Pure White Woods (Better Homes and Gardens)

Pure White Woods by Better Homes and Gardens is a nice masculine scent.  It smells like a good cologne without being overbearing.  It has an earthy, woodsy scent that is very soothing.  It doesn't smell like a deodorizer or air freshener.  The scent stayed in the section of the house that I had the wax warmer in, which I consider to be a good thing.  It definitely went into the hallway and into the room across from this one.  When fan for the central heat and air is on, the scent does disperse throughout the house though it is faint in the front (the warmer is to the back of the house).  They seem to be long lasting - I used them for four hours, let it harden overnight, remelted them this afternoon, let them harden, and am remelting them again (for the third time!) and they are still putting out a scent.

I wish I could give a better description of the scent than being masculine, earthy and like cologne, but I just can't put my finger on what this smells like.  It is definitely a wonderful scent though, and one that I will buy again.

Zen by ScentSationals

This is a very unique scent.  It was more refreshing than soothing for me, but I really enjoyed it.  If a scent was going to try and convince you that it is the smell of a spa, this would be it.

The wax was very firm, a little hard to make that first break but it did break pretty evenly into the cubes.  It didn't leave a lot of scent on the gloves (yes, I now wear thin plastic gloves when I handle all of the wax cubes).

I did this one without looking up what scents were supposed to be in this blend and one of the first things I noticed was that it smells minty.  Not a strong mint but a very smooth, soft mint scent like a good mint tea might have.  The next thing I noticed was an earthy smell that worked well with the mint.

At this point I went to the ScentSationals website to look at the description.  

Sooth your soul with this blend of eucalyptus, spearmint, white pine, Egyptian musk and smooth sandalwood, feeling relaxed and content.

 Overall, this is a great scent.  It was light, clean, and didn't smell like an air freshener.  I can see this being used year-round since it doesn't feel 'warm' or 'cool', just very clean and natural.  Another thing that I really liked about this was that once the warmer was turned off and the wax hardened, the scent went away.  Turn the warmer on and the scent reappears.  Now that is how these things should work IMO.

Peaceful Waters (Mainstays)

Yes, another try at Mainstays scented wax cubes.  This time, it is Peaceful Waters.

The wax was nicely firm and easy to break into cubes, which was a nice plus.  There was some scent when I first opened the package but not too strong.  Even when they were melted the scent was not too strong.  It wasn't weak, I could definitely smell it.  The strength, I would say, was just right if not for the fact that it doesn't last long.  I have to use two cubes of this in my warmer to get enough wax to coat the bottom, and two cubes lasted about 90 minutes and then the scent was gone.

Unfortunately what these smell like is laundry detergent.  I'm not even kidding, this smells just like Purex Mountain Breeze scent and even has that soapy-ish undertone.  It's definitely a fake smell and doesn't even cover up other odors that well.  If you really like the way it smells when you're doing laundry, give this one a go.

Darkest Sandalwood (Mainstays)

So yes, I was brave and tried another of the Mainstays wax cubes that I picked up.  This one, Darkest Sandalwood, was a pleasant surprise.  The wax was pretty firm in the package, the whole block popped out and broke into sections fairly easily.  I did wear the plastic gloves that you get to do hair coloring but I didn't see or smell anything on the gloves after putting the wax into the warmer.

The scent is subtle and weak when melted but gets stronger after it cools and hardens.  It's another scent that seems natural rather than out of place.  Don't expect this to mask any other smells or odors, though.  I'm not sure why this is called "Darkest Sandalwood" or how it differs from Mainstays "White Sandalwood" (which I have not tried yet).  This one is very smooth but, dare I say, boring.  It just stays in the background of any other scents that might be in the vicinity such as cooking food, flowers, etc.  Since the cubes are so small, this could be good mixed with some other scent.

The scent lasted about as long as any other Mainstays was cubes, and cleanup wasn't too bad.  Just a little residue was left behind and that was easy to wipe out with a paper towel.

Soothing Spa (Mainstays)

Soothing Spa Wax Cubes by Mainstays (Walmart) is...I just don't know.  Worst experience I have ever had with wax cubes.

First, the wax crumbled as soon as I started to open the package.  I could get little tiny pieces out but to it to pop out I had to be the package in the freezer for 30 minutes. The wax was still soft and left residue on my skin.  I should have used my own advice from the Garden Rain post and worn plastic gloves.  I'm wondering if the problem with the wax texture is because of the type or amount of oil being added because this literally caused me to have a skin reaction.  Despite washing my hands several times after getting the wax into the warmer, the oil just did not want to get gone from my skin.  The next day I had all these little bumps on my hands and arms that itched and bled.  These wax cubes are the only thing I handled that I do not handle every single day, so I believe it was a result of these monsters.  I can't say with 100% certainty that this was the cause, but I hope you will heed my advice and wear plastic gloves when handling these wax cubes.  I'm now going to wear them whenever I handle any brand of wax cubes.

