarm. The “smoke” that you see could be vapour emitting from the wax melts as it releases fragrance oil into the air. However, smoke may also be a sign that your wax is too hot or there could be something wrong with your wax warmer.
Either way, it’s crucial to know the possible reasons why your wax burner is smoking and whether or not you have to do something about it.
Both wax melt burners and wax melts do not and should not produce smoke. If your wax warmer is smoking, here are the possible reasons why:
When you place a wax melt on a wax burner, the fragrance oil inside it will evaporate. Hence, wax melt smoke is not really “smoke”, but is rather fragrance oil vapour. You can tell if it’s your wax melt and not the warmer itself producing the vapour if the “smoke” is white.
Vapour is not a cause for alarm. Fragrance vapour does not have any negative effects on human health. So, if you see your wax warmer emitting white smoke, there is no need to worry about it.
Now, if the smoke from your warm warmer is black, you need to extinguish your tea light or turn off your melter immediately. Wax melts smoking black vapour can be an indication that the wax is far too hot.
Black smoke can mean that your wax is burning too hot. Are you using an 8-hour tealight in your tealight wax burner for example? If so, this could be the cause! Exposure to black smoke can cause acute symptoms like headaches, dizziness, and nausea. Moreover, excessively hot wax can damage your wax warmer and may even be a cause of a nasty burn accident.
When this happens, put out your tea light and let the wax cool down to room temperature before relighting it. It also helps to see if the wick on your tea light is too long. If it is, the flame can be too close to the dish and heat it up too quickly. Trim the tea light wick down and see if that fixes the problem.
Paraffin candles are known to produce black smoke while burning, which is the main reason we use soy wax at Kerry Bennett Candles and you can read more about that in our Benefits of Soy Wax Article. So, if you are using a paraffin tealight for your tealight wax burner, the smoke may be coming from your tealight and not the wax itself.
Wax melt burners and wax melts smoking can produce unpleasant odours and release dangerous fumes into the air. To prevent this from happening, here are some tips that you should keep in mind when using your wax warmer:
Whether you’re using a tealight wax burner or an electric wax burner, never leave it on for too long. Otherwise, your wax melts can overheat and produce black smoke. Moreover, your wax melts can lose scent too quickly because the heat is burning the fragrance oil away too fast.
Be especially careful with tealight wax warmers. Even if tealights extinguish themselves after a few hours, the flame still makes for a significant fire hazard. If you’re using a tealight warmer, place it far away from flammable objects and extinguish the tealight before leaving the room. You should only be using 4-hour tealights in most tealight wax burners, so it’s important not to leave it on for longer than 4 hours. Electric wax warmers can stay on for up to 10 hours, but it is still a good idea to switch them off every time you leave the room.
Learn more about candle safety information in our article.
Soy wax melts do not produce black smoke, unlike paraffin wax. It is also worth noting that soy wax has a high melting point, meaning it has a lower chance of overheating compared to other natural waxes.
Dirt and debris in your wax warmer can also contribute to black smoke. Clean your warmer regularly or before every use to prevent your warmer and melts from smoking.
Not all wax melts are made equal. Some may have additives that can contribute to smoke, including paraffin wax. Other brands may also add ingredients that emit toxic fumes when burned.
That said, look for high-quality wax melts that are made from safe and eco-friendly ingredients. At Kerry Bennett Candles, our soy wax melts are long-lasting, durable, and highly fragrant without all the harmful additives.
If you’ve done everything you could and your wax warmer is still managing to produce black smoke, it may be the perfect time to switch to Kerry Bennett Candles. In our extensive collection, you can find high-quality wax melt burners, wax melts with long-lasting fragrances, great-value luxury candles, and so much more!
