Recipe To Recycle Candle Wax

Have you ever thrown out the last inch or more of a candle after the wick has burned down, leaving otherwise good wax behind?  No matter how expensive the candle they rarely burn down completely leaving at least an inch, sometimes more, of good wax remaining.



It's a waste to toss it out, so here is an alternative where you can easily recycle leftover candle wax and re-new it by turning it into a wax melt for use in a warmer, or to sit out as a decorative fragrance! Transforming your unused wax into a luscious  wax melt is a very simple process that anyone can do with minimal effort and time.

Items required:
Double boiler
Mini muffin pan or mini soap/candle mold
Essential Oil


Start by setting up a double boiler and placing the jar holding the wax remains into the top of the double boiler pan. Use medium heat to slowly melt the wax.  Never use the microwave to melt leftover wax as doing so can be a fire hazard.  Also, the wax will pop and bubble and make a very big mess inside!  Another fire hazard concern is if the metal wick stand is still intact but perhaps not visible.

Prior to melting, trim (if you can reach it) any remaining burnt bits from the left over wick.  If the candle can be removed from it's original container without melting, Great! If not, you will want to select a pot for melting the wax that is not going to be used again for food preparations.  For purposes of this recipe, instructions are for using the original container.

Melt the wax in its original container slowly. Taking the wax remnants out in pieces is ideal, and also gives you the opportunity to remove the used wick and wick stand prior to melting, but isn't always possible with a deep jar. As the wax begins to liquefy, a pair of tweezers to reach in and remove the metal wick stand works fine. 

While wax is melting, prepare the new receptacle for use with making your wax melts.  A mini muffin pan sized for very small muffins will work fine. A sturdy plastic ice cube tray is another good choice. To give your wax melts a more professional appearance you might want to consider using fluted mini tartlet tins or a mold specifically designed for creating mini soaps or candles. Keep in mind that whatever kitchen related item you choose, once used for making wax melts will render it unsuitable for later food use.

Pour melted wax into the mini muffin pan segments, filling each only 1/2 to 2/3 full.  If you fill them too high they could overrun and spill out of the warmer well when melted again.  If you are making them for decorative room fragrance only, then you can make them as the size you desire. Having a plan by choosing the right mold in advance is best. 

Reheating scented wax will result in degradation of the original aromatic intensity due to the temperature required to bring the wax to a liquid state.  Additionally, the original candle might have been scented by unhealthy synthetic fragrances. But by simply adding pure essential oil to your melted wax it will instantly transform your has-been candle into a renewed and revived aromatic item.  Due to the pure state of essential oil just a few drops for each melt is required.  

Once the wax has been melted and poured into the mold, add drops of your choice of pure essential oil(s).  Add your selected essential oil(s) immediately after pouring and before the wax starts to firm up.  The essential oil will disperse in the liquified wax with no need to stir. 

The number of drops you use will depend on how intense of an aroma you want the melts to have.  Since your melts are not going to be used for skin application you do not need to stay within a particular range of dilution.  The more essential oil you add, the more intense the aroma will be when the wax tart is slowly melted in an oil warmer.  As a general guideline, and having experience working with and blending pure essential oils, just 5 to 10 drops per tart is sufficient to achieve a beautifully aromatic release when melted in a tart warmer or oil burner dish.

After adding your selections of pure essential oil place the mini muffin pan, or whatever mold you used, into the freezer.  Placing into the freezer will quickly bring the temperature of the wax down to preserve the aromatic properties of the newly added essential oil.  Remove from freezer after 10-15 minutes and turn mold over to pop the wax melts out. For longer shelf life store in an air tight container. 

Depending on the existing fragrance of the wax, it is best to add essential oils that are harmonious with the original scent.  For example, to refresh an original herbal scent consider using Fir Needle Siberian. This will infuse a wonderful uplifting balsamic aroma.  If you started with Lavender wax remnants consider using Lavender along with a few drops of a harmonious essential oil such as Geranium. The combination of Lavender and Geranium result in a lovely and happy fragrance!  For fruit scented wax, a high quality fruity aroma such as Orange Sweet or Grapefruit (Pink) pure essential oil will create a nice crisp enriching sweet aroma, especially if you add a few drops of Peppermint oil as well!  The fun part is letting your imagination go wild with aroma selections, all while recycling still good wax!

To create a premium quality, long lasting aromatic wax melt, only infuse with pure essential oil or an absolute for optimum superiority of aroma instead of a synthetic fragrance oil.