Looking for a super easy Valentine’s Day DIY? Today we’re going to show you how to make amazing-smelling wax snap bars that any Valentine would love to receive! You only need a few simple ingredients to make these cute wax melt bars. With colorful candle dye and a sprinkle of glitter, these wax melts look as pretty as they smell. Follow along as we make these easy DIY Valentine’s wax melts!
Skill Level: Easy
Hands-On Time: 30 minutes to 1 hour
Cure Time: 2 weeks
Yield: Four 3 oz wax snap bars
Supplies
- Digital Scale for weighing ingredients
- Silicone Measuring Cup or 3 oz Measuring Beaker for weighing fragrance
- Metal Pouring Pitcher
- Wax melting pot
- Whisk or spatula for stirring
- Thermometer (recommended)
- Straight Edge Cutter for cutting wax (recommended)
- 1 Break-A-Way Hearts Mold
- 2 Micro Scoops
- Optional: 4 Shrink Wrap Bags plus a heat gun and heat sealer for packaging the wax bars
Note: If you are not using a wax melting pot, you will also need a sauce pan, which can be used with your Metal Pouring Pitcher to create a double boiler.
Ingredients
- 13 oz C55 Wax
- 1.3 oz Strawberry Cupcake fragrance (or other fragrance oil of your choice)
- 1-2 Light Pink Candle Dye Chips
- 2-4 micro scoops of Magenta Mica Powder
- 3-5 micro scoops of Petal Glitter Powder
Project Overview
To make our wax melt bars, we’ll start by prepping our mold. A thin layer of glitter is sprinkled into the mold cavities to create sparkling wax bars. Then we will weigh the wax and fragrance. The wax is melted, then fragrance and dye chips are added. Mica is added to the pouring pitcher to create a little extra shimmer.
Once everything is combined, the wax is poured into the mold. After the wax hardens, you'll need to allow the bars to cure for 2 weeks. Finally, we will package the wax snap bars in shrink wrap bags so they’re ready to gift!
Making Valentine's Day presents? Check out these other fun recipes for Valentine's Day!
- Valentine’s Day Tea Light Candle Recipe
- Luxurious Rose Petal Milk Bath Recipe
- Candy Heart Bubble Bath Bomb Recipe
Video Tutorial for Valentine’s Heart Wax Melts
If you’d like to follow a visual tutorial, check out our video for making wax melts! Please note that a glass pouring pitcher is used rather than a metal pouring pitcher so that you can see the process more clearly.
Step-By-Step Instructions for Making Wax Melt Bars
- Prepare your Break-A-Way Hearts mold by dusting a small amount of Petal Glitter into each cavity of the mold. The easiest way to do this is by scooping some glitter with a Micro Scoop, then tapping the side of the scoop with your finger to create a fine sprinkling of glitter. Try to avoid creating any clumps or piles of glitter, as this can create air pockets in your wax melts.
- Carefully set the mold aside for later.
- Weigh 13 oz of C55 Wax using a digital scale. You may wish to put the wax on a dish for easier cleanup. Just be sure to hit “tare” to zero out the weight of the dish.
- Using your measuring beaker, weigh 1.3 oz of fragrance oil. This is a 10% fragrance load, which is ideal for C55 wax.
- Add the wax to your melting pot and begin stirring to help it melt. If you do not have a melting pot, add the wax to your metal pouring pitcher instead. Create a double boiler by placing the pitcher in a sauce pan that has water in it. The water line should be high enough to cover the bottom half of the metal pitcher. Place the double boiler on the stovetop and bring the water to a simmer to melt the wax.
- Stir your wax until it melts, then add 1-2 pink dye chips. This will create a nice pastel pink color (we used 2 dye chips).
- Temp the wax with your thermometer. When it reaches 220 degrees Fahrenheit, add your fragrance oil and stir for 30 seconds.
- If you are using a metal pouring pitcher with the double-boiler method, add 2-4 micro scoops of Magenta Mica Powder to the melted wax and stir with a whisk or spatula.
