Make Your Own Beeswax Candles!

We’ve made a lot of fun candle DIYs on the blog, and since I’ve been more intentional about having natural-based products in my home, I thought I’d try making beeswax candles.

These beeswax candles are really easy to make yourself, non-toxic, and have a delicious honey smell. I love them!

Supplies for Beeswax Candles:

-1/2 pound beeswax pellets (filtered beeswax is best)
-1/4 cup coconut oil
–cotton candle wicks
–wick stickers
–4 ounces glass or ceramic jars for the candles
–large glass jar 
–bamboo skewers (or something to stir the wax with)

How to Make Them:

First, you’ll want to put your beeswax pellets into your large glass jar.

Fill a large pot with enough water to cover the height of the beeswax (but won’t spill out when the water starts to boil). Place your jar into the pot and heat the water until it reaches a low and gentle boil.

Allow the heat from the water to melt the beeswax, giving it a stir with a wooden skewer every few minutes. Beeswax is potentially flammable, so keep an eye on it while it’s melting, and make sure no wax pellets have scattered onto your hot stovetop.

One sign the wax is getting too hot in the jar is that it will start to smoke, so watch for that, too.

While your wax is melting, prepare your candle jars by adding a wick sticker to the bottom of your wick and placing it in the center of the bottom of your jar.

You could also use a wood wick for these. Wrap the wick around a skewer and lay it across the top of your jar to keep the wick in an upright position. You can tape the skewer in place (if needed) while it sets.

Once the wax is melted, turn off the heat and add in your coconut oil, stirring to combine. Adding some coconut oil to your beeswax helps the candle burn more consistently, and avoid tunneling. But, you can also make a 100% beeswax candle by omitting it.

Pour the wax and coconut oil into your candle containers and let them set for 1-2 days before using. Trim the wicks to 1/2″ long, and you’re ready to use your candle!

Yay!! They work! Depending on the kind of beeswax you use, the size of the wick, and the size of the jar, you may have to do some troubleshooting the first few times you make your candle.

How Do I Keep My Candle From Sinking in the Middle?

If you have a candle that tunnels down the middle and never reaches the sides, try a larger/thicker wick to get more heat to melt the wax more evenly.

Depending on how bad your candle is sinking (especially if it’s only doing it a little bit), you may decide to leave your recipe as is. You can scoop out and reuse the leftover wax around the edges each time.

If your candle is melting too fast and your flame won’t stay lit because the wax is drowning out the flame, try a smaller wick instead.

What if My Candle Cracks?

Some people report cracking problems at the top of their beeswax candles, or the candle might fall a bit in the center as it cools.

If that happens, you can reserve a bit of the wax/oil to remelt later and pour another thin layer (once it has cooled) for a smooth looking top.

If you want all the beeswax candle benefits without the work, you can buy some and support another candlemaker. It’s also fun to get some pretty candle accessories, and they make great gifts with a candle.

Can I Add Essential Oils to My Candle?

While the beeswax does have a light and pleasant honey smell when burning, it’s rather faint. So you can experiment with adding essential oils to your candles if you want a more noticeable scent.

Try 1/2-1 ounce of a stronger essential oil (like lavender or vetiver) per 8 ounces of melted wax, or even more for a lighter scented essential oil. I left my candles unscented, but I love the warm glow they put off and the faint honey smell.

Hope you have fun making your own beeswax candles! xo. Laura

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