I absolutely adore the gorgeous light and sweet honey scent given off by beeswax candles. Like many of us, I love beautifully scented candles, but I admit they lost much of their appeal when I stumbled across an article questioning the safety of burning parrafin candles indoors. I just couldn’t look at my lovely candles the same again.
Making your own DIY beeswax candles may seem a tedious and nonsensical activity, given how cheap candles are to buy. But it’s actually a really easy, relaxing process. And if you use natural beeswax, you will have a beautiful candle, that emits no toxins into the air you breathe. Instead, you will be blessed with a subtle, sweet honey smell that could not be more pleasant! And it’s 100% natural – no perfumes or essential oils required!
Gathering your supplies
You’ll need:
Beeswax
Obviously, if your goal is to burn 100% natural beeswax candles in your home, you need 100% natural beeswax! This may sound like a simple transaction, and I’m sure you could order as much as you like from Amazon. But I wouldn’t. Scientific testing has found that most “beeswax” available internationally is tainted. Usually with paraffin, but other toxins have been identified as well. The best place to purchase your beeswax is through a local beekeeper. It will cost more than the Amazon alternative, but at least you will be sure of what you are burning!
A 1 quart mason jar will hold 650g of beeswax. If you keep it full, you will be able to make candles 15cm tall. Each 15cm candle will use around 25g of wax, so you should allow at least 650g + 25g for each candle you wish to make. For 6 candles, you will need 800g wax.
As such, this is a great project to do if you are already planning another wax project such as my beeswax lip balm or beeswax wraps. You can melt all your wax in your jar, make your DIY beeswax candles, then let the leftover wax harden in your jar. Your jar of wax will be ready to pop into some water when you start your next project.
Wicks
The best wicks to use are 100% organic cotton wicks, designed to be burned with natural beeswax. I like these ones:
Another great wick option is thin jute twine. This is great for making thinner birthday candle sizes. These are a great option for when your wax level is too low for full size candles too!
Jar & boiling pot
You will need to create a double boiler to melt your wax. I do this by filling a saucepan up with water, and placing a one quart mason jar into the water. The wax will be placed into the mason jar to melt. Be sure to use a jar that you don’t need to use for any other purpose – it will be VERY difficult to get any wax residue out of it later.
Hanging space
After you have dipped your wick into the beeswax, hang it to dry. Cupboard door knobs work well, as do clothes hanging racks. Another good option is a wire clothes hanger. You will need a hanging spot for each of your wicks. Whatever you decide to use, be sure to place some newspaper or similar under, as the wet candles can drip.
WORKTOP
Any worktop is fine, but you may need to cover it to protect it from wax drips. I like to use a wooden chopping board as I get the benefit of a solid worktop, and when I am finished, I can scrape any solid wax bits off and polish the rest into the board!
INSTRUCTIONS
Melt your beeswax
Fill your double boiler with room temperature water. Pop as much of your wax as possible into your jar. Bring the water to the boil and allow your wax to melt. As the wax is melting, you can keep topping up your jar if necessary until you can’t fit any more wax in. Don’t forget to keep topping up the water in your pan as well.
Prepare candle wicks
Chop your wicks to around 20” long. If you are making 6 candles, you will need 3 20” wicks.
Dip around 7” of the cut ends into the melted wax. Remove and allow to dry. You will be able to shape the coated wick now so that it is nice and straight and press out any bumpy bits. Once you are happy that your wicks are all perfect, it’s time to get making your DIY Beeswax Candles!
Making your DIY BEESWAX candles
Dip each end of your wick into the melted beeswax and hang to dry. Each time you dip your wick into the wax, your candle will get slightly bigger. Just keep dipping and hanging until your candle is around 1” wide. I find it helpful to chop the excess wax from the bottom of the candle from time to time, so that I can keep dipping all the way to the top of the candle.
Once your candles get to about a quarter of an inch thick, you could stand them on your work surface instead of hanging them. This is totally optional, but I find it does help give the candle a nice flat base instead of a pointed one. This will make a real waxy mess though – so only do this if you are using a surface that you can scrape the wax off later.
When you have your candles to the size you like, you can cut them apart and trim the wick at the top of each candle. Keep around half an inch of wick on each.
It’s as easy at that!
Let me see your beautiful candles!
Leave a Reply