Learn how to make beeswax candles that are naturally scented with essential oils. These candles make a great homemade gift idea that smells natural, fresh, and is purifying for your air too. With just a few mason jars and some beeswax, you can make these beeswax candles and even save some money too!
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Watch: Beginner Candle Making with my Mom!
An Old Fashioned Season
It may be the year 2021, but in our homestead we are always thinking of new ways to go back to our roots and live more traditionally.
While I am thankful for modern technology and medicine, there were some benefits to living that simple natural old fashioned life.
Before electricity, there were candles.
Before fragranced, artificial candles, there was beeswax.
In a world with ever growing toxins and chemicals, it’s important to me to peel back those layers one at a time. Start with homemade soaps and lotions. Next make your own candles. Learn how to make your own bone broth. The more you make from scratch, the better.
Save it for Later!
Benefits of Beeswax Candles
Beeswax candles are completely natural, containing no fragrance or toxic ingredients.
Coming from bees, burning beeswax candles helps purify and clean the air. Burning beeswax helps remove dust, pollen, and allergens from the air. It’s similar to the benefit you receive from drinking raw honey in your tea 🙂 You can read more about the science behind this here.
They smell like honey! Even if you don’t add any fragrances to your homemade candles, the beeswax alone smells nice when it burns.
They are easy to make. If you just keep beeswax on hand, you can quickly melt it anytime to create a home made candle. Great for your own family or to give as gifts to friends.
Health Benefits of Essential Oils
Essential oils were used hundreds of years ago in ancient traditional medicine and natural, homeopathic remedies.
Essential oils come from the root, plant, seed, flower, or other natural extract. You can use these natural properties found in nature to help promote good overall health, as well as target specific issues.
Learn about our top 10 uses for essential oils in this post.
When you use essential oils in candles, you are diffusing the oils into the air, getting all the benefits of breathing both the oil and the beeswax.
You can target stress and create a calming environment with oils like lavender and chamomile. Or, help purify the air inside your home with oils like lemon and eucalyptus.
What do you need to make your own candles?
Small glass mason jars. We’ve been making these a lot this winter so I also like to use these mini spice jars or coffee mugs too.
Beeswax (one bag makes about 4 small glass mason jar candles)
BBQ skewer (you could also use a pencil or plastic cutlery)
UPDATE: Two Options for Candle Wicks
I found another way to insert the candle wicks into the candles. The first method I describe in this post is to buy a roll of candle wick, then cut it and place it in the candle after you pour the beeswax in. This is a very economical way.
Another way that I found out is you can actually buy pre-cut wicks that have a metal attachment on the bottom that can be glued into the candle base. In this method, you would glue the wick in first and then pour the melted beeswax inside. You would also need a hot glue gun to do this.
How to Make Homemade Beeswax Candles
Oven method of melting beeswax:
- Pour the beeswax pellets into your oven-safe candle holder of choice and place inside the oven at 200 degrees F.
- Let beeswax melt for 1-2 hours, topping off the beeswax pellets when they start to melt down.
Double Broiler method of melting beeswax:
- Place a stovetop pot with 1-2 cups of water on the stove and bring to a boil. Then take a glass or stainless steel mixing bowl and set it on top of the bowling pot, creating a double broiler. Place the wax in the top bowl and let melt.
Note: when wax dries, it can get difficult to get off dishes. So just make sure you’re not using your favorite cooking bowl. If you do get wax somewhere you don’t want it, you can safely use a hair dryer to heat it back it and wipe it off 🙂
How to Make Candles cont.
Pour the beeswax into the candle holder, being careful not to spill. I like to line the countertops with parchment paper so I’m not scraping any wax off afterward 🙂
Let the candle cool for just a few minutes, then add your essential oils. The beeswax already smells kind of like honey when it burns, so add smells that will compliment that. I will jot down some of my favorite scent combinations below.
Stir the candle with a wooden BBQ skewer or plastic knife.
