How To Make Your Own Beeswax Candles

Though a beeswax candle looks simple, there is definitely something special about it. Using beeswax for making candles eliminates the need for extra scent or color to be added. It has a subtle, natural fragrance of honey and the colors can range from slight gold to yellow to tan. Beeswax candles produce positive ions when burnt and combine with the pollutants in the air to form clumps of molecules that fall to the ground (making it easier to clean) and no longer float in the air. Beeswax candles can be prepared by three different methods, namely, dipping, rolling and making a solid pillar out of melted wax. You can use beeswax in the form of sheets or blocks while making such candles. Read through the following lines to know the tips on how to make your own beeswax candles.

Making Beeswax Candles

Rolling

The easiest way to make candles out of beeswax is to use beeswax sheets. You can get colored or natural sheets or even textured ones that appear like honeycombs.

Place the beeswax sheet on a working surface, such as clean sheet of plywood or cutting board.
Roll out the sheet on the board.
Cut out a wick two inches longer than the width of the beeswax sheet. You can also use square braided wicks.
Arrange the wick along the edge of the beeswax sheet.
Fold the sheet 1/8^th inch over the wick, making sure to press the sheet so that the wax covers the wick completely.
Start rolling the sheet once the wick is secured in it. Roll the candle evenly to keep it straight, ensuring that the honeycomb pattern is not damaged.
When you reach the end of the sheet, gently press on the exposed edge, so that the candle does not come apart.
Trim the wick to ½ inch.
Melt the bottom of the candle using an iron or the bottom of a hot pan, to make it flat.

Dipping

Pour enough water in a large pot to ensure that it is half way up the side of a large coffee can or tall glass jar, in which you would be setting your candle. Now, heat the water.
Cut or shave a beeswax block into smaller pieces and place them in the jar or can.
Place the jar or can in the pot with water and stir until the wax melts.
Take a wick and tie a weight to one end and other end on a stick or bowel.
Dip the weight and wick into the wax and leave it for cooling.
Make a clothesline in the room and hang the candle onto it, using paper clips or tie the wick to the clothesline.
When the candle has cooled completely, trim the wick to ½ inch and cut the bottom of the candle flat.

Pillars

Melt the beeswax in a large pot completely.
Clean a canning jar.
Cut a wick a few inches longer than the height of the canning jar.
Tie a weight or bead to one end of the wick and place it in the center of the jar.
Pour a small amount of beeswax into the jar and position the wick in the center, using a pencil or bamboo skewer.
Allow the wax to cool completely.
Pour the remaining wax into jar, keeping it ¾ inch below the top edge of the jar.
You can add some potpourri into the beeswax before pouring it into the jar to add some visual interest.
When the candle is firm, remove it from the jar and trim the wick to ½ inch.

How to Cite

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