Some wax melts melting in a burner

The Reasons Why Your Wax Melt Is Spitting And Popping.

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Wax melts are a big thing right now, so many people are filling their homes with wonderful scents and aromas.

With this there has been a spring of start up cottage businesses that have taken advantage of the situation. There are so many suppliers of wax melts it can often be overwhelming searching for some.

Now that wax melts are so popular, it seems that so many people have questions about using them. One question I hear from time to time is

Why is my wax melt spitting at me?

So in this article I will be detailing all of the reasons that you may find your wax melt is spitting and popping and what you can do about it.

Some wax melts melting in a burner
Some users of wax melts have reported them spitting and popping, below are the reasons why.

Why do wax melts spit?

First off I am going to give you the quick answer before going into a bit more detail and ways that you can sort out this problem.

So why do wax melts sometimes spit? Well actually wax melts should not spit at all. If you find that your wax melt is spitting the chances are that moisture has gotten into the melted wax. Hot wax and water certainly do not mix and this can cause spitting and popping, which in turn can make a mess or cause burns.

So that is the quick answer and also the main cause of spitting wax melts. There are a couple of other reasons that are less common but worth a mention below.

Other reasons a wax melt spits and pops.

A photo of some water bubbles spitting in melted wax
Tiny bubbles of water trapped in the melted wax will cause it to spit and pop when warm.

Here are some of the other reasons a wax melt may spit when placed into a burner.

  • Essential oils – Personally I do not believe essential oils have a place in wax melts, they can be dangerous for our pets. Also some are known to cause spitting as they react with the heat and melted wax.
  • Unreliable wax melts – Some sellers of wax melts are not very careful when producing their products. They use cheap waxes, fragrance oils and do not take enough care when making the melts allowing water to get in the process. Always buy you melts from a source that has good ratings.
  • The wrong types of wax being used for the wax melt. I have always found that the best wax to use in wax melts is soy wax.

How to stop your wax melts from spitting.

As I mentioned above the most common reason for a spitting wax melt is moisture being present in the melted wax.

As the melted wax floats on the moisture the moisture is trapped at the bottom closest to the heat. Eventually when it gets too hot the water expands and floats to the top.

This causes a bubble which pops when it reaches the surface and just like a bubble popping it spits some of the melted wax around the burner.

It happens on a tiny scale bit you will hear and see the spitting and popping which may be quite alarming.

The best way to make sure this does not happen is to:

  • Make sure that when you wash out your old wax from the burner that it is fully dried before adding a new piece of wax melt.
  • Store your wax melts in a cool, dry and shaded area to stop moisture build up.
  • Buy wax melts from a reputable source. If you want some inspiration check out these ones on Amazon, they smell absolutely divine.

I have also heard people mentioning that their wax melts smoke as well as spit. I have written an article about wax melts smoking here for anyone interested in the reasons.

Final thoughts.

It actually quite rare for wax melts to start spitting but it does happen.

I myself have had the exact same problem when I first started using it. Guess what, it happened after I cleaned the wax dish out and put in a new melt.

I didn’t realise that water made such a big impact to my little wax burner. Since then I have been very careful about cleaning it out.

Since that light bulb moment I have not had any melts that have spit or popped and to be extra careful I keep my melts in packaging at the back of a dark cupboard just to make sure they stay nice and dry.

I hope this article had helped you in some way and I would love to read your comments below.

Andrew Scents and Aroma
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