Moving on, I only put 1/3 of the package into my warmer because as soon as I opened the package they had a strong smell, and they had been in my freezer for half an hour.  When they started to melt the smell got so strong that after five minutes I turned the warmer off, turned the fan on, and went outside.  The scent isn't even that nice.  It smelled very fake to me, like someone had just sprayed a huge amount of air freshener to cover  up something truly foul.  I let the wax cool and harden, and then I tried again, hoping that the scent would be tamed down.  It was still very strong, very fake, and made me feel nauseous.  The sad thing is that I still have no idea what it was supposed to smell like.

Cleanup was not at all easy.  After leaving the wax to harden, I put it into the freezer for hours and it still wouldn't pop out.  I ended up having to carefully use a knife to get the wax to come out, and the large amount of residue left in the warmer was not easy to remove.  I ended up scraping it out with the paring knife.  The 2/3 that I did not use I threw away because I really do not want to experience that again.

There was nothing soothing about these and I would not recommend them unless you need to cover up the stench of a large dairy farm full of cow manure.  I have no doubt these would mask that smell, though it won't necessarily make your farm smell better.

Garden Rain (Mainstays)

Garden Rain from Mainstays (Walmart) is not a bad scent at all.  It is floral, which is exactly what you would expect, but it's a very light scent and could be used all year round, though it will probably be especially refreshing in the summer months.  It doesn't smell like an air freshener, which is nice.  It's strong but also subtle enough that it doesn't hit you as soon as you walk into the room where the wax warmer is.

Now for the unfortunate down side.  The wax is soft.  Very, very soft.  I would blame it on weather or being a one-off but a) I bought these in February when it was raining and 45°F outside and b) I've  had this issue with almost every Mainstays wax cubes that I've used.  Maybe it's an issue with temperatures in the trailer while they are being transported or in the stock room at the store. I put all my wax cubes immediately into my refrigerator when I got home and despite having been in the refrigerator for more than 24 hours by the time I opened the package, the wax was still soft.

These also didn't last very long.  One cube (and it was impossible to break into even 'cubes') is too small of an amount.  I don't think I have an exceptionally large warmer as one cube of any other brand I've used is more than enough.  In my opinion, it they wanted to make the product half the size that it was (yes, Mainstays was once 2.5 oz. just like the others) then only make it three cubes, not the standard six.  With only one cube the wax melted and started smoking after ten minutes.  Perhaps my own fault since again, this package is half the size of all the others.  As I said at the beginning of this post, the scent was strong but I ended up putting the entire package into my wax warmer to get that.  The entire package. My hands smelled like the wax cubes for over an hour despite washing them three times.

Overall, I would recommend these because the fragrance is nice, light and pretty natural. Just don't expect to get a lot of use out of it, and maybe wear some plastic gloves when handling the product.

Warm Crackling Campfire (Better Homes and Gardens)

Yes, it's another limited edition season scent, this time by Better Homes and Gardens.  In case you're wondering why I'm doing all of these holiday scents in February, wonder no more.  Where I live it was actually kind of warm in November and December, and I prefer to use the 'warm' scents when its cold and feels like...well, winter.  We're getting some colder weather now so I'm taking advantage and using these scents because the odds of them surviving until next fall/winter is slim.  The odds of me remembering where I put them next fall/winter is practically zero.

Warm Crackling Campfire is basically bayberry, but I still love it.  Several years ago when I was into candle making, I got bayberry and found that it reminded me of a fire.  I don't know why.  Perhaps someone burned bayberry in their fireplace when I was a child.  This scent makes me feel somewhat justified in my thinking that bayberry = fire somehow.

I was slightly disappointed because I expected it to have an underlying scent of...something.  A woodsy smell, or some sandalwood.  If there is another scent, the bayberry completely overwhelms it.

This is also one of those times where a little goes a long way.  As soon as the cube started to melt the scent filled the room.  I didn't leave the warmer on for more than 15 minutes at a time because the scent was that strong, and I had a fan on to help sort of circulate the scent around.  The second time I melted it, the scent was still strong but was starting to tone down.  I melted that first cube four times (and I only melted it once a day) before I could say that I no longer smelled bayberry.  This is one scent that will definitely last you a long time.

Cleanup was pretty easy once the wax hardened.  I did have to put it in the freezer for about ten minutes but it popped out with little residue left behind.

Sage and Red Berry (American Home by Yankee Candle)

This is another season scent that I picked up in the clearance aisle after Christmas for $3.00.  Unlike the Winter Morning fragrance, this one definitely has a scent.  It's not a bad scent, but it definitely doesn't remind me of anything or make me think 'holidays' or 'Christmas' or...well, anything.  One of the things I love about scents is when they turn my thoughts to a particular place or time.  I guess I was never around sage and red berry before in my life.  Still, I kind of like it, not strong in the sense that it isn't overpowering.  I've used some where the scent just sort of took over.  This doesn't do that.  I can definitely smell it but after having the burner on for over an hour with this, I didn't feel the need to go outside for fresh air.  It's a nice, warm scent that doesn't like an artificial scent is being added.  I'm sure that doesn't make sense so let me try to word it differently.  Have you ever walked into a room and the scent hits you in a way that you know someone has just sprayed a deodorizer or opened an air freshener?  Some of the wax cubes are like that -- go into the room where the wax warmer is and, good or bad, the scent hits you.  This one doesn't feel artificial or out of place at all.

