Gentle Bees Wax Melt Reviews
January 26, 2018
This is a review of Gentle Bees® beeswax melts made by Frohne USA with local beeswax (not imported from other countries) and natural essential oils from the USA (no chemical synthetic fragrances). This means that these wax melts are 100% natural, including both the wax and the oils used for the fragrances.
Frohne USA supports honey bees by saving a portion of sales to buy land, honey bees, and food for the honey bees. Their products, which include hair remover, leather conditioner, soap, lip balm, and wax melts, can be purchased through Amazon. They used to be available on their own website and through the Walmart website, but as of August 2019 they are sold exclusively on Amazon.
Beeswax prefers higher melting temperatures than other types of wax (soy wax melting point is 120 degrees Fahrenheit, while beeswax is 150 degrees), so a 24W warmer will generally work better with these melts than a 20 watt warmer. And it takes longer for the wax to melt than paraffin or soy wax; in fact, in some cases it took 1.5 hours for get the full effect of the throw in the room. The beeswax also hardens more quickly than paraffin or soy, so it can make cleanup a little difficult since it hardens in the warming tray within a few seconds after it's removed from the heat.
This wax is hard but has a sticky consistency, a little bit like nougat. With some of the scents I had no problem getting the wax out of the package. But some were stuck to the inside of the package and I had to use a knife to cut a cube out. Breaking off a cube was no problem with any of the scents once I was able to get the wax out of the clamshell. The wax will, however, leave a sticky residue on your hands when you handle it, but it washes right off with soap and water.
Some of these scents were quite unusual and nothing like I've ever smelled in other wax melts before. Remember that the ones that smell medicinal are not meant to make your house smell pretty, but are instead used for the therapeutic value of the essential oils. And they are insanely expensive... around $12 for 2.5 oz!
If you're looking for wax melts that are completely different from anything you've tried before, that are 100% natural in every way, that in general have fantastic throw, and that help to save the local honeybee population, give Gentle Bees® beeswax melts a try!
Bergamot
Bergamot Oil (citrus bergamia)
This smells just like tea tree oil to me, even more so than their Tea Tree oil. It has a smidgen of a eucalyptus note. I like the scent, but this is one of those medicinal scents that's used for therapeutic benefits. Bergamot oil has a lot of health advantages, including helping to reduce anxiety.
Clove Leaf
Clove Leaf (caryophyllus)
This is the most authentic clove scent you'll ever smell in a wax melt. It smells exactly like the little black clove peppercorns that my mom used to stick in baked spam and cover with brown sugar topping when I was little. Fantastic, and makes the house smell warm and "homey".
Fir Needle
Fir Needle (Abies alba)
This is not a Christmas tree scent, and it doesn't smell very good on cold sniff. But when melted, it smells like sap from a pine tree, or maybe the pine needles when you rub them together. It's a very natural scent, like walking through a pine forest!
Geranium
Geranium oil (pelargonium graveolens)
I don't know what a real geranium flower smells like, but this is an authentic flower scent with a green note and slight bitterness (but not too much). It's only slightly sweet, but it smells like I'm passing by a bunch of wildflowers while walking in a field on a warm summer day! The throw is interesting. It's not a strong throw; in other words, in the room where it's melting it doesn't smell particularly strong. But yet I can smell it throughout the whole house. I love this scent and the way it performs, just the way my house would smell if I had the windows open and the scent of wildflowers was wafting in on a light breeze.
Honeysuckle
Honeysuckle oil (lactobacillus)
Fantastic authentic honeysuckle scent. This is actually stronger and richer than the honeysuckle flowers I have in my back yard, probably because it's the oil from the plant. It has an orange blossom/neroli note, one of my favorite scents.
Juniper Berry
Juniper Berry Oil (juniperus communis)
Like the Fir Needle scent, this is a very natural tree sap type scent or even the scent you might get by rubbing the juniper needles in your fingers. But it's not a pine type scent at all. It's very slightly bitter with maybe a smidgen of a dirt note, but beyond that I can't describe it all. It's not a bad scent, but not something I would want my house to smell like. Like most of these scents, it smelled better melted. I have some juniper shrubs in my front yard and I went outside and rubbed the needles. This scent does smell very similar!
Litsea Cubeba
Litsea Cubeba Oil (litsea cubeba)
Fantastic soapy spa type lemon scent, which I think is either lemon verbena or lemongrass. It's like lemon with a little bit of citronella, and it's even very slightly sweet and rich. I can't explain the richness, almost like there might be a hint of pine way in the background, which makes sense since it's an evergreen tree. I thought the scent name was a Latin version of lemon verbena or lemongrass, but it's not; Litsea cubeba is a type of plant with a more citrusy scent than lemongrass. This scent smells great on cold sniff, but fantastic when melted!
Myrtle
Myrtle (myrtus communis)
I read online that myrtle essential oil has a clear, fresh scent that is slightly camphoraceous (like eucalyptus), and that's what this smells like, although it's not a "Christmas tree" type of eucalyptus scent. It smells a little like a combination of eucalyptus and tea tree oil, but there's also a bitter note in the background. I don't like it on cold sniff, but when melted I smell a smidgen of sweetness. It's not a scent that I'd use around the house, although myrtle oil is often used to cover up other odors. Myrtle oil has relaxing, sinus clearing, and aphrodisiac effects.
Orange
Orange oil (citrus reticulata)
A totally authentic orange scent, and fantastic, high quality scent that smells like someone is eating an orange!
Peppermint
Peppermint Oil (mentha piperita)
This is a pure peppermint scent, plain and simple. On cold sniff it smells slightly spearminty, but not when melted. It's even a tiny bit sweet. And this one is strong! Generally with peppermint or eucalyptus type scents, you have to sniff the melting wax from close up to get the cool, sinus clearing effects. Not this one. I walked into the room and immediately my sinuses cleared, and I can smell it throughout the house. Definitely the scent to melt if you have a cold or stuffy sinuses!
Pine Oil (pinus pinaster)
Pine
This is not a Christmas tree type pine scent. It smells kind of like Pine-Sol and tea tree oil (actually it smells more like tea tree oil than the Tea Tree Oil scent), with a little bit of a eucalyptus note. Like most of these scents, it smells better melted than on cold sniff. I like this scent. It's a little bit industrial but it smells clean.
Spearmint
Spearmint (menta spicata)
This is an authentic scent of real spearmint plant leaves. It's not a sweet spearmint gum or toothpaste scent, although it's very slightly sweet. You'll never find a more authentic spearmint scented wax melt out there!
Tea Tree
Tea Tree Oil (melaleuca alternifolia)
On cold sniff this doesn't smell exactly like tea tree oil, but it definitely does when melted. Tea tree oil smells like a combination of eucalyptus and dirt, but not in a bad way. I like the scent, but it's medicinal and not something you want your house to smell like. Tea tree oil has a lot of health benefits though.
True Cinnamon
True Cinnamon (cinnamomum verum)
This smells almost exactly like the Clove Leaf scent, but it's stronger and slightly sweeter but also very slightly less rich/warm. Like the Clove scent, this is another fantastic scent that makes the house smell "homey".
