The frosting is seen only when using natural waxes like Soy wax to mold. Wax melts become more prone to frosting if you mix the warm mixture vigorously. The frosting is also seen in wax melts that are put through temperature fluctuations. Preheat the glassware in which you pour the melted wax to prevent frosting.
If you are making Soy wax melts, chances are you’ve seen frosting on some of the candles/melts already. In this article, we shall discuss why frosting happens and how to fix it.
Why Are My Wax Melts Frosting?
Frosting happens only when using natural wax, like Soy wax. Frosting seen on wax melts is a natural process.
White crystal coating around the sides or on the top of the wax melts is called frosting. This happens as the melt tries to regain its natural form.
There’s no effect on the performance of the wax melts as frosting is just a natural process. Below are the reasons for frosting on wax melts.
- Chances of frosting on a wax melt increase as it ages. Use your wax flakes in a year and print a label that says “use within 6 months” on your wax melts/candles.
- Temperature fluctuations can also cause frosting in Soy wax melts/candles.
- Keeping the warm candles/melts on drafts/solid surfaces also cause frosting.
- One can add additives to prevent frosting but then the wax melts no longer be au naturel.
How to Avoid Frosting on Wax Melts?
To avoid frosting let the melted wax settle for a while, don’t mix vigorously. Preheat the glassware before pouring the melted wax into it. Don’t let the temperature fluctuate, it is the common reason for frosting.
Below are some tips to prevent frosting on wax melts/candles.
Let the melted wax settle!
People tend to mix the melted wax vigorously. This practice often leads to frosting of the wax melt after it cools down.
Don’t disturb the wax melt while it’s somewhat hot. Frosting forms on those wax melts which are disturbed vigorously.
Preheat your glassware
You can reduce the extent/rate of frosting on your wax melts/candles by preheating the glassware that you use to make melts.
You can heat your glassware using an oven. Set the oven to the lowest setting and heat the glassware. Heating the glassware to 100F works fine.
Temperature fluctuations
Temperature fluctuations cause frosting on wax melts. Pour the melted wax at a lower temperature to prevent the formation of crystals once it cools down.
You may want to adjust your pour temperature in increments of 5F. This is the most efficient way to molding wax melts in my opinion.
You need to make sure that your wax melts cool down at room temperature(70-76°F). Place the wax melts on a wire cooling rack.
Wire cooling rack helps prevent additional heat transfer that might occur if you place the candle melts on a solid surface.
Keep wax melts away from direct light
Direct sunlight and fluorescent light cause frosting on the wax melts. So, it is a good idea to keep the wax melts/candles away from direct light.
If possible, print these instructions on the wax melts you sell.
Alternate wax types
Natural waxes like Soy wax are more prone to frosting than paraffin wax. You’ll have fewer problems if you use paraffin wax for your wax melts.
There are some types of Soy wax that are less prone to frosting than all-natural Soy wax.
- CB-Advanced Soy Wax
- Golden Brands 444 Soy Wax
- Golden Brands 464 Soy Wax
- C3 Soy Wax
- C6 Soy Wax
Don’t take it for granted that these wax variants prevent frosting at all costs. Candles/Melts made from the above wax types are a little prone to frosting too.
Some more tips…
Below are a few more tips to prevent frosting on your wax melts.
- Adding color to Soy wax makes the frosting more visible. You can reduce such visibility by leaving the wax as is.
- Cool the wax melts/candles at room temperature.
- If you think that direct light is causing the frosting, you may want to add 1% UV inhibitor to the wax mixture.
How to fix frosting on soy candles?
Follow the above tips to prevent frosting on your Soy candles, as it’s best to prevent the issue rather than trying to fix it.
You can add coconut oil to your wax melts to fix the frosting issue. Coconut oil is a natural product too, so you can keep the candles au naturel.
Hide it, if you can’t fix it!
You can hide frosting by using the wax as is without adding any color to it. The frosting won’t be visible on plain wax melts/candles.
You may also use a darker/opaque container for the candles/wax melts. You can hide frosting on the melts this way too.
Happy Molding 😉