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Make your candles at home with this easy beeswax candle recipe. These homemade beeswax candles are toxin-free and scented with honey and essential oils.
Did you know that many of the candles you can purchase from the store contain known carcinogens?
Since our family is on a mission to get rid of as many of the toxins in our home as possible, we decided to start making our own candles. It gives us complete control over the ingredients and the supplies we use, while still enjoying candles in our homes.
When we first started using fewer toxins, I switched to using a diffuser with essential oils in order to scent our home. But there’s just something about the coziness of a candle that brings warmth to the home, so I love to have candles on hand as well.
This post will outline exactly what you need to make homemade beeswax candles and walk you through the steps.
What You’ll Need to Make Homemade Beeswax Candles
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- Beeswax pellets
- Wax melt containers You can also use jars, tins, or even coffee cups. Get creative with what you pour your candles into!
- Candle wicks It’s handy to choose wicks that come with a sticker on the bottom plus a stick on top to hold the wick in place while you pour the wax.
- Kitchen scale
- Double boiler, or a pot that will fit another smaller inside of it.
- Fork or whisk.
- Thermometer
The rest of the ingredients will vary depending on what you choose to add to your candles. We made one recipe with honey, vanilla, and lavender essential oil. The other recipe uses coconut oil and essential oils of your choice. We used lemon and citrus fresh for this one.
If you choose the recipe that contains honey, you’ll also need an immersion blender to get the honey to blend well. It’s best to not use the same immersion blender for food. But, if you don’t have an immersion blender, don’t worry. The second homemade beeswax candle recipe using coconut oil and essential oils doesn’t require this tool.
Both of these recipes make one 8-ounce candle. You can adjust the measurements to fit your needs.
Steps to Make Beeswax Candles Scented with Honey
- Measure your beeswax. For one 8-ounce candle, you’ll need 5.5 ounces of beeswax.
- Turn your stove on to medium heat.
- Pour the measured beeswax into your double boiler and slowly heat it until the beeswax is completely melted. You can gently stir it with a fork or a whisk.
- Remove the melted beeswax from the heat and let it cool until it reaches about 155 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Slowly mix in 1 tablespoon of honey. Drizzle it slowly to get the best results. If you pour too quickly it will take longer to emulsify.
- Carefully put your immersion blender into the liquid and give it a few pulses. Make sure you don’t lift the blender above the liquid level so as not to cause the hot liquid to spray and burn you.
- Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla.
- Repeat the blending process. Blend until the mixture is a consistent color throughout and none of the ingredients are sitting on the bottom. Note: You may need to put the pot back on the stove to heat it up again at this point, since being at room temperature causes the wax to harden. Leave it on the heat just long enough to remelt the mixture, then take it off again, continuing to stir.
- Continue stirring gently until there are no bubbles remaining in the mixture. You don’t want any bubbles when you pour your candle.
- Add your essential oils as soon as the mixture drops to 155 degrees. It takes a lot to give a candle a scent, so I recommend 25-30 drops in this recipe.
- Stir gently to combine.
- Position your wick in the center of your container of choice. Mine came with a sticker, so I used it to adhere the wick to the bottom of the container.
- Pour the wax into your container of choice. Go slowly so it doesn’t splash onto the sides.
- As soon as you’re done pouring, reposition the wick in the center of the candle, in case it moved a bit during the pouring process.
- Put the candle aside to cool.
Easy Beeswax Candle Recipe with Coconut Oil
This homemade beeswax candle recipe is even easier to make. In just a few simple steps you’ll have a homemade beeswax candle scented with essential oils and coconut oil.
- Measure your essential oils and set them aside so they’re ready to go. Since the only scent in this recipe comes from the essential oils, you will need about 50 drops. We used 25 drops of lemon and 25 drops of citrus fresh. The combination was definitely a winner! It reminds me of summer and helps lift my mood.
- Measure 5.5 ounces of beeswax and 2 tablespoons of coconut oil into your double boiler. Heat it slowly and stir gently.
- As soon as it is completely melted, remove it from the heat and set it aside to cool.
- When the mixture reaches 155 degrees Fahrenheit, slowly add the essential oils. It’s important to do this slowly because adding ingredients at room temperature brings down the temperature of the entire mixture and will cause it to harden.
- Stir gently to combine.
- Carefully pour the mixture into your container of choice, following the instructions in the recipe above.
And that’s it! Homemade beeswax candles scented with essential oils.
I recommend letting your candles cure for a few days to get the best results. If you burn them right away, the scent may not be very strong.
With this easy beeswax candle recipe you can avoid toxic store bought candles by making your own at home.
How to Clean Your Candle-Making Supplies
When you’re done, you will notice that beeswax is extremely difficult to get off. In order to clean your supplies, the best way I know how is to heat them up until the wax melts, and then wipe them clean with a paper towel. Just make sure you are NOT letting any of the beeswax go down your sink. It will harden and clog it.
My Favorite Candle-Making Supplies
Essential Oils: I used to recommend a certain brand of oils. I no longer support that company for personal reasons. I will update this once I find a company I align with.
How many candles did the coconut recipe make?
The coconut candle recipe typically makes about 4-6 candles, depending on the size of your molds. Enjoy your candle-making!
Hi, Staci!
Thanks for sharing this candle recipe! Was hoping you could share what essential oils use?
Hi! I’m so glad you liked the recipe! You can really use any essential oils you love, but some of my favorites for candles are lavender, eucalyptus, and orange. They give such a nice, relaxing vibe! Feel free to mix and match to create your own perfect scent!