Measure the wick to the height of the candle, leaving a couple inches extra on top. Insert the wick into the center of the wax, trying to keep it as straight as possible. Use the BBQ skewer to help straighten the wick in the center.
Place the BBQ skewer (you could also use a pencil) on the top of the candle and wrap the wick around it several times to secure it in place.
Let dry for 24 hours. Cut the wick, leaving a half inch on top for lighting.
Light and enjoy!
Essential Oil Candle Recipes
Christmas Tree
10 drops each of:
Gingerbread House
10 drops each of:
Relaxing Spa Candle
10 drops each of:
Floral Delight
10 drops each of:
Love is in the Air
10 drops each of:
- Rose (you could also use geranium)
- Cedarwood
- Ylang Ylang
Is it cheaper to make your own candles?
Pre-made candles that are pure, 100% beeswax and scented naturally with essentials cost anywhere between $15 and $50. They can get so expensive! Here’s one I found on Amazon that is similar to what you could make yourself: Beeswax Lavender Candle
To make this candle, you would need to purchase the beeswax ($15 – but makes 4 candles), candle wicks ($15 – makes dozens of candles), and pure lavender essential oil ($30 – makes at least 8 candles). So while the cost of one candle might be higher than buying pre-made, keep in mind that buying the supplies one time makes you at least 4 candles.
So the beeswax candle on Amazon was $34, while you could make 4 candles for $60 ($15 each). And of course you could still make another 4 candles with your materials if you only bought one more packet of beeswax. In that case, you would have spent the $60 + $15 = $75, and you could make 8 candles total. So that’s less than $10 per candle. Pretty good I’d say!
How to Make Beeswax Candles
Learn to make homemade beeswax candles for a wonderful and all natural way to scent your home and freshen your air. These homemade candles are great gifts or just to have on hand to burn every day, giving you all the benefits of organic beeswax and pure essential oils.
Materials
- Organic Beeswax
- Candle Wick
- Small glass mason jars
- BBQ Skewer or wooden pencil
- Essential Oils
Tools
Instructions
- Pour the beeswax pellets into your oven-safe candle holder of choice and place inside the oven at 200 degrees F.
- Let beeswax melt for 1-2 hours, topping off the beeswax pellets when they start to melt down. Note: you could also use a double broiler method for this.
- Pour the beeswax into the candle holder, being careful not to spill.
- Let the candle cool for just a few minutes, then add your essential oils. The beeswax already smells kind of like honey when it burns, so add smells that will compliment that. I will jot down some of my
favorite scent combinations below. - Stir the candle with a wooden BBQ skewer or plastic knife.
- Measure the wick to the height of the candle, leaving a couple inches extra on top. Insert the wick into the center of the wax, trying to keep it as straight as possible. Use the BBQ skewer to help straighten the wick in the center.
- Place the BBQ skewer (you could also use a pencil) on the top of the candle and wrap the wick around it several times to secure it in
place. - Let dry for 24 hours. Cut the wick, leaving a half inch on top for lighting
- Lite and enjoy!
Notes
ESSENTIAL OIL RECIPES:
Christmas Tree
- 10 drops cederwood
- 10 drops douglas fir
- 10 drops black spruce
Gingerbread House
- 10 drops ginger
- 10 drops clove
- 10 drops wild orange
Relaxing Spa Candle
- 10 drops lavender
- 10 drops eucalyptus
- 10 drops wild orange
Floral Delight
- 10 drops ylang ylang
- 10 drops roman chamomile
- 10 drops lemon
Love in the Air
- 10 drops rose (you could also use geranium)
- 10 drops cederwood
- 10 drops ylang ylang
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Anja says
Great post and nice essential oil mixes! We love homemade candles! I actually mix soy wax and beeswax 😊
Alexa Gibbons says
i’m sure that’s great too! i’ve also heard of using coconut oil.
Lauren says
This makes homemade candles look doable! Hoping to try this soon!
Alexa Gibbons says
that is the goal!
Kristin says
I’m saving this for later! These would make great house warming gifts. Great tutorial.
Alexa Gibbons says
enjoy!! they are so fun to make.