Apr 3, 2018

Make Your Own Natural Beeswax Candles

by RidgeCrest Herbals

Candles can provide atmosphere, beauty, and relaxation to your home, regardless of the time of year. Unfortunately, many commercial candles contain harsh ingredients that become harmful when burned. Most candles are made of paraffin wax, which creates highly toxic benzene and toluene when burned (both are known carcinogens). Yuck!  Keep your home cute and cozy with this natural recipe that can be customized with different scents. These also make great gifts!

Ingredients:

- 1 pound filtered beeswax, chopped or in pellet form

- 1/2 cup coconut oil

- Medium tabbed cotton wicks (the thicker, the better for beeswax)

- Jars – This recipe makes three 8oz. mason jars, or six 4oz. jars

- Essential Oils, if desired 

Directions:

- Melt beeswax and coconut oil in a pouring pitcher, or double boiler.  If you don’t have a double boiler, you can create one by placing one inch of water in a pot and placing a smaller pot or stainless steel bowl inside and bringing the water to a low simmer.

- Once the mixture is combined, add 20-30 drops of an essential oil of your choice (if using), and stir. To ease on cleanup, use a chopstick that you can throw away.

- Pour mixture into jars, and insert wicks in the center.  You can keep them centered and straight by feeding a trimmed-to-size wick through the middle of a clothespin hinge and setting the clothespin on top of the jar.

- Allow candles to set/harden in a warm place since cooling beeswax too quickly can cause the wax to crack.  

- Allow candles to cure for at least 2 days, then cut wicks to 1/4 inch tall.  When the candle is lit, allow it to burn long enough that the wax melts out to the sides of the jar. This helps to prevent tunneling (when the middle melts down with lots of wax left over around the edges). NEVER LEAVE A CANDLE UNATTENDED.