Homemade Beeswax Candles

We made our first batch of homemade beeswax candles this week. I had recently read about the health benefits of beeswax candles and learned a few things that surprised and inspired me to try this project and pay more attention to what my candles are made with. First, burning beeswax is a natural ionizer, meaning it emits negative ions. Things like dust and dander (both of which I’m allergic to) carry positive charged ions, so the beeswax candles helps to neutralize these pollutants in the air in our home. Second, they’re all natural. They don’t produce toxic byproducts and heavy soot when burned, compared to paraffin wax. Beeswax candles also burn longest and have the purest, brightest light of any type of candle, making them easiest on the eyes.

• Containers. I used walnut shells. Other ideas I’ve seen and look forward to trying in the future are seashells found on our coast adventures and orange peel halves.
• Wicks. I used 100% cotton wicks here but I look forward to also trying hemp wicks and wood wicks. Natural materials are key!
• Essential oil (My favorite is Balance by DoTERRA.)

Supplies

• stainless steel pot
• medium pyrex measuring cup or double boiler
• tongs
• oven mitts 
• coconut oil or coconut wax (optional)

1. Fill your stainless steel pot halfway with water and bring to boil. While your water is coming to a boil, drop your beeswax into the pyrex jar and place the jar into the boiling water. Make sure none of the water gets mixed in with the wax. The amount of beeswax you need will depend on what you are filling, so just give it your best estimate. 
   
   
2. Once your wax is melted (if you have a candy thermometer, 160 degree F is the sweet spot; but if not, don’t sweat it.) add in your favorite essential oil combinations. The more, the stronger the scent. I used about 20 drops for my six-pack of walnut shells. Add a few tablespoons or coconut oil or wax to help strengthen the essential oils scent (optional).
   
   
3. Cut you wicks into appropriately sized pieces. Some wicks come already cut to size and have convenient metal bases attached. I highly recommend those! If they are not already pre-waxed, use tongs or tweezers to dip them in the melted wax for a few seconds to saturate them and then attach one end to the center bottom of your container with a few drops of wax. As the wax hardens, it will act as glue to adhere to the bottom. Before the wax completely cools, you will be able to adjust it to stand straight. 
   
   
4. Pour in your melted, scented wax.  Let cool. 

• As an alternative to a pyrex measuring glass, you can use a stainless steel mini pitcher or a wide-mouthed mason jar too, but they are much more likely to tip as the water boils so I recommend the heavy duty pyrex measuring cup.
• If you are making the walnut shell candles, place the halved and emptied shells in an egg carton to support it and keep it in place while you pour and so you don’t pour melted wax on your fingers. 

• Check that the wicks are centered in the middle of the wax and point straight up so that your candle burns evenly. If you're making glass jar candles, you can use a couple wooden skewers or even a pen with a pocket clip on it to sit across the top of your jar and hold the wick upright. The wooden wicks work wonderfully too and stand up on their own.
• Adding coconut oil or coconut wax is optional. I suggest it because it strengthens the scent of the essential oils AND helps your candle to burn more evenly to the outside edges of our candle before starting to burn down.
• If you get melted wax on your kitchen items (assuming they are all stainless steel or heat-proof glass,) simply boil a large pot of water and submerge the items completely in it. Let it boil for 10 minutes and then turn off the burner and let the water cool to room temperature. The wax will gather and float at the top of the water, hardening as the water cools, cleaning nearly all the wax off your utensils.

Warning: Walnut shells are flammable so make sure to only burn walnut shell candles while they are floating in water. Your kids will love watching them float at the dinner table.

Many of my favorite crafting supplies and materials can be found HERE.

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