Many people enjoy either wax melts or candles, but which is better? Wax melts are little bits of scented wax that give off a nice scent when heated up in an electric warmer. Candles are different because they contain flammable liquid, which emits light and smells good. There are many pros to using each one, but one may be better than the other.
1. Safety
As we’ve mentioned already, candles have an open flame which can pose a fire hazard if you’re not careful. However, if you just never leave a lit candle unattended, and as long as you’re careful about having fabrics or other flammable objects near your candle, you shouldn’t have any problems. Candles can also be hazardous if they fall over or get knocked over by pets or children who are in the room with them when they shouldn’t be.
When it comes to wax melts, there isn’t a flame involved at all, which makes them much safer. The way they work is that you set one in your warmer and the wax inside melts and releases the fragrance. There are a lot of hand-made wax melts which is a good way to tell that the ingredients used are completely safe to use by humans. While there’s not much that can happen if they fall over, since they smell nice, it might be a good idea to keep them out of children’s reach, just in case they try to eat them.
While they shouldn’t be poisonous, it’s still best to not let your pets get into them, just in case.
2. Aesthetics
Candles can come in many different colors, shapes, and sizes. You can find anything from small votive candles to big pillar candles which are suitable for centerpieces. There are also tea lights that can be used in a decorative way or for when you need a really strong fragrance in only one area. The only downside is, once they start to melt and the liquid wax is released, they don’t look as pretty.
Wax melts are typically used in burners that can come in practically any style. From a modern lux marble burner to a fairytale-like glass teardrop burner, you can find a scent that’s perfect for your home. Being able to enjoy beautiful details in your home is an important aspect of self-care that shouldn’t be overlooked. Since the visual focus is on the burner, and not on the wax itself, the aesthetic won’t change as you use it.
Now, some people actually like melted wax, because it looks like water. If that’s what you’re into, then you can enjoy wax melts in this way too. If, on the other hand, you like the look of melted candles, then you also know the clear winner in this category.
3. Scent Coverage
Candles typically give off a milder scent, and it doesn’t last for too long since a lot of the times the fragrance they use burns of more quickly than the candle itself. The scent throw, aka how far the fragrance travels, of candles, is usually about enough to make one room smell nice.
Wax melts can give off a milder or stronger scent that lasts for a long time, depending on the type of wax you use, as well as the burner that you use to melt them. Which ones you choose will probably depend on how well you can handle strong smells, since some people find that it can give them a headache. The wax is solid until it’s heated up, so there’s no fragrance being burned off right away. Tealight burners give off a stronger smell since the temperature at which the wax melts is higher, while battery-operated ones have a somewhat milder scent to them because the heat-up process is slower and it never reaches a temperature that’s too high.
The scent throw of wax melts is generally wider than that of candles, so you’d probably be able to cover more than one room with them. It all depends on which wax melts you choose to use, though, since there are stronger ones with higher fragrance concentration out there.
4. Diversity
There are plenty of different scented candles to choose from, there’s no doubt about that. From fruity ones like apple pie to vanilla, floral scents like rose and lavender, or clean linen that will make your home smell nice in no time. There are many different scents you can buy for candles, so it really depends on your preference when looking for one.
However, unless you buy a whole host of candles at once, you’re most likely going to be stuck with just the one scent until you get a new one. While that doesn’t have to be a downside, some people tend to get bored with them after a while. Another thing to keep in mind is that, unless a candle is packaged up, you can still smell its scent if you’re near it, which can sometimes lead to too much of a mix of different scents.
Wax melts, on the other hand, don’t give off any scents while not in use and can be used in pretty much all rooms of your home, no matter how small or big. Just like with candles, they come in all kinds of fragrance varieties too. The good news is, wax melts are pretty small on their own, you can find different scented packages in plenty of stores. That way, you can have variety in your day-to-day life.
5. Price
Candles tend to be fairly expensive, especially if you choose ones that are well-scented. Of course, there are plenty of different options out there depending on how big or small you want your candle to be, but it’s safe to say that wax melts typically offer a better value for money. Not only that, since they’re small, you can bring them with you to work or anywhere else that’ll allow it. There are also plenty of wax melts that are sold in bulk, so you get the best value. To be fair, you can also buy packets of differently scented tea candles, however, if they are affordable, it’s not certain how long they will last or if they will last all the way until you finish them.
We’ve tried to list the pros and cons of candles and wax melts, and our clear winner would be wax melts. They offer great value for money, they can be used in all kinds of places, and you always have the option to buy different scented packages. However, some of it does go down with personal preference, so if you’re still not sure, you can always get one of each and do the experiment on your own. That way, you’ll see for yourself which ones work best in your home.