Making Your Own Beeswax Candles
Hey friends! We’ve made a ton of fun candle DIYs on the blog, and lately, I’ve been trying to bring more natural products into my home. So, I decided to give making beeswax candles a shot.
These beeswax candles are super easy to whip up, non-toxic, and they smell like sweet honey—what’s not to love?
What You Need
- 1/2 pound beeswax pellets (filtered beeswax is best)
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- Cotton candle wicks
- Wick stickers
- 4 oz glass or ceramic jars for the candles
- Large glass jar
- Bamboo skewers (or something to stir the wax with)
How to Make Them
- Melt the Beeswax:
- Put your beeswax pellets into your large glass jar.
- Fill a pot with enough water to cover the height of the beeswax (but not so much that it will spill out when it boils). Place your jar into the pot and heat the water until it gently boils.
- Keep an eye on the wax as it melts and stir every few minutes with a wooden skewer. Beeswax can be flammable, so be careful. If you see smoke, the wax might be too hot.
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Prepare the Candle Jars:
- While the wax is melting, prep your candle jars by sticking the wick to the bottom of the jar.
- Wrap the wick around a skewer and lay it across the top of the jar to keep the wick upright. You can tape the skewer in place if needed.
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Add Coconut Oil:
- Once the wax is melted, turn off the heat and add your coconut oil, stirring to combine.
- Adding coconut oil helps the candle burn more evenly and avoids tunneling, but you can skip it if you prefer a 100% beeswax candle.
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Pour and Set:
- Pour the wax mixture into your candle containers and let them set for 1-2 days.
- Trim the wicks to 1/2” long, and your candles are ready to use!
Troubleshooting Tips
Candle Sinking in the Middle? If your candle tunnels down the middle, try using a larger/thicker wick to get more heat to melt the wax evenly. If it’s just a little bit, you can reuse the leftover wax around the edges.
Candle Burning Too Fast? If your candle melts too quickly and the flame keeps going out, try a smaller wick.
Candle Cracking? Some people find their beeswax candles crack at the top or fall in the center as they cool. If this happens, you can pour another thin layer of wax on top once it cools to smooth it out.
Adding Essential Oils? While beeswax has a faint honey smell, you can add essential oils if you want a stronger scent. Try 1/2-1 ounce of a strong essential oil per 8 ounces of melted wax.
Hope you have a blast making your own beeswax candles!