Another plus for this is that it left no lasting scent on my hands.  Some of the waxes (I'm looking at you, Mainstays) seemed to leave a lot of the scent on my fingers just from getting them out of the package and into the warmer.  These literally left to no scent on my fingers.

I would recommend these based on the scent alone, but I still don't think they are worth the price as they just don't last.  Once melted the scent releases and that's it.  You can't get multiple uses out of these and if you wanted to scent the room for a long period of time, you'd probably have to do a new wax cube every 1-2 hours.  You'll probably have to wait until Yankee Candle brings out their winter seasonal scents if you want to try these yourself (as of this post there are still some sellers on ebay with these if you really really want to try it).

Winter Morning Fragranced Wax Cubes (American Home by Yankee Candle)

Winter Morning is a seasonal scent from American Home.  I got mine at Walmart after Christmas when it was on clearance for $3.00.  The cubes are good size, easy to remove from the package, and very easy to get out of the wax warmer after the wax hardened.

The scent was very, very weak.  I'm not even sure what American Home thinks a winter morning smells like because all I could smell was something like pancakes and baby powder if I put one of the cubes right up to my nose.  When I put it in the warmer and heated it, I couldn't smell a thing.  I even added a second cube and still couldn't smell anything.  I went online trying to figure out what Winter Morning was supposed to smell like but all I found were reviews for the Winter Morning candle complaining that the smell was too weak.

I would not recommend this fragrance, especially at the full price of $6.00 at Walmart.  I feel ripped off that I paid $3.00 for it and got nothing.

Brands of Scented Wax Cubes

There are differences between all the different brands of wax cubes.  I'm sure there are brands that I haven't yet tried, but these are the ones that I have tried:

Mainstays:  This is a Walmart brand. It is the cheapest scented wax cubes, costing $0.93 for 1.25 ounces.  All of the Mainstays wax cubes have been extremely soft and crumbled upon opening the package.  There are six "cubes" but the wax is so thin and spread out that it is impossible to break up evenly and one cube just leaves a thin coating of wax in the warmer and is difficult to get out of the warmer.  Most of the time, the only time I have smelled anything from the Mainstays cubes is after they've melted and I've shut the warmer off (there are some exceptions to this).  As they re-solidify, the scent comes out (?).  My Walmart does not carry a large variety of scents in this brand.  Made in the USA.

Better Homes and Gardens: This brand of wax cubes is found only at Walmart (or so the packaging says) and costs $2.00 for 2.5 ounces (6 cubes).  The quality of the wax is better and one cube is enough to get a good scent when the wax is warmed.  The variety of scents available is pretty good, especially the seasonal scents.  Made in the USA.

American Home by Yankee Candle:  These are the most expensive of the wax cubes I have purchased so far, at $6.00 for 2.6 ounces at Walmart.  The wax is a nice quality and the cubes are good sized.  One very nice thing about these is that instead of one block of six  cubes, you get two separate blocks of three cubes and the way they are made makes them (so far) the easiest to get out of the package and separate.  The scents, unfortunately, are weak to non-existent.  If I removed all the cubes there is more scent smelling the packaging.  I haven't tried many of their scents because (a) it's a bit pricey compared to the other brands and (b) I'm not a huge fan of Yankee Candle anyway.  I'll probably try another scent of theirs in the future just to see if other scents are stronger.  Made in Poland.

ScentSationals:  $2.00 for 2.5 ounces at Walmart, $2.99 on the scentsationals.com website.  They have a very large selection of standard, seasonal and limited edition scents.  One of the things I really like about theirs is that some (but not all) of their scents actually say what the scents are.  For instance, one of their scents, Hangin' Out is a "fun-filled blend of plum, blackberry and wild currant while Jungle Safari is a "harvest medley of pine and spice".  Not what I would expect based on the names.  Most of their scents don't need any description beyond the name -- Garden Cantelope and Homemade Root Beer are pretty specific and need no further explanation.  Made in the USA.

Hobby Lobby Wickless Fragrance Cubes:  I'm really not sure what the brand name is on these.  The package has what looks like two overlapping 'D's but there is no brand name.  Distributed by Hobby Lobby and assembled in the USA.  I honestly don't know if that means the wax and fragrances are mixed in another country, then shipped to the US to be melted and poured into the mold/package, or if the entire process is done in the USA.  $2.99 for 2.5 ounces at Hobby Lobby (duh!).  There is a good variety of scents available and the packages do tell you what scents are in the wax cubes (assuming you know what dew drops and green leaves smell like).  

Glade:  I've used Glade scented wax a few times and found them to be excellent.  The price is going to vary by store and I can't remember what I paid for them when I got them.  The cubes are easy to remove from the packaging and last a long time.