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.

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.

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

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).

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

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.

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.