What Are Beeswax Candles?

Beeswax candles are among one of the oldest candle forms, and they’re made from a natural byproduct of honey bees. Basic components of beeswax candles include melted bee wax, wicks, and scent if desired.

In this article, we will talk about beeswax candles and how to make them at home.

beeswax candles

 

What is beeswax anyway?

Beeswax is a wax derived from honeycombs, which are made by worker bees to store their food and raise their young. Beeswax candles have been used throughout history as they’re readily available, don’t deteriorate quickly, and burn more slowly than other types of candles.

 

How is beeswax made?

Beeswax is a waxy substance that bees use to make honeycombs in their nests. It comes from eight glands in their abdomen. Young workers secrete beeswax outside the nest while older bees bring it inside to create honeycomb cells. These cells are where worker bees store pollen, water, or nectar for food along with young or unborn bees.

Beekeepers harvest this natural wax by clipping the honeycombs out of the beehive and melting them down into liquid form. Beeswax is an excellent source of fuel for candles because it’s clean burning and gives off a pleasant scent when burned. It also doesn’t emit any toxins like chemical-based paraffin candles do, which undoes some of its environmental damage.

When you buy pure, raw beeswax that hasn’t been bleached or processed in any way, you’re getting a very natural product that’s completely free of toxins. Beeswax is also non-toxic and much safer to use than paraffin, which is made from petroleum and other chemicals.

 

Benefits of Beeswax

A benefit of using beeswax candles is that they release negative ions into the air when burned that can reduce the risk of asthma as well as help combat seasonal depression. Another use for beeswax is furniture polish; you can mix grated beeswax with linseed oil to form a paste or liquid wax polish. You can use this on wood pieces like side tables and dressers for a shiny surface.

Beeswax candles are also eco-friendly, as beeswax can be harvested several times a year from apiaries without harming the bee population.

Things you need to make beeswax candles: Beeswax, wicks, scissors, or a knife, containers where you want to pour the wax (can be metal cans), and a container for melting the beeswax (shouldn’t be glass because of temperature changes).

 

How to Make Beeswax Candles

To begin making your beeswax candle at home all you have to do is get your mold ready. You’ll need to place it on a stable surface that won’t get affected by heat such as a towel or potholder.

The next step will be to get your melting container ready. You can use anything from a small saucepan to tin cans that have been cleaned out, just make sure it fits the size of the mold you’re using.

After you have your containers ready, place them up on the surface you set aside earlier and pour about an inch’s worth of melted beeswax into each one. After this is done, cut wicks to fit roughly half an inch longer than whatever mold you are using.

If you are not sure how long they should be, make them taller rather than shorter as you can always cut off excess if necessary.

Then tie one end of each wick onto a pencil or similar object which will make it easier for later when placing in the pouring wax.

After this, you will let the wick absorb the melted wax then place it into your molds, gently pushing it to the bottom with a pencil or other object (just make sure not to push it all the way to the bottom).

Repeat this for each mold and let them dry overnight. After they are done drying, pull out your pencils or sticks carefully so as not to disturb the wicks. Then put away until next use.

If desired, add scent by adding some essential oils before you pour in your wax. And there you have it! Beeswax candles are made at home.

 

Beeswax and Honey: The Difference

Beeswax is one of the strongest scents available, and it’s strikingly similar to honey: golden brown in color with a thick consistency and an earthy undertone. One major difference between honey and beeswax is that the latter doesn’t melt as easily at low temperatures. This makes it more difficult to work with for candle-making purposes than regular waxes.

However, there are several ways around this issue such as using microwaves or hot water baths to carefully meltdown the material into the liquid form prior to pouring it into molds. Along with this, beeswax has a low melting point of about 145 ˚F (62.8 ˚C), which is warmer than traditional paraffin candles but gives off the same great scent that’s characteristic of honey when burned.

As for beekeeping purposes, beeswax is used to fill in cracks in the hive during wintertime. This seals out cold air and keeps them warm enough to survive through the season. Beeswax can also be eaten by the worker bees themselves who take it back to their young to help build strong cell walls in their cocoons so they can grow into stronger adult bees.

 

Conclusion

Beeswax candles are clean burning and have no toxic emissions when being burned compared to chemical-based paraffin candles. It’s one of the best sources of fuel for candles because its strong scent smells similar to honey when burned and doesn’t emit any harmful chemicals into the air during the process as other candles do.

If you want to know more about beeswax candles, check out our site for more articles.

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