The wax melt industry is at an all time high as so many people have started at home businesses during worldwide lockdowns. With this there are many who have questions as they strive to make their wax melts the best out there.
One such question that I hear regularly from people who are new to making wax melts and tarts is:
“Do wax melts need to cure?”
As I am sure many of you are aware scented candles need time to cure but is it the same for wax melts and tarts?
Well this helpful guide is going to give you all of the information that you need to get your wax melts and business off to a flying start!
So without further ado let’s get into this.
Do wax melts need to cure?
Let’s start of with the basic question.
Do wax melts need to cure? As hard as it is to leave your fresh wax melts alone, it is an important step in the process to let them cure. Allowing them time to cure will guarantee that the fragrance oil is dispersed evenly throughout the wax and you will then get the best possible scent throw from your wax melt.
It really is an important step as well especially if you are planning to sell your wax melts as a business venture.
I have tested my own wax melts before, one melt was freshly made and the the second one had cured and the difference was astounding.
The cured wax melt had a much deeper scent to it and the wax melt lasted longer before it lost its aroma.
By the way, if you would like to know how long wax melts should last and how to keep them fresher for longer check out this guide that I wrote.
How long should you cure wax melts for?
We now know that you will get the best possible scent throw from your wax melts if you allow them to cure.
However what is the ideal amount of time that you should leave them curing for?
Well the answer to that question is dependant on the type of wax that you have used to make your wax melts. Each type of wax has a different structure and properties.
Here is a list of the curing times for the most popular wax types used in making wax melts.
- Paraffin wax: wax melt curing time 2-3 days.
- Soy wax: wax melt curing time 10-14 days.
- Soy wax blend: wax melt curing time 7-10 days.
- Beeswax: wax melt curing time 7-10 days.
I know it seems like torture having to let your fresh wax melts cure for such long periods of time but trust me it will be totally worth it.
What happens to wax melts when they cure?
The curing of a wax melt is a two part process that runs concurrently.
One half of the curing process is hardening the wax. Vegetable waxes take much longer than synthetic waxes such as paraffin.
In actual fact Soy wax carries on hardening forever but 10-14 days is perfect for our intended purpose.
The second stage of the curing process is where the fragrance oil or essential oil actually binds to the candle wax.
Many people believe that by simply blending the two together in the liquid stage is enough to bind them but unfortunately that is not true. Depending on which was has been used it can actually take up to 2 weeks for the wax and fragrance to fully bind.
How to cure wax melts.
The process of curing your wax melts could not be anymore straightforward.
Once you have made your batch of wax melts you just need to store them away for the specified period of time mentioned above which is dependent on the type of wax you used.
One thing I will mention though is that if you are storing your melts in containers to cure do not store a mixture of scents together.
Only keep the same scents together of you will suffer from scent leaching. This basically means that you wax melts will take on some of the scent from other wax melts that they are in close contact with.
When I first started I made this exact same mistake. I ended up with Pina Colada scented wax melts with a hint of Jasmin. It was not a very nice combination!
Final thoughts on curing wax melts.
Hopefully after reading this article you will have realised the importance of curing your wax melts. If not just give it a try with your next batch and test your standard melts against your cured melts and see the difference for yourself.
I really hope that you have enjoyed reading.
I started Scents and Aroma as a way to share my knowledge from owning a candle, wax melt, diffuser and bath bomb business so that you can make your home smell lovely too.
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