- If you are using a wax melting pot, transfer the melted wax into a pouring pitcher. Then stir 2-4 micro scoops of Magenta Mica Powder into the pouring pitcher. With this method, you don’t need to worry about cleaning mica out of your melting pot.
- Pour the melted wax into each cavity of the mold. Some of the glitter may move around, but it will stay in place for the most part. To disturb the glitter as little as possible, try pouring into the center of one of the hearts rather than moving the spout around the whole cavity. Pouring with the spout close to the mold (rather than at a greater distance away) will also disturb the glitter less.
- Let your wax bars cool and harden. Avoid touching or moving the mold as the bars set up. As they cool, some of the mica powder will naturally sink to the bottom, which helps highlight the heart design and make it more noticeable!
- For best results, let the wax melts cure for two weeks. You can let them cure in the mold, or you can remove them (once hard) and let them cure on a separate tray.
How to Package Wax Melt Bars
You may choose to package the wax bars using shrink wrap bags and a heat gun. If you don’t have a heat gun, a hairdryer works well too! Our 6x6” shrink wrap bags are the perfect size for packaging these wax snap bars. Simply open a shrink wrap bag and slide one of the wax bars in sideways so that the long edge of the bar fits into the bag along the bottom.
If you have a heat sealer, use the tool to cut off about 2.5" of the excess plastic and seal the open edge of the bag shut. Your tool should be able to cut off the excess plastic and seal the edge simultaneously. If not, you can cut the extra plastic off with scissors first.
Flip the bar so that it is laying face-down. Direct your heat gun at the center of the bar, which will cause the edges to shrink inwards, creating a smooth surface on the front of the package. Once the back shrinks up, flip the bar over and use the heat gun to tighten up the bag on the front of the bar.
If you don't have a heat sealer, simply cut off the excess plastic then pinch the open edges of the bag together so they overlap. You will have to hold the edges together until the bag begins to shrink. Please be cautious to avoid burning yourself. Do not point the heat gun directly at your hand. When the edge is not sealed shut with a heat sealer, it can be difficult to get the edge to completely cover the wax.
Avoid holding the heat gun too close to the bar, as this can cause the wax to melt. Move the heat gun over the entire surface of the bag, being careful not to point the heat at any one spot for more than a few seconds.
It’s done when the plastic hugs the wax bar securely and is stretched taut. This process should take no more than 30 seconds per bar.
Alternative packaging idea: If you don’t want to use a heat gun or don’t like the shrink-wrapped look, you can simply place the wax bar in a shrink wrap bag, then fold the edge of the bag around to the back of the bar. The edge can be secured with tape or a label.
How to Label Wax Melt Bars
To add a professional touch to your wax melts, attach a label on the back side of the bar. A 4” x 1.75” label is the perfect size, although smaller labels would look nice too. You may want to include information such as the name of the fragrance and instructions on how to use the wax melt (covered below). If you are selling these wax melt bars or even giving them as gifts, safety labels are a must.
Standard wax melt safety labels include language such as the following:
To prevent Fire or Injury: Remove packaging before use. Use only in tea-light warmers or UL listed electric warmers approved for wax melts. Read and follow all instructions provided with your warmer before use. Do NOT leave melter unattended while in use. Keep out of reach of children and pets.
Instructions: Do NOT add water. Do NOT melt on stove top or in non-approved appliances. Use only in well ventilated areas away from flammable materials. Discontinue use if dish contains less than ½” of wax.
How to Use Wax Melt Bars
To use these Valentine’s heart wax melt bars, you’ll need to cut or snap off a smaller piece of the wax. The bars may break along the indented line, but because they are somewhat thick, they may not break evenly.
The neatest way to create a smaller piece is to put the bar on a cutting board and cut the bar with a sharp knife or wax cutter. Large wax warmers may be able to fit 1/3 of the wax bar at a time, but you may find it necessary to cut each bar into 6 or 8 pieces to fit in your wax warmer.
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