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How To Make Beeswax Candles

November 30, 2014 - 26 Comments

I did it. I got sucked into computer-land for too long. And when that happens, I peel myself away – brain slightly sizzled – and instantly try and find something to do that will ground me. 

Baking bread has always been one of those things. It's a reminder to me that I'm living. And that I'm living a certain lifestyle. And that there are things so much more valuable than time spent on the computer. 

Cleaning the chicken coop is another one of those tasks. As is watering gardens, sneaking a treat to Sally (she loves apples!), thumbing through seed catalogs, knitting, and on it goes. These are tasks that fill me with purpose. They force me to slow down and be in the moment – on the farm.

Which is exactly where I want to be.

Beeswax candles serve much of the same purpose.

Drying beeswax candles | The Elliott Homestead (.com)

Considering that synthetic wax candles can be purchased at the store for approximately .02 a piece, this certainly isn't a project that's done for cost savings. That's not the point. The point is that there's something wholesome about it… something grounding… something of more value than just the candle itself.

That being said, there is serious value to falling in love with pure beeswax candles. And though we don't raise our bees for their wax (we leave their comb year after year so that they don't have to draw it out each year and thus, produce more honey) I love that it's a resource we could easily harvest right here from our own property. 

And though I shouldn't be surprised that anything having to do with bees is super-cool, I still think beeswax is an exceptional product.

Did you know that beeswax produces a negative charge when it's burned? And did you know that pollen, dirt, and and dust are charged by positive ions? And thus, burning a beeswax candle actually causes these particles to drop out of the air thus, purifying the air? And thus, lessing affects of allergies, asthma, hay-fever and more? 

Now you do.

Candle making is a new hobby for me. But it's one that I'm planning on sticking with. It took just a few hours of fun-candle-dipping-family-time to stock up on candles for a few months. This time of year, I like to burn them from about 4:00pm until bedtime. It adds a life-giving element to an otherwise dark and cold season. Much like fresh flowers add life to the kitchen table in summer, these homemade beeswax candles add life through the winter. 

 Homemade Beeswax Candles | The Elliott Homestead

Beeswax Candles

You will need:

 – 100% pure beeswax (purchase pure beeswax here) 

I recommend starting out with about 3-5 pounds

 – Wick (purchase wick here)

 – Deep container, such as a metal tin or glass jar

 – Stock pot

 – Bowl

 – Water

 – Wax paper

100% Pure Beeswax for candlemaking | The Elliott Homestead

1. Roughly chop the beeswax into large pieces. Place into your deep container (I used a glass gallon jar).

2. Over medium heat, heat up a large stockpot full of water. 

3. Place the deep container into the large stockpot. This creates a double-boiler of sorts and allows the beeswax to gently melt in the heat of the water.

4. Cut a piece of wick to double your desired length. For example, I wanted 6-8″ taper candles so I cut a 16″ piece of wick. Both ends of the wick will be dipped into the beeswax and you can easily hold it up by the middle.

5. Once the beeswax is melted, pinch the wick in the middle and let the ends of the wick hang down. Slowly dip the ends into the wax. Dip into a bowl of water (this will ‘set' the wax). Shake any excess water off and dip once again into the wax. Repeat the water-wax-dipping-cycle until the candle reaches desired thickness (our tapers were about 3/4″ to 1″ thick). 

The start of candlemaking... | The Elliott Homestead

Homemade beeswax candles gettin' thicker... | The Elliott Homestead

Homemade candles up to desired thickness | The Elliott Homestead (.com)

6. Cut the bottom inch of the candle off to create a straight bottom. Dip once more for good measure.

Cut the ends and dip once more... | The Elliott Homestead

7. Hang or lay on wax paper to dry. Let set for 24 hours before burning, baby. 

I must say- there's just something romantically beautiful about a collection of fresh, homemade beeswax candles lining the kitchen counter. And the smell? Fu-get-about-it.

It's a little piece of air-freshening heaven on earth.

Homemade Beeswax Candles (ready for gifting!) | The Elliott Homestead

I'm tellin' ya. Bees are magic. Created by a Holy God with the most incredible sense of organization, creativity, and artistry. I'm ever amazed by these little wonders and what they can create.

Even when they do fly up my bee suit. 

How To Make Beeswax Candles

Easy, Homemade Heavenly Scent
5 from 7 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 100 % pure beeswax approx. 3-5 pounds
  • Wick
  • Deep container such as a metal tin or glass jar
  • Stock pot
  • Bowl
  • Water
  • Wax paper

Instructions
 

  • Roughly chop the beeswax into large pieces. Place into your deep container (I used a glass gallon jar).
  • Over medium heat, heat up a large stockpot full of water.
  • Place the deep container into the large stockpot. This creates a double-boiler of sorts and allows the beeswax to gently melt in the heat of the water.
  • Cut a piece of wick to double your desired length. For example, I wanted 6-8″ taper candles so I cut a 16″ piece of wick. Both ends of the wick will be dipped into the beeswax and you can easily hold it up by the middle.
  • Once the beeswax is melted, pinch the wick in the middle and let the ends of the wick hang down. Slowly dip the ends into the wax. Dip into a bowl of water (this will ‘set’ the wax). Shake any excess water off and dip once again into the wax. Repeat the water-wax-dipping-cycle until the candle reaches desired thickness (our tapers were about 3/4″ to 1″ thick).
  • Cut the bottom inch of the candle off to create a straight bottom. Dip once more for good measure.
  • Hang or lay on wax paper to dry. Let set for 24 hours before burning, baby.

 

How to Make Beeswax Candles

 

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Comments:

  1. Davi

    November 30, 2014 at 9:40 pm

    How many candles were you able to make with that much wax?

    Reply
    • Davi

      November 30, 2014 at 9:41 pm

      Never-mind! I found it. 🙂

      Reply
      • Davi

        November 30, 2014 at 9:42 pm

        Or did I? Sorry, there was a fly in my coffee, that ended up in my mouth. It has thrown off my whole evening…

        Reply
  2. Laura Wilson

    November 30, 2014 at 10:19 pm

    I have seriously been waiting ever since you got bees for this moment.

    Reply
  3. Holly

    December 1, 2014 at 10:00 am

    I never knew beeswax could be so yellow. What a gorgeous color! Inspiring post. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  4. Leah

    December 1, 2014 at 10:36 pm

    Would you be willing to share the directions for making these into other types/sizes of candles, for example, if I wanted to pour them into jars– what would be the process? Also, how many oz. of wax does this “recipe” create?

    Reply
  5. Caroline Watanabe

    December 2, 2014 at 7:16 am

    I’ve had bees for a few years now but haven’t gotten around to making candles yet. How do you clean the wax that’s all guppy and covered with honey before making the candles? A friend who makes candles said it’s too hard to make them with 100% beeswax. I really would like to try.

    Reply
    • Sarah

      December 9, 2019 at 5:26 am

      It’s super easy to clean. You just melt/simmer the whole gross mess for a few minutes, then let cool. All the gunk falls out, the wax forms a big chunk on top. (Think how you get a big solidified film of fat over a cooled fatty stew that you can lift off in chunks. Just like that, only thicker and way more satisfying.) I’ve done it many times, it’s always simple. Usually I mess things up, but never that.

      Reply
    • Deb

      November 21, 2020 at 4:39 am

      I melt my wax down and pour through pantyhose to remove all the impurities

      Reply
  6. Lauren Swinson

    December 2, 2014 at 10:02 pm

    Hello Shaye! I just found (and fell in love with) your blog last week! Love it! I also was wondering how many 6″-8″ tapers you can make per pound of beeswax? I’ve been googling and I can’t find anything!

    Reply
    • Shaye Elliott

      January 6, 2015 at 11:47 am

      I’m not exactly sure, as part of ours stayed melted in the jar. 8? ish?

      Reply
      • Lauren Swinson

        January 9, 2015 at 11:41 am

        Wonderful! Thank you!!!

        Reply
      • Margo

        September 1, 2021 at 2:48 pm

        Is that 8 candles meaning:
        2 candles on each strand, 8 strands, totaling 16 candles?

        Or 2 candles on each strand, 4 strands of candles, making 8 total candlesticks?

        Reply
  7. Erika

    November 11, 2016 at 8:10 am

    5 stars
    Exciting! Making beeswax candles has been on my “to do” list for Christmas gifts. I think it would make a lovely advent activity with my children, too. I was thinking I needed a candle drip thingamajig? ..but looks like you managed without it and obviously with homesteading projects it’s about keeping costs down and making things simple. Thank you!

    Reply
  8. Ginger Trad

    November 14, 2016 at 3:16 pm

    5 stars
    Why is the beeswax so yellow? I get local beeswax candles and they are more like a dark oatmeal color. I wonder if the wax has dye added.

    Reply
    • Shaye Elliott

      December 3, 2016 at 12:06 pm

      Nope – this came right from a friend’s hive. I’m not sure why the color variation?

      Reply
    • Michael Brandon

      May 17, 2020 at 12:07 pm

      Yellow bees wax is from cappings of honey comb that the bees have not used for breeding their young in. We slice the caps off the honey cells then spin the honey out. If the honey cells have been used for breeding as well, the cells and caps are a dark brown colour. Or if old comb is melted down, the colour is likely to be that dark colour if it’s been from brood frames.

      Reply
  9. Erika

    November 27, 2016 at 12:32 pm

    5 stars
    This is a great walk through for beginners. Excited to do this as an advent family activity. Thanks, Shaye!

    Reply
  10. Davuth

    December 5, 2018 at 1:59 am

    Wow.. thanks for this step-by-step bee candles.. For me, I love to use soy candles. What do you think about this?
    Thanks.

    Reply
  11. Sovanny

    June 20, 2019 at 12:06 pm

    Wow.Great candle.Thank for your detail.

    Reply
  12. Bee Healthy Candles

    November 13, 2019 at 12:50 pm

    5 stars
    Whether you have a date in mind or not, a tealight is just perfect for setting the mood. Our natural tealight candles are available in golden and white shade so amuse your date and guests with this subtle light and have the time of your life. https://www.beehealthycandles.com/product/tealights/

    Reply
  13. Bee Healthy Candles

    November 13, 2019 at 2:01 pm

    5 stars
    We have been making beeswax candles long enough to understand your preferences. With a keen eye and the perfectionism of a master, we make beeswax taper candles like an artist makes a baroque painting. https://www.beehealthycandles.com/product/10-taper-white/

    Reply
  14. Bee Healthy Candles

    November 22, 2019 at 4:04 pm

    5 stars
    We use 100% natural beeswax which offers all the benefits that paraffin wax doesn’t. There are no chemicals, no aroma enhancing or adding agents or any coloring agents used in our candles. Our 100% beeswax candles are made with pure and neat beeswax and pure cotton wicks. https://www.beehealthycandles.com/

    Reply
  15. Teresa Milne

    April 17, 2020 at 6:39 am

    Wonderful advice and very informative . I made 12 all natural organic candles today. I am in South Africa and love your vlogs.

    Reply
  16. Murphy

    November 12, 2020 at 1:07 pm

    How many taper candles did 3 lbs. of wax make?

    Reply
  17. mmmm bees in my mouth

    February 16, 2022 at 6:01 am

    5 stars
    I like the taste of the beeswax

    Reply

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