The Story Behind Whiffiest Wafts: Wax, Purpose and FRIGGIN COLOURS

Hello again!

Before I dive into all the random ideas, projects and plans that seem to appear in my head, I thought it might be worth explaining how Whiffiest Wafts started and why some parts of it mean so much to me.

So let’s start at the beginning…

Whiffiest Wafts was originally just a family idea — one of those “we’ll do it one day” kind of things. My sister had started a new hobby (one of many fleeting hobbies while trying to find her thing), and this time it was candle making. That then sparked my mum’s interest in wax melts, which quickly turned into everyone getting involved.

She started making the most beautiful smelling wax melts for us in her spare time. With full-time jobs and kids, it was just a nice weekend activity — something simple and creative to enjoy together.

At that point, I had never made a candle or wax melt. I was purely a gifted recipient of the treats… and I have to say, I was very happy in my role 😂 Life carried on like that for a few years. It was very much my mum’s thing, and I was quite content just burning them and enjoying them from the sidelines.

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Then a bit of a tragic twist happened, and I found myself in a pretty low period. It wasn’t the first time I’d experienced a dip in mood, but this one hit differently. I won’t go into details, but let’s just say there wasn’t much I found enjoyment in, and I’d lost the ability to see much past that.

As they say, when you lose your grip, everything slips… or at least I think that’s a saying. If not, it should be — sounds very Cat in the Hat 😂

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After a lot of resistance, I eventually agreed to go and make wax melts with my mum. We met at 9am, and the next time I properly looked at the clock it was 1pm.

Now that might not sound like much, but for me it was actually shocking. I’d spent four hours thinking about nothing but wax, percentages, measurements, temperature, maths… and colours. FRIGGIN COLOURS!

Me and colour are not best friends. In fact, it’s rare I don’t start the day by making something dark and bland just to “get the black out of my system.” If my mum didn’t love pretty colours so much, everything would absolutely be black.

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Anyway… Whiffiest Wafts was born.

With a lot of resistance, self-doubt, fear, impulsive decisions, and very little expectation, I launched it into the world.

And with zero expectations, I was genuinely stunned when I got my first sale. Now, with around 380 orders behind me, I’m still completely overwhelmed.

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That’s where the annual raffle idea came from. I wanted to give something back, but also turn it into something fun. I like collecting things, and this felt like a way of doing things that made me happy, while hopefully making someone else happy too.

The Vault Raffle is a sticker collect-and-win game. The idea is simple: an annual raffle with a different theme each year.

The thought behind it was: if someone has ordered six times, I feel like I need to give something back. For me, it’s not about profit — it’s about staying busy doing something I love. And if someone has ordered six times, that means they’ve given me six moments where I’ve felt like what I’m doing has purpose.

So BAM! A 50% mystery snap box reward was created.

I absolutely love picking scents for people. Sometimes fragrance names can be overwhelming, and it’s not always obvious what they’ll actually smell like. I like hiding little gems in there — after six orders I feel like I start to understand what customers enjoy.

So I put together a selection I’m confident they’ll love: a known favourite, something a bit different, and something I’ve just included because I personally love it 😂

But that still didn’t feel like enough, so I thought — why not make it a full bundle and make it pretty?

And then each completed card became an entry into the annual giveaway.

So every year, on the anniversary of Whiffiest Wafts being born, we celebrate by giving away a free handmade bundle.

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A few months passed, and I was still completely overwhelmed in the best way.
I had no right to be this busy, and I’d had so many lovely conversations with people I never would’ve met otherwise.

With all the positive feedback, I started to realise something unexpected… I had my mental health to thank for it. How bizarre is that?

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Then I started thinking about oils and scents that were running low and couldn’t be reordered. That began to cause me a lot of anxiety — I was constantly worried about disappointing someone by not having enough of a favourite scent.

So I came up with an idea.

When something reaches its “anxiety limit” of stock, I remove the stress by turning it into a smaller-batch charity collection. That way, it becomes a clear “last chance” moment instead of a worry.

That’s how “Melts That Matter” was born.

They serve a few purposes:

They give customers a chance to grab the last pieces of their favourite scents at a lower cost
They help cover costs so I can keep restocking materials
And 25p from each item is donated to the mental health charity MIND

This is reviewed monthly, and if there’s a charity that matters to people, I’d love for you to suggest it — we can dedicate different months to different causes.

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I’m honestly still stunned by the love Whiffiest Wafts has received. Every order feels personal to me, and I hope that comes across in everything I do.

If anything, I hope this “addiction” to Whiffiest Wafts shows how much I appreciate you.

So thank you — for giving me purpose, for bringing colour into my world, and for every bit of support along the way.

I appreciate every single one of you.