Fir Wax Melts: A Gentle Way to Try Fir in Wax
Wax melts are a lovely way to meet fir in wax: no wick, no flame in the wax itself, and a batch you can pour in an afternoon. The craft is mostly about three numbers, which are how much oil, how hot, and how long the melts rest before you judge them. Here they are, built from one wax maker's published figures and a little arithmetic.
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Shop Now →Start with unscented wax
Everything starts with an unscented melt wax from a candle supplier. We sell the fir oil only, so wax, molds and a warmer come from a candle-making shop. A wax sold already fragranced is not a base for your own oil.
The wax matters because each one holds a different amount of scent. CandleScience lists its melt loads by wax: up to 25% for CocoSol, 12% for EcoSoya PB, 9% for IGI 6028 and 6% for IGI 4625. Its own worked example uses 10%. Those figures are for fragrance oils; for essential oils, the same tutorial suggests candle-approved oils and starting with low percentages.
Why we would start at 6%
A ceiling is not a target. Fir has a bright, crisp top note, and it is tempting to raise the load to hold on to more of it. We would rather begin at 6% by weight, pour a second small batch at 8% and a third at 10%, label them, and compare after the cure. Reasoning from the supplier's figures, a wax can only hold so much oil, and extra beyond that tends to show up as an oily film on the surface instead of more scent.
| Load | Oil per 100 g of wax | Volume at 0.924 g/ml | Rough drops |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6% | 6 g | 6.5 ml | about 130 |
| 8% | 8 g | 8.7 ml | about 173 |
| 10% | 10 g | 10.8 ml | about 216 |
The density is from the Certificate of Analysis we publish for one batch, and drops assume a rough 20 to the milliliter, so a kitchen scale beats counting. A 0.5 oz bottle holds about 13.7 g of oil, enough for two batches at 6%.
The pour
- Weigh 100 g of unscented wax into a heat-proof pitcher with a thermometer in it.
- Melt it gently in a double boiler or on an electric hot plate.
- At 185 F (85 C), take it off the heat, add 6 g of fir oil and stir for two minutes.
- Let the wax cool to about 170 F (76.7 C), then pour into a silicone mold.
- Leave the melts to cool for several hours, unmold, and keep them in a closed container for one to two weeks before you judge the scent.
Those temperatures and the cure time come from CandleScience's soy wax melts tutorial, written for fragrance oils. The cure is worth the wait: CandleScience recommends it for the best fragrance throw, so a melt that smells quiet on day one is not yet a fair test. Use a pitcher and spoon that will not go back to food duty.
About that heat
You may have read that oil must go in below its flash point. Supplies for Candles explains why that is not quite the right worry: flash point is about ignition from a flame, heat alone does not cause it, and it is not a guide for wax mixing temperatures. It is simply good practice to keep the add step flame-free and ventilated, which is why we suggest an electric hot plate, and to cap the bottle again as soon as you have measured. Our flash point post goes through it properly.
The warmer, and the household
A melt scents the room for as long as the warmer is on, so it behaves more like a diffuser than a candle. Choose an electric warmer on a flat, steady surface and switch it off when you leave. The ASPCA says short diffuser use in a secured area is not likely to be an issue, and suggests avoiding diffusers around birds and pets with breathing problems; if a bird or a cat shares your home, your veterinarian is the right person to ask. Keep loose melts out of pets' and children's reach too.
Troubleshooting a batch
- Faint after the cure: stir the full two minutes, cure in a sealed tin, and try the next batch at 8%.
- An oily film or beads on the surface: the load is more than the wax can hold, so drop back toward 6%.
- Scent fades on the warmer: a light oil on a heated dish does that, so warm a small piece rather than a full dish.
If you want to move on to wicks, our candle making guide and load by weight pick up from here, and the gift ideas post has a few ways to package your melts.
Three small batches, a scale and a shelf to cure them on is all it takes to find the fir melt you like best.
Fir Needle Essential Oil
Fir Needle Essential Oil from our own shop, in sizes from 0.5 oz to bulk.
From $10.99
Shop Now →Sources & Further Reading
- CandleScience, How to Make Soy Wax Melts. https://www.candlescience.com/learning/how-to-make-soy-wax-melts
- Supplies for Candles, Flash Points Explained. https://www.suppliesforcandles.co.uk/flash-points-explained/
- ASPCA, Essentials of Essential Oils Around Pets, June 2022. https://www.aspca.org/news/essentials-essential-oils-around-pets