It’s time for a showdown!
This week I’ve had a little playabout with wax melts. I know, I know, these aren’t new. Wax melts have been around for ages, but truth be told, I’ve never thought much of them. Whilst the hubster is a big fan of smelly candles, and we visit IKEA often enough to top up our stash, candles were always our go-to smelly.
That’s now changed.
I’ve been converted. I’m now a wax melt girl. *Updates Twitter Bio so everyone knows*
I was asked to try some new scents from a company called Bolsius, founded in the 1800s can you believe! I was sent a burner, pack of tealights and then two packets of wax melts from their new aromatic range. Although they might have made a name for themselves through church candles during wartime, I wanted to try their scents rather than anything too perfumey. I chose Mango, and Cranberry.
First impressions?
Oh. My. Gaaaaawd. They smell good. They smell SO good in fact that my little girl tried to eat the Mango ones since it’s one of her favourite foods.
How well do they work?
It’s advised that you use two wax melts for each burn. The packet actually recommended mixing aromas for custom scents but I was just dying to try that Mango in all of its fruity glory. With the 2x Mango melts added to the top of the burner, a tealight was lit underneath and we waited.
(I say waited, it was quite difficult to convince Luna that this candle was not for blowing out, although she did sing me Happy Birthday 6 times so it was worth it.)
The melts liquified loads quicker than I was expecting, and was completely melted in just over 15 minutes. The below shows pictures taken in a 20 minute period.
How long does it last?
So with the first go, the wax melt was lit for around 5 hours and the wax still hadn’t gone down! According to the packet, you shouldn’t let it stay lit for more than 100 hours! And y’know what, if the tealight underneath was everlasting, I’ve absolutely no doubt that the melts would last that long, so in terms of value for money, it’s an absolute bargain. And not only that, but they’re potent. I utterly hate spending a tenner on a good candle, thinking it will rock your world following a sniffing-fest in the shopping aisles, only to take it home, light it, and find out that I may as well have stuck my head in the tumble dryer for a nicer fragrance. We’ve all been there.
We’ve been lighting the wax melts after getting home from work, and they burn right up until we go to bed. It’s been a full week and the first pair of melts we’ve used are still going strong.
How do you clean it?
Easy. Wait until the wax is fully solidified again and push down to pop it out of the burner. Not even any force needed. It was easy as pie. Great if you want to change up your scent, and you can just reuse the hardened melt another day.
Scents
Well the Mango has been going so well, I’ve not yet lit the Cranberry! I could smell it through the pack though and it’s just amazing. There are also Lavender and Magnolia offerings to the latest range. Not my personal type, but if the fragrance is as powerful as the ones I’ve tried and you like these ‘flavour’s normally, go go go. Give them a try. I’ve got my nose set on the Baked Apple and then Sugar and Spice because I reckon by the time my current stash runs out, I’ll be needing Winter vibes!
Final Thoughts
- Make sure you keep wax burners out of reach of children. Yes, Luna was my helper and it was all very cute as she blew out the candles. BUT this was under strict supervision. The burner did become very hot – it’s a live flame after all.
- On that note, I did notice that the burner became hot to the touch after the wax had fully melted. It shouldn’t affect the surface it’s on, but if you think you’ll want to move it around the home whilst lit, place it on a nice little plate to protect your worktops and your hands from burning.
- I think they’re the most perfect thing if you’re selling your house. We’ve been to a few open days recently as we start to house hunt and they nearly always have candles burning. I have a coffee candle which is my absolute favourite, but they don’t make them anymore so I barely light it! (Anyone else have “show” candles?). A burner would keep the room smelling sweet all day.
- Verdict = EXCELLENT. I was really really surprised. I do want to experiment with other scents and am aware that there are wax melt subscription services I should be trying. If there are any at the top of your list, let me know!
