Learn how to make beeswax candles with just a few simple ingredients. These homemade beeswax candles have an amazing honey aroma to them, but you can mix up the scent with different essential oil combinations.
I am very much a DIY-er in every sense of the word.
Even when I know I can get something relatively cheap at the store, I still find it way more satisfying to learn how to make it myself at home.
Being a DIY-er allows me to add my own creative spin on things, and enjoy the process of seeing ingredients come together to make something special.
Sure, I could buy handmade candles at the markets or on Etsy, but making it myself is a really rewarding experience for me.
I find so much more value in a handmade piece. Love, care and time dedicated to crafting it can be found behind each item.
This week I added something new to my handmade collection.
I had a hunk of beeswax that I’d bought from the markets for an amazing price (seriously, amazing), and I thought, why not make candles with it?
I had been wanting to make my own for quite some time, so this felt like the perfect reason to try my hand at it!
You can use either a block of beeswax like me, or pellets of beeswax to make these candles. The pellets may be a little easier in the sense that they will melt faster, but honestly, either is fine. For my local beekeeper beeswax, I just put it in a metal pitcher which I placed in a large saucepan filled with water, and brought the water to a boil. Once the beeswax had melted, I then mixed in a little coconut oil, and proceeded to pour this wax mix into the designated candle jars and tins with the wicks. Out of laziness I didn’t even grate the beeswax down, and it still turned out beautifully. It just took longer to melt down.
Blending beeswax with a softer oil, like coconut oil, can help bring down the melting point of the candle. This creates a more even burn and stops the candle from ‘tunnelling’ as much. If you use only beeswax, it will most likely ‘tunnel” around the wick, and you’ll be left with a ring of wax around the inside of your jar that won’t burn. If this happens, you can re-melt the wax and make it into a new candle.
These candles have such a heavenly scent of honey to them, but you can mix up the fragrance by adding different essential oil combinations to the wax.
When it comes to incorporating scents into the candle wax, use around 100 drops of essential oil for every one cup of wax to achieve a noticeable fragrance. I like to keep to this ratio when making wax melts or candles of any size or shape. Feel free to adjust the ratio of essential oils you’ll be using as you see fit, depending on how strong you want the scent of your candles to be. But also, please do not expect these beeswax candles to smell like artificial candles. The scent is a softer aroma to the chemical fragrances used in store-bought candles.
Unlike paraffin candles – which release toxins like toluene and benzene into the air– beeswax candles burn clean and can actually help to purify the air in your home while releasing a faint honey scent.
Before we get started in learning how to make beeswax candles, if you like what you’re seeing, subscribe to my email newsletter at the bottom of the page to keep up to date on the latest recipes, DIYs, gardening and health tips I share!
Homemade Beeswax Candles
Please be aware that beeswax is flammable, so take extra care and keep an eye on it while it’s heating. Do NOT forget about it and let it get too hot or spill onto your hot stove.
Ingredients:
- 1 pound pure beeswax, either in pellets or shredded
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 100 drops essential oils (optional)
- Glass candle jars or metal tins
- Cotton braided wick, cut into pieces, or wooden wicks
- Metal pitcher
- Bamboo skewers, paddle pop sticks, or pencils
- Dried flowers, for decoration (optional)
To Make:
- Pour the beeswax into a metal pitcher and place the container in a large pot of water – filled just enough to cover the outside of the pitcher, without spilling over into the pitcher. Bring the water to a boil.
- Turn the heat down to medium heat and stir the wax occasionally until completely melted. Make sure no water spills into the pitcher.
- Once melted, remove the wax from heat and stir in the coconut oil with a bamboo skewer or a paddle pop stick.
- Allow the wax mixture to cool slightly before adding in the essential oils (if using). Then, stir through, and pour a small amount of the wax into the bottom of each jar or tin. Return the pitcher to the hot water to keep the wax melted.
- Place a wick into the wax, keeping it to the centre of each jar. You can use a skewer or paddle pop stick to hold the wick securely in place while the wax sets; it will take around 5-10 minutes.
- Fill the jars with the remaining wax, and leave about an inch of room at the top.
- Wrap the end of the wick around a skewer or paddle pop stick until taut, then lay it horizontally over the jar. This will keep the wick in the centre while the wax hardens. If using, decorate the top of the candles with the dried flowers. It may take a few hours for the wax to completely set. I usually leave mine overnight. Please note that if you use dried flowers to decorate the tops of the candles, they may act as a fire starter and create a bigger flame when burnt. So please be cautious and keep away from any flammable substances as they can be a fire hazard.
- Once the wax has completely hardened, trim the wick to about half an inch, then it’s ready to light. Do not trim it any shorter than this because it’ll make a smaller flame, which may cause the candle to ‘tunnel’.
- During the first burn keep your candle lit for at least two and a half hours, or until the entire surface has melted.
Here is a recipe for making beeswax taper candles without the need for glass jars or containers to hold the candles in.
As always, this is not personal medical advice and we recommend that you talk with your doctor before trying or using any new products. I am not a doctor. All opinions expressed are my own personal thoughts and feelings of the products mentioned. Check with your doctor or health practitioner if you are uncertain about trying out any of the products, recipes or tips mentioned in this post.
Have you made beeswax candles before? How did it go? Share in the comments below.
Lots of love,
Vanessa