Wax warmers, or wax melters, are functional decorative devices that you place inside your home or office space as a fragrance source.

They aren't diffusers. They're more similar to oil burners, in fact. They function as a more efficient and eco-friendly alternative to traditional candles. How so?

Most candles come in glass jars. Once you're done with a candle, you throw these jars away. Glass takes literally millions of years to decompose. So every time you finish a new candle you're just piling up landfills with more glass that'll take forever to degrade.

The solution to this problem? Wax warmers.

Although some wax melt warmers are also made from glass, they're still way more eco-friendly than traditional candles. We'll talk more about why they're eco-friendly in a bit, but first, you need to know what wax melts are.

Wax melts (or wax tarts) are basically candle wax without a container and a wick. They're just scented wax that comes in cubes, beads, and a few other different shapes.

You place the wax melts on top of the wax warmer which then heats the wax melts. As they start to warm up and melt, the delicious aroma is released.

The great thing about using wax warmers and wax melts is that you don't have to keep buying a new candle jar once you run out. You just buy the wax melts and heat them on the wax warmer you have. This way you use less glass and you save even more money since wax melts are far cheaper than a traditional candle.

They are two separate things, but there are wax warmers that double as candle warmers as well. We'll talk more about that later on.

Candle warmers come in either lamp or plate form and are used to melt traditional candles in glass jars. Most of these are not recommended for wax melts. They are really built for melting wax in traditional candle jars.

Using a candle warmer without some form of container to hold your wax melt might damage the device.

Wax warmers come in all shapes and sizes, but they rely on only two different heating instruments. You can find either tealight warmers or electric warmers.

Tealight Wax Warmer

Tealight wax warmers are very similar to oil burners. In fact, most tealight wax warmers can be used as an oil burner—but not all oil burners can be used to heat wax melts.

All tealight wax warmers come with a dish on top where you can set your wax melts or fragrance oils. Underneath, there is an opening where you place your tealight so that it heats the dish and warms the wax melt.

A tealight is basically a tiny little candle. This creates a beautiful ambiance that an electric warmer really cannot replicate. However, tealight warmers can be a bit more of a hassle sometimes.

Electric Wax Warmer

Electric wax warmers are completely flameless and rely on electricity to heat the wax melts. There are two kinds of electric wax warmers. Some use light bulbs as the source of heat, while others have a heating element built in the plate. Electric wax warmers that come in plate form can also be used as a candle warmer.

And no, you don't have to worry about taking the candle wax out of the jar. Most wax warmers that double as a candle warmer have enough surface area to fit a regular-sized candle jar. Just put the candle jar on top and the plate will melt